The sighting: The legendary Serena Williams played her last tennis match before retirement at the 2022 US Open. Her outfit for the occasion was magnificent: a riot of sparkle against a sleek black background. Let’s take a closer look.
The jewels: First things first: Ms. Williams’ sleek black tennis dress, which shimmers like the night sky as she darts across the court, is not covered in actual diamonds. The garment, inspired by figure skating costumes and custom made by Nike for the occasion, features a 6-layered tutu and a galaxy of glittering crystals, as well as a detachable black-and-gold shimmering train.
The tennis megastar also wore a Nike headband embellished with crystals and an array of shimmering crystals stamped into her hair. She’s also wearing some actual jewelry: her ears are adorned with diamond studs that say “Mama,” and another pair of studs that say “loved.” She’s also wearing a gold heart pendant on her neck.
Now, the shoes: according to People Magazine, This custom pair of NikeCourt Flare 2 sneakers are adorned with actual real diamonds and finished with a pair of gold and black ceramic lace locks from Williams’ own jewelry line that spell “MAMA” and “QUEEN” in diamonds (1.5 TCW each). The diamonds on the sneakers form celestial-style swirls and the Nike swoosh logo. All in all, the footwear features 400 hand-set diamonds.
The details: Williams’ shoelace adornments and other jewelry is produced by the tennis star’s jewelry line, Serena Williams Jewelry, and is available for purchase online at serenawilliamsjewelry.com. The shoe deubrés are listed for $3,590 for the pair, while Williams’ gold and diamond heart pendant sells for $399, her “Mama” diamond studs go for $299, and her diamond “loved” studs are listed for $399.
What do we think? I’m not a sports-following kind of person, but I have the utmost respect for Serena Williams. She’s a magnificent powerhouse of a record-breaker, slamming through the barriers of racism and sexism to achieve magnificent things. To finish a career like hers by showing up covered in literal diamonds is a glamorous and deeply badass power move and I could not love it any more than I do.
If an athlete ever deserved to wear a custom-made sparkling multi-part outfit with diamond-encrusted shoes for their final match before retirement, it is Serena Williams.
Judgement: 1000/10 for the most well-earned diamond sneakers of all time.
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