FASHION FIX: Venus Williams reveals the Strisce Break Back Dress for Wimbledon

Venus Williams today revealed her EleVen byVenus look for this year's Wimbledon Championships where she has won five titles.

The Strisce Break Back Dress ($88) features "a scoop neck and back, stylish mesh inserts at shoulders for enhanced breathability, feminine cap-sleeves, single front pleat on hem and a printed metallic EleVen logo on upper back" according to her blog.

I was wondering what "strisce" meant so I looked it up. It could mean "striped" or "strips" in Italian based on the translations I could find online, which must mean it's spot on. Thanks Internets. I don't see how either one would apply to this dress though. Feel free to let me know otherwise.

It's pretty cool; nothing spectacular but there's really not much you can do with the Wimbledon rules against anything but white.

There's limited availability of the dress so get it while you can.

[Photo(s) credit: EleVen by Venus website]

FASHION FIX: Venus Williams goes bold at the US Open

Good to see Venus Williams has her game back, at least for her opening round match. The 2-time US Open champ exacted a bit of revenge on Kirsten Flipkens, upsetting the Belgian 12th seed 6-1, 6-2. Flipper had beaten V in Canada a few weeks ago after the American fed her a full-on bagel in the first set. I use the word “upsetting” very loosely here because, well, it’s Venus Williams. Regardless of her ranking (she sits at No. 60 currently), she’s still dangerous when her game is on – and it was this match.

Can we say the same about her latest FASHION FIX? Well, she certainly jumped on the “bold” trend in design and color. She’s all about this season’s striking florals for her latest EleVen by Venus Williams dress.

But it didn’t stop there. V brought out the nail art trend showcasing some bling glued onto her finely manicured hands that matched her electric pink hair. I'd be afraid I might gouge my eye out hitting a backhand or something. But then again, I'm not a 7-time Grand Slammer with laser beams for groundies. She's adept at playing fully accessorized.

Bold and electric. Just like her game used to be. Yes, it pained me to write that, but it’s true. I really do hope she has a good showing in Flushing Meadows.

One reporter in her post-match presser had a word for her hair: restankulous. Like, to be really stank? I’m so confused. Reporter, please explain yourself!

[Photo(s) credit: Getty Images]

FASHION FIX: Venus Williams returns in Miami, revamps EleVen

There were two big returns to the court today at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. Well, two and a half. First, Alisa Kleybanova. She played her first match since leaving the WTA tour 10 months ago to get treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma - and won. Next up was Venus Williams. She hadn't played a singles match since announcing she was suffering from Sjögren's Syndrome 7 months ago at the US Open. She won her opening match as well, routing Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-0, 6-3.

And now for the half. I say "half" not because it's half as good or anything but because it just doesn't compare to these two lady ballers coming back from these serious health conditions. But, it's worth a mention: EleVen is back, too!

V broke out a new dress for her match from the relaunched 2012 Spring Collection which has evolved into more sportswear than just sports apparel. Apparently, she now has an excuse for the full-on cray she had been wearing on court as of late. You know - this, this, this, this, this. It was all an "experiment." Like pairing a brown belt with black shoes. Or chunky bangs. This new EleVen is the rawlness (my word, not hers). And, get this - there's now a men's line. V's planning on having mass distribution for EleVen so more people can wear what she wears on court.

It's a fine restart. Some basics with a bit of fashion thrown in (loving the "Oh & Oh" tagline). And, V definitely upped the quality quotient from what I can tell in the pictures. I'll be interested to see how the collections evolve and where she ends up selling it. But, I give her full credit for continuing to build the Venus Williams brand. Young lady ballers, pay attention. There's life after tennis so be prepared.

More shots from the EleVen capsule collection after the jump - click the headline!

FASHION FIX: What exactly is this dress, Venus Williams?

So Venus Williams looked good today. LOOOOL. And you thought I was talking about her EleVen "mullet" dress. No, you didn't? My bad. Uh, more like her bad.

At least V's tennis was stand out. She beat Vesna Dolonts 6-4, 6-3 in the first round at the US Open hitting 28 winners to 27 errors - pretty impressive after not having played much this year. Granted, the Russian had literally spent the previous 10 hours on a flight from Russia after having visa issues and may have had moments of delirium, but hey, that's the luck of the draw!

