Venus Williams: more than just a tennis icon, she’s a true fashion innovator on the court and beyond. But the roots of this sartorial influence trace back to her childhood, specifically to sewing lessons with her mother, Oracene. It was in those early moments, crafting clothes for her dolls, that a passion ignited. As Venus herself once remarked, “Making patterns is a real joy of mine. Understanding clothing construction makes you a lot more picky when you’re out buying things.” This “grassroots level” beginning saw her mother even sew her first professional tennis skirts for the 1994 West Classic. Over time, this early interest blossomed into a serious pursuit, culminating in an Associate of Arts degree in Fashion Design and the launch of her own successful clothing line, EleVen, in 2007. Even now, at 44, Venus continues to inspire with her consistently stunning style.
In January this year, Venus was spotted donning an all-black jumpsuit featuring a zip front at the Christian Dior’s Culture Spring 2025 show in Paris. Then, two months later, she was spotted at the Lacoste Paris Fashion Week at Roland Garros in a stunning green ensemble from head to toe. On Tuesday, Williams took to her Instagram to share a few glimpses of such stunning photoshoots, including images from her stunning cover shoot for Harper’s BAZAAR October issue in 2024.
She captioned that post: “Fits that needed a second moment .” After seeing this post, tennis legend Chris Evert dropped a comment saying, “gorgeous .” Not only Evert, but even the former tennis pro and renowned broadcaster, Prakash Amritraj also dropped a comment, hailing Venus Williams as “Quuueeeeeen .“
Fun fact: Evert has a long-time relationship with Venus. She first met her when she was about 9 years old. Williams’ father, Richard, had contacted Evert’s father to arrange a visit to their home so young Venus Williams could see Evert’s trophies. Later on, she even invited the two sisters to participate in her first Pro-Celebrity charity event when they were around 9 and 11 years old.
Be it on the court or off the court, the Williams sisters have never shied away from donning some eye-catching outfits. What is the real secret behind putting so much effort into dressing up uniquely? According to Venus Williams, “I love making a statement through my makeup, hair, or outfit and telling a story along the way.”
She believes fashion is a way of expressing herself. Talking more about her on-court fashion, she once stated, “I’ve always had a love for fashion, and throughout my tennis career, that affinity grew even more.” Did donning stunning outfits do any wonders for her performances on the court?
“I truly believe that in order to perform your best, you need to feel your best. Before a match, I always think [about] how I’ll feel in the clothes I wear, how I’ll move in them, how they’ll support me, et cetera. What you wear is so important in tennis.”
The Williams sisters’ bold and iconic fashion choices have been the talk of the town for a while. Is there anyone whom they look up to as their real fashion icon?
American tennis star Venus Williams names her style icon
In an interview in November 2023, the elder sister, Venus Williams, admitted, “There was one point where all I wanted to do was be more risqué and wear shorter stuff, and I made another mood board after. I haven’t made one recently, though. We’ll see where it goes. Naomi Campbell is my whole style icon. She’s incredible. I love her. She just keeps reinventing herself. She’s amazing.“
Who doesn’t know that Serena and Venus are like “Two peas in a Pod“. Well, just like Venus, even Serena Williams thinks fashion is an “outlet” to express herself. According to her, “Fashion gave me the confidence to step on the court and own who I was, and where I knew I was going.” But does she have a similar admiration for Campbell?
Well, you’d be surprised to know that even Serena is a big fan of the British fashion model, Naomi Campbell. She once even admitted, “I really like that Naomi Campbell lip color she had on the cover of British Vogue. See she’s inspiring everybody still.” In that same interaction, she was also seen making a special request to her makeup artist. What was it?
“So Tasha, can you give me the Venus eyes? Like, I just want eyes of like a snake,” the younger sister cheekily described Venus Williams’ eyes and burst out in laughter shortly after that. Both these sisters share a very strong passion for fashion, but which of these two do you think is the most stylish?
The post Chris Evert Left Speechless as Venus Williams Flaunts Her Most Daring Iconic Looks appeared first on EssentiallySports.
