Williams' ensemble will consist of a black one-shoulder dress featuring Abloh’s signature quotation graphicNIKE
Serena Williams since her pro debut in '98 has "easily remained one of the best dressed players on the tennis circuit," but this year she is "really upping her game with a special U.S. Open ensemble,” according to Steff Yotka of VOGUE. Williams U.S. Open attire -- designed by Virgil Abloh for Nike and dubbed “The Queen Collection” -- consists of a “black one-shoulder dress with Nike’s logo, accompanied by Abloh’s signature quotation graphic -- this one reads Logo -- with a full tulle skirt." Williams will "play in a pair of customized NikeCourt Flare sneakers and sport an Abloh-designed jacket while off court." If this is "good news for Williams, Abloh, and tennis on the whole -- it’s even better for fans." A limited edition of Williams’ dress, jacket, and two Nike The Ten sneaker styles inspired by her look “will be available at select Nike locations" in the U.S. in late August. Abloh in an email wrote, “This is very far from a design-by-numbers project. As you can tell by her personality in her play, she’s very much involved in her aesthetic. She has a level of creativity with how she expresses herself in terms of clothing in any event, so I made everything with her logic in mind. We traded images and there was a lot of back-and-forth to get this done in short order” (VOGUE.com, 8/13). For the Queen Collection, Nike sent a body form designed specifically for Williams’ figure to Italy to explore options with materials, then it was flown back to Indian Wells, Calif., where Williams could pick the features of the dress that spoke to her (Nike).
