What exactly is Venus Williams wearing at Wimbledon? Faced with yet another one of Venus’s “designs” I can only say they aren’t getting any better. The first thing you want in tennis clothing is for it to be functional. I can’t imagine playing in a high-wasted one-piece with a gold zipper going up to my chest, let alone with some flouncy, lace wings draped over my shoulders. Apparently Venus calls this a “jumper” – but Dick Enberg and Chris Evert over on ESPN just called it a toga. Bruce Jenkins, writing for the SF Gate, noted its resemblance to an unwieldy hospital gown. It reminds me of the kind of cheap lacy curtains your grandmother put in her kitchen window. Venus is correct that lace is “in” in the fashion world, but would you want to sweat all over grandma’s lace curtains? I’ll pass on that, thanks.
The back features a triangular cut-out right above the area where women usually get tramp stamps. Venus says this “peekaboo” spot is her attempt to do something fun and unexpected. All of Venus’s forays into fashion designs share this sense of daring, but frankly most of them have been ludicrous and ill-fitting. We’ve seen Venus bare her ass and cooter. I just don’t buy that these clothes have anything to do with who she is as a person or a player. Venus is not the Cher of the tennis world. She has the statuesque body of a runway model. It’s time she signed a deal with a designer who could actually make her look like one.
Passing Shots 
Posted on June 22, 2011
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