Venus Williams – Fashion Queen of the Court?
Venus Williams has taken international tennis by storm over the years and it’s not just because of her spectacular performances on the court. This African American professional has been dubbed as one of the favourites to clinch the title. Her world ranking supports this claim. The 30-year-old is ranked as the fourth best player by the Women Tennis Association across the globe.
However, Venus Williams has garnered attention for more reasons than one. In 2007, the tennis star took on a new interest when she developed her own clothing line. She named her chain ‘EleVen’, which focused particularly on affordability and versatility. Her outfits could be worn either on the tennis court or as casual wear on the streets. Williams’ collection includes pants, tops, dresses, accessories and shoes.
In 2007, this clothing line was launched as a joint venture with Steve & Barry’s. Williams was reported as saying, “I love fashion...clothing and footwear that I will wear on and off the tennis court is a dream come true for me. The vision has been to create a collection that will allow women to enjoy an active lifestyle while remaining fashionable at the same time”.
However, the clothing chain declared bankruptcy in the beginning of 2009 and all sales stores had to be closed which included it’s online as well as physical chains. Despite this setback, it did not by any means indicate that Venus Williams stopped designing outfits. Online shopping services still deliver various pieces of the ‘EleVen’ collection. Besides this, her own website is still advertising her newer designs, and it provides reliable information as to where the outfits can be obtained.
Venus Williams also uses the court as a medium to develop publicity for her apparel. At the Australian Open in January, she wore a green one piece dress with a flesh coloured V panel at the front. The dress was designed with slits in the skirt area. She was subsequently voted an Australian Open hottie.
At the French Open in May, one of Williams’ more controversial outfits included a lacy black and red outfit which has been the subject of much debate and is possibly her most controversial dress till date.
At Wimbledon in June, Venus Williams wore a short, white, Tina Turner-esque dress. She herself commented on it when Venus said, “I think it's just a fun, elegant dress. Here it's all about white. There is no illusion this time.”
This month, at the US Open 2010, Venus Williams chose to wear a pinkish red dress with flesh coloured shorts. The dress itself showed an explosion of fireworks, drawing immediate attention from the spectators. When asked about it, Williams explained that the outfit represented New York to her. She also wore an identical black dress to another one of her matches.
Overall, Venus’s clothing line meets with approval. The worst, perhaps, which has ever been said regarding her designs, is that they “could be more sophisticated.” Although some people may call them juvenile, her target audience is generally satisfied. Her dresses are more memorable than most players, specifically because of the original design and creative outlook.
Should Williams proceed to the finals of the US Open 2010, she would have three more outfits to show off to her fans and the world of fashion; hopefully, these articles of wear will be subject to an even more positive reception that the first two.
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