There’s something about the Williams sisters that makes them seem larger than life.
And it’s not just their sheer talent as tennis players (Serena has been ranked No. 1 in the world this season; Venus, No. 4). These women are style icons. Consider the gutsy way they flaunt their physiques and style on the court — denim, boots, a catsuit (Serena); skin-tone boy-shorts, the cancan ensemble (Venus).
“They have a unique form of celebrity relative to other tennis players today,” says WFAN sports talk radio host Lori Rubinson. “What makes them interesting is the fact that they have other interests,” she says. “We’re used to tennis players in the past being far more single-minded.”
Venus credits her family.
“Serena and I were brought up with a different philosophy on life,” she said in an interview last week. “We were taught to be complete people. To explore who we were outside of the court. To have that entrepreneurial spirit.”
So they both studied fashion design.
Venus continues to build her apparel line, EleVen. (The brand, once found at the now-defunct Steve & Barry’s chain, is currently sold online at semiannual sales on Gilt Groupe — fans can become members at — and may soon be at a major retailer. She’s in talks and can’t reveal names.)
Venus even collaborated on a limited-edition dress this season with Ralph Lauren, which was, “as a designer … a dream come true,” she says.
Meanwhile, Serena, who has a line of clothes on HSN, has been training to be certified as a nail technician in Florida. She’s No. 1 and does manicures? Hey, she’s loved nails since she was a teenager, and plans to develop her own nail line.
Besides, she learned years ago that she needn’t always do or be what others expect.
“I don’t look like every other girl,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.
“It takes a while to be OK with that. To be different. But different is good.” Tongues wagged when Venus played the French Open in a corsetlike can-can dress, with skin-tone shorts that gave what she called “the illusion of bareness.” On the party circuit, Venus always looks stylish and chic. She rocked a graphic top and black mini at a recent party in Los Angeles.
At Wimbledon in July, Serena scored the top title, and praise from fashion pundits for both her pretty Nike tennis clothes and the Burberry sequin number she wore to the gala dinner.
Venus Williams may be known for her, well, offbeat style sense on court. But she’s also embracing the sport’s classical side, thanks to a collaboration with Ralph Lauren.
Last month she hosted Lauren’s Legends Clinic, a virtual tennis camp where she offered online tennis tips, wearing the limited-edition, racerback U.S. Open Stretch Venus Dress, $198, designed in collaboration with Lauren and her EleVen line. (Fifteen percent of sales will be donated to the Women’s Sports Foundation.) Polo Ralph Lauren is also once again the official outfitter of the Open, which means you can look as sporty as the ball boys and girls.
The Venus dress and other Open merchandise, like a custom-fit Polo, $98, in breathable performance mesh, can be found at the on-site Lauren shop at the Open, select Ralph Lauren shops and department stores, and at .
Anyone for fashion?
It’s not just the Williams sisters. Over the years, tennis champs have made some serious fashion statements:
French champ Rene Lacoste — nicknamed “the crocodile,” for his toughness — put the little critter on the first Lacoste polo shirt in 1929.
Gussy Moran showed up on court in lace-trimmed panties under her tennis skirt in 1949 at Wimbledon, and a scandal erupted.
Andre Agassi, one of the greatest players of all time, didn’t need a can-can outfit to get tongues wagging — he did it with denim shorts, neon shirts . . . or no shirt at all.
Bethanie Mattek could be considered the Dennis Rodman of tennis, wearing a cowboy hat at the 2005 U.S. Open (she got fined) or other gems: skimpy gym shorts, sausage- casing halters, tube socks, gold lame.
Rafael Nadal, the Spanish superstar, first caught attention on the courts in muscle tees and clam-digger pants.
Roger Federer — his white blazer (which he often wears at Wimbledon) matches his playing style: classic, elegant, old school.