But seriously, it's great to see the 7-time Grand Slammer back on the court in whatever insane (or inane?) design her mind can come up with. Aside from the first few games when V was launching shots into the sea of green, she played pretty solid. We'll see her true form, of course, as the lady ballers get more experienced and the matches get tougher. So what am I saying? Let's not get too excited about her tennis just yet. As for the dress, I'll let it speak for itself.

[Photo(s): Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images]

FASHION FIX: Venus goes Vegas

So, remember how I wondered if Venus Williams had another EleVen day dress to go with the Tide-winning one she wore a couple of days ago? Right. Well, I still don't know if she does. But the 2-time US Open champ had a surprise up her sleeve debuting a second, and very sparkly, night dress during her 6-2, 6-1 domination of Mandy Minella in the third round last night.

Geez, who knew Charo could play such high-level tennis? I certainly didn't but I'm thoroughly impressed. By her play, not the dress.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

FASHION FIX: Going day to night with Kim Clijsters + Venus Williams

Kim Clijsters made it safely through to US Open third round last night defeating Aussie Sally Peers 6-2, 6-1. Though the scoreline looked easy, the defending champ was broken twice and continued her serving issues keeping a mediocre 51% on first serves and throwing in four double faults. She'll face a sterner test in the third round where Wimbledon semifinalist Petra Kvitova awaits.

Kimmie is also debuting the Center Court Collection by Fila. For her day matches the Belgian baller is working the Center Court Cap Sleeve Top ($48) paired with the Center Court Skort ($45) while at night she's ball bashing in the Center Court Dress ($65).

I'm feeling the Center Court Dress much more than the day outfit. The top and skort fit well but the designs on their own are very busy, particularly with the blues and stripes fighting for attention. The two pieces alone are fine but together feels over-the-top. The night dress, on the other hand, looks fresh on Kimmie since she usually tends to stick with separates. The black tone offers the dress a nice contrast to the blue and adds sleek sexiness to the dress as does the tank style. Moreover, the silhouette is more flattering on Kimmie than the day separates.

Venus Williams debuted the winning design from her collaboration with Tide during her 7-6 (3), 6-3 second round win over the big-hitting 19-year old Canadian Rebecca Marino. The day outfit was a black and white printed halter dress with side slits. As you may recall, the 2-time US Open champ debuted her night dress from EleVen on Monday that continued the corset dress inspiration from the previous Slams most notably the "Can Can" style from Roland Garros.

I actually didn't mind the day dress print design so much but the fit and execution were an issue. The dress had some dangling ties which seemed to bother V at the start while it looked to be a bit short for her - she was constantly havig to pull it down. The night dress was pretty tame considering she described it as being "...a little bit louder, a little bit more in your face, and little bit more sexy," during Ralph Lauren conference call last week. I can see the sexiness but the rest she missed. Still, this dress actually looks well made and sturdy unlike some of EleVen's past offerings. Hopefully, V is getting a stronger grasp on her design chops.

Now, I'm not sure if this day dress is the one she'll be wearing for the rest of her matches or if it was a one time thing for the contest. She said she'd have two EleVen dresses for the tourney, but I'm not sure if she included this one. It does have an orange EleVen logo on the bust, though.


[Photo(s): Getty Images]

FASHION FIX: Venus Williams' EleVen lives on

Think November 2007. Remember when a smiley, giddy Venus Williams, holder of six majors at the time, was all over the place appearing at launch events and throwing parties for her first and only low-cost, mass market fashion collection called EleVen sold exclusively at Steve & Barry's? Ahhhh. Well, get over it because she has.

The company went bankrupt and was eventually liquidated leaving EleVen homeless and hungry and living solely on the back, both lit + fig, on V (well not if you count the random outfitting of Nadia Petrova.) That is, until now.

Here's an update on the fate of her collection from the World No. 3 herself during a reader Q & A for Sports Illustrated:

As for EleVen, this is really somewhat breaking news, but I will be partnering with The Gilt Group over the next year to host exclusive quarterly sales of the EleVen collection on Gilt.com/EleVen. The first sale is coming later this month before the U.S. Open. You will be able to find out the details, which are coming soon, on my website, Twitter and Facebook. We are also in advanced discussions with a retail partner and as soon as next summer you will likely be able to find EleVen at traditional retail outlets.

