Multihyphenate Serena Williams just added another hyphen.
Williams is known as the GOAT, record-breaking athlete, entrepreneur, philanthropist, designer — and now a fashion icon, thanks to the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
The tennis star received the CFDA Fashion Awards 2023 fashion icon honor on Nov. 6, making her the first female athlete to win the award.
And she hit the red carpet in a look worthy of her iconic status.
Williams made her mark at the American Museum of Natural History in a custom black sequin gown designed by CFDA President Thom Browne. The design featured distinctive black sleeves and a tow. She added even more sparkle with her David Yurman jewelry, including “Fleur de Mer” pavé diamonds and pearls and pavé cable earrings.
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Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
The champ even drove to the CFDA Awards in style, traveling in a Lincoln Navigator SUV that was custom-upholstered to match her ensemble.
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Landon Nordeman
Previous award winners include Zendaya, Naomi Campbell, Beyoncé and Rihanna.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve used fashion as an outlet to express myself — fashion gave me the confidence to step out onto the field and acknowledge who I was and where I knew I was going,” Williams told the CFDAs before the awards.
See all the best red carpet photos from the 2023 CFDA Awards.
In between a career-high 23 Grand Slam singles titles during her career, Williams went on to fashion school, a clothing line and attention from those who didn’t like her style on the court.
CFDA President Thom Browne called her “the ultimate example of individuality in everything she does.”
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Serena Williams at the 2004 US Open. Al Bello/Getty
Williams has delivered iconic looks throughout her 27-year professional career, from proving that a denim miniskirt is match-ready at the 2004 US Open to donning a white jacket at Wimbledon a decade later. She established herself as a fashion force in 2018, when her French Open catsuit was banned. The president of the French Tennis Federation, Bernard Giudicelli, called the appearance unacceptable, saying that “the game and the venue must be respected”.
The tennis champion shook off the controversy and went in search of her dream, launching her clothing line S by Serena a year later. Just as Williams finds strength in her own style, she hoped to share that power with others through the line.
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Serena Williams warming up at Wimbledon 2014.
ANDREW YATES/AFP/Getty
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Williams said Essence 2019 that her clothes “represent women everywhere — unyielding mothers, daughters and sisters; resilient business women and entrepreneurs; outsiders and outsiders; little girls with crazy dreams and steadfast women of color.”
The 2023 CFDA Fashion Awards, hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker, are held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education