There are very few places left in Britain where what you wear still says something — Wimbledon is one of them. Step onto those lawns and you're not just watching tennis, you're part of the picture: cream linen against green grass, the click of a Pimm's glass, a hundred-and-fifty years of quiet good taste. Get it right, and you'll look like you belong there. Get it wrong, and you'll be the only navy suit in a sea of cream.

Here's how to do it properly.

The Golden Rule: Light, Crisp, Unfussy

Forget your city suiting. Wimbledon calls for lightness — in colour, in cloth, in attitude. Think cream, stone, pale blue, soft grey, white. Fabrics that breathe: linen, linen-cotton, lightweight wool, fresco cloth that holds its shape without holding the heat.

For the Members' Enclosure or a hospitality box, a pale suit — unlined or half-lined — is your starting point. For the outer courts, the queue, or a debenture lunch, a navy or stone blazer with cream or oatmeal trousers, open collar, no tie, is exactly right.

Build the Look, Piece by Piece

For the ladies, the same rule applies: light palettes, tailored separates or tea dresses, floral prints kept pale, and a low block heel or wedge built for grass and gravel.

The Secret Behind Wimbledon's Famous White

Here's the detail most spectators don't know: while guests dress in soft, light colours, the players themselves are bound by one of the strictest dress codes in world sport — almost entirely white, head to toe, undergarments included.

It's worth knowing as a spectator too — because the same instinct that put the players in white is exactly what should guide your own outfit: keep it pale, keep it clean, keep it composed.