Good news for her. The Gilt Groupe has a big presence right now and they're pretty aggressive with their marketing including the promotion of the very popular daily sales. Although they've carried fashion and luxury brands primarily it looks like the company is moving into the sports-inspired groups including adidas Porsche Design Sport and now EleVen. Plus, it can't hurt to have a world-renowned celebrity athlete like V at the helm for PR purposes.

In terms of the future retail partner, Kohl's and JC Penny come to mind along with Target, though they've seemed to have fallen off a bit lately and have moved away from fashion collaborations. Stay tuned.


[Photo(s): Getty Images]

FASHION FIX: Venus + JJ both win but one loses the style battle - who is it?

Venus Williams had a few stumbles in her opening round match at Wimbledon but still managed to defeat Rossana De Los Rios 6-3, 6-2. The 5-time champ had 5-0 leads in both sets but allowed her Paraguayan opponent to pull out a few games. Her stats, though, look relatively clean: 31 winners/15 UEs, 6 aces, 57% first serve, broke 5 of 8 times and made 5 of 9 net approaches. She'll face Eastbourne champ Ekaterina Makarova, who defeated Agnes Szavay 6-4, 7-6 (2), in the next round.

This latest EleVen outfit, inspired by Tina Turner apparently, is a real about face from her Moulin Rouge number from Roland Garros. Firstly, she's got on normal knickers - phew. Secondly, she pulled a mullet moment here taking two different dresses and sewing the business top of one to the party bottom of another. The end result looks really disconnected. Not the best design EVAH.

Jelena Jankovic made her way into the second round with a 6-3, 7-6 (5) win over local fave Laura Robson. It wasn't the cleanest performance by the Serb, who was broken twice, but her stats looked good: 31 winners/12 UEs, 71% first serve, 4 aces and 7 of 8 net approaches. I'm still curious to see how her game develops in each match especially since she opted out of warm up tourneys this time around. JJ's never made it past the fourth round at Wimby so it was somewhat of surprise not to see her get any match play in before the Slam started.

The fourth seed debuted her new ANTA number which, like V's, features a simple design on top with some fluffy frills on the skirt. But I think this execution is much smoother and it flows nicely - not as jarring at the Americans. At first glance I thought it was a bit boring but, honestly, how much can you really do under the AEC's dress code?

On a side note, it looks like JJ's been getting her accessory stylings from Roger Federer:


[Photo(s): Getty Images]

FASHION FIX: Venus pounds Patty in Paris, laces up in EleVen (with Booty Bonus!)

Venus Williams usually lets her tennis do the talking but this time her dress had the last word.

The second seed easily dismissed fellow veteran Patty Schnyder 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of Roland Garros. She cracked 25 winners against 21 errors, had success on 53% of her first serve deliveries but threw in 8 double faults. Not too shabby for an opening round match on clay by the former top lady baller.

She'll face either Spain's Arantxa Parra Santonja or Japan's Kurumi Nara for a spot in the third round.


Now onto the EleVen dress: it's the same "Can-Can" inspired design she debuted at the Sony Ericsson Open in March. But this version is all-black lace with red piping and def more sheer, inspiring cat calls and whistles from the Parisian crowd.

"The outfit is all about illusion," she said. "That has been a lot of my motif there year, illusion, and it's about kind of having that illusion of wearing lace and not having anything take away under it. These days I have a lot of fun with my designs."

I'm a fan of this design especially after having to look at that damn Goddess dress for so long. It's flirty and fitting for Paris and she wears the hell out of it with her long lines and confident strut on the red clay courts. So she looks a bit like a showgirl for hire - they deserve love too, no?

BOOTY BONUS: For all those who may appreciate the return of her flesh colored knickers...


[Photo(s): AP]

FASHION FIX: Some ladies were looking lovely, some others not so much

Venus Williams struggled mightily in first round match at the US Open last night and I'm not just talking about her game. The 2-time champ was pushed to the brink by a left knee injury and Russia's Vera Dushevina but pulled through with a 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3 victory. She cracked 54 errors - a defeat for most lady ballers - but balanced it out with 53 winners.

Papa Richard was interviewed by ESPN's roving reporter Pam Shriver (buh-bye Michael Barkan and your awkward interviews) and revealed V has been dealing with the injury for 5-6 weeks now but refused to pull back on her practices. Tsk, tsk.

The latest EleVen by Venus Williams dress was also a mess last night with its pepto pink color and strange looking etched hairy crown design on the back. I was dead serious when I wondered if this line should be retired and this latest look did nothing to change my mind.


Here's a first look at Daniela Hantuchova working her new adidas duds during her 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 opening round win over American Meghan Shaughnessy. The slender Slovak is wearing the Fall Adilibria Tank ($55) paired with Fall Adilibria Skort ($50). Now that Dani is with adidas, she may have been a better pick for adidas by Stella McCartney than Caroline Wozniacki but I guess they have a longer term prospect with Wozzi who's only 19-years old.


Former "It Girl" for the aforementioned adidas by Stella McCartney line, Maria Kirilenko, crushed the Ukraine's Mariya Koryttseva 6-2, 6-1 in her first round match. Fine she may have been given the boot from the brand's more fashion focused line but Kiri still looks great in the regulation adidas Fall Competition Tank ($60) and the Fall Competition Skort ($50).


Alas, we've arrived at your fave fashion disaster and mine Bethanie-Mattek Sands. The American grabbed a nice looking win over a great looking, Reebok-wearing Iveta Benesova ousting the Czech 6-3, 6-4. I suppose BMS wouldn't be the same if she didn't scare us a little with her Grand Slam stylings, though these knee socks are tame in comparison to some of her past violations.

I got to see some of this match live and took some pics of both lady ballers which I'll post later. Bennie was looking quite lovely.

(images via ap, tennisforum)

FASHION FIX: Time to retire EleVen by Venus Williams?

Venus Williams struggled mightily in her opening round match in Paris against Bethanie Mattek-Sands, going the distance but eventually pulling out a 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 victory. She'll face Lucie Safarova in the second round.

The 7-time Grand Slammer is also struggling mightily with her design choices for her EleVen by Venus Williams dresses lately. I thought her Miami moment was horrendous but this one takes the f-ugly prize. I mean, there's nothing even remotely interesting in terms of color, design, silhouette, etc. It's as if V has lost her inspiration now that EleVen isn't available for purchase right now.

Plus, who would've guessed B would be the better dressed baller on-court in ANY match?

*sits shocked*

(image: getty)

FASHION FIX: Venus joins Andy for car top SEO promo, debuts tie-dye mess

Venus Williams debuted a new EleVen dress during a photo call for the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami today.

The 7-time Grand Slammer was joined by Indian Wells finalist Andy Murray and the pair displayed their skills while standing on the hoods of two cars. No, seriously.

Anyway, back to the dress. While I'm absolutely thrilled the Goddess Dress has been put to pasture, this dress is horrid. V gets points for trying something different with the tie-dye moment but what's up with the strange triple-tiering? It looks like she took leftover materials for another dress and stapled them on. Plus, the area where her boobs should be is all mushy and looks like it's stuffed with beanie babies. Not flattering.

Check out more pics from the photo call below.






(images via getty)

FASHION FIX: Venus and EleVen dress on the rise, reveals shocking pink shorts to the world

Venus Williams had her own version of an Aussie Open surprise today. The 7-time Grand Slammer played near flawless tennis in her 6-3, 6-3 defeat of German Angelique Kerber in the tourney's first round. She hit 7 aces and only 2 doubles, 28 winners against 20 errors, and made 20 of 28 net approaches.

Now I don't need to discuss this EleVen by Venus Williams dress since she's been wearing this style seemingly since she turned pro (what's that, 15 years?). Anyway, I'm liking the spritely lemon yellow color but LOVING the sneaky shocking pink shorts underneath. She's like walking sorbet.


Can V be feeling any more confident about her game, and herself, right now? The women's draw should be very worried.

PS - I'm still wondering where V will be selling these duds since she's still wearing them even though former partner, Steve & Barry's, has been completely liquidated. My vote still goes to Target.

(image via WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)

FASHION FIX: Venus rolls over Rossana, debuts EleVen day dress

Venus Williams looked all the part of a 7-time Grand Slam champion today. The 28-year old crushed Paraguay's Rossana De Los Rios 6-0, 6-3 in the US Open second round and will next face Alona Bondarenko of "The Flying Bondarenko" sister act.

So V already debuted the all-black Wimbledon EleVen dress for her night matches in New York. For her day matches, the tennis fashionista is working an all-white tank dress with yellow piping around the neckline and a matching yellow tie-waist belt.

It's a cute summer number with just enough color to give it pop - nice.

(images via Getty)

FASHION FIX: Venus works lucky EleVen Wimby dress in black for US Open

Venus Williams made her debut last night at the US Open. The 2-time champ dismissed the big-serving Aussie Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-3 and will face Paraguay's Rossana De Los Rios in the next round.

V also debuted the black version of the lucky EleVen dress she wore during her championship run at Wimbledon this summer. The color is definitely great for her night matches in New York - very fitting.

But I'm still curious about where she's going to sell these EleVen duds now that Steve & Barry's is gonners. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

(image via Getty)

FASHION FIX: Venus still working EleVen - what will become of the collection now?

Venus Williams followed lil' sis Serena's lead and made her way into the second round in Beijing. The Wimbledon champ quickly defeated Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 6-2 and will face Iveta Benesova in the next round.

Now, V is still wearing EleVen by Venus Williams at the Olympics. But I'm wondering what will happen to the collection now that her licensee, Steve & Barry's, has filed for bankruptcy protection?

Apparently, she'll still be paid the $250K owed to her under contract even though the company will be auctioned off later this month. But it'll be tough to keep the collection afloat without a distributor who follows the "cheap chic" philosophy of the line.

Tough luck for V - but maybe Target has some room on their retail floor...

(image via Getty)

FASHION FIX: The Williams sisters go classic for Wimbledon, but Venus adds a sexy touch

The Williams sisters, who were pioneers in the development of women's tennis fashion + style, have revealed their outfits for this year's Wimbledon. And what the pieces lack in bells and whistles they gain with classic styling mixed with modern detailing.

Two-time champion ReRe will be working pieces from the Nike White/Gold Collection including the Serena Wimbledon Top and the Serena Wimbledon Skirt both in the required white colorway with gold detailing. She'll also stay warm as she takes Centre Court in the Serena Wimbledon Cover Up also in white with gold.

Big sis' Venus will be debuting a new dress from her EleVen by Venus Williams fashion collection that is essentially a summery tank dress with a flirty skirt. But the interesting detail here is the tie-twist front which creates a small peep-hole at the chest. A discreet but sexy wink from the 4-time defending champ? Perhaps!


(images via prodirecttennis.com, Steve and Barry's)

FASHION FIX: Venus struggles with game + EleVen outfit

Venus Williams recently took some much needed time off to rest and her lack of match play showed today at Roland Garros. The 6-time Grand Slammer struggled mightily against Israel's Tzipora Oblizer, falling a break down in the final set before pulling out a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win.

You know what's also struggling? Her outfit. I'm usually a big fan of V's fashion choices but this EleVen outfit is all over the place. The navy, green + white color combo is definitely refreshing but the design of the shirt, with the color panels on the side, and the fit seem amateurish. Plus the top and skirt, stylewise, are a mismatch.

Let's hope V has more fashionable goodies in that Wilson tennis bag.

(images via Getty)

FASHION FIX: Venus is pretty in pink at Bangalore Open

Venus Williams (finally) sported some new tennis duds in Bangalore. The Wimbledon champion, who reached the semifinals at the tourney with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Russian headcase Vera Zvonareva, had been working some gear from last season's EleVen line recently (see photo here.) But the 27-year old looked pretty in a pink tank top and white flirty-skirt + visor.

Though it's not my fave look from the former World No. 1 (her afro-puff moment comes to mind) it's a refreshing change.

(images via STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)

FASHION FIX: Venus Williams makes 2008 debut in Hong Kong, works EleVen tennis gear

Venus Williams, recently voted one of Vogue magazine's best dressed for 2007, made her 2008 debut at the JB Group Classic exhibition in Hong Kong. The former tennis World No. 1 took on China's Peng Shuai and won easily 6-1, 6-2.

V, who also recently graduated with a degree in fashion design, is continuing to wear her EleVen clothing line in tournaments which she debuted at last year's US Open. This outfit is reminiscent of her past outfits from the line - nothing new but still clean and classic.

(images via AP)