Photo: Alessandra Tarantino / Associated Press
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Tennis star Serena Williams, seen here at the French Open May 29, launched her latest fashion line on May 30 with affordably priced apparel for women.
Tennis star Serena Williams, seen here at the French Open May 29, launched her latest fashion line on May 30 with affordably priced apparel for women.
Photo: Alessandra Tarantino / Associated Press
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Serena Williams at the French Open on May 29, 2018.
Serena Williams at the French Open on May 29, 2018.
Photo: Christophe Simon / AFP / Getty Images
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Photo: Michael Simon / Startraksphoto.com
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A mini dress of denim has elements of overalls.
A mini dress of denim has elements of overalls.
Photo: Courtesy Of Serena
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A mini dress made of denim carries intriguing details like chain straps that are adjustable.
A mini dress made of denim carries intriguing details like chain straps that are adjustable.
Photo: Courtesy Of Serena
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Cropped tops and jogger pants are among the apparel in Serena, a new line.
Cropped tops and jogger pants are among the apparel in Serena, a new line.
Photo: Courtesy Of Serena
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This bra top and body-hugging skirt are among the offerings in Serena Williams’ new clothing line.
This bra top and body-hugging skirt are among the offerings in Serena Williams’ new clothing line.
Photo: Courtesy Of Serena
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Tennis star Serena Williams’s new line features a signature “S” emblem.
Tennis star Serena Williams’s new line features a signature “S” emblem.
Photo: Courtesy Of Serena
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Serena Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, arrive for the wedding ceremony of Britain’s Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle in Windsor, England, in May.
Serena Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, arrive for the wedding ceremony of Britain’s Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle in Windsor, England, in May.
Photo: Ian West / AFP / Getty Images
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Alexis Ohanian and a pregnant Serena Williams attend the Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between exhibit at the Costume Institute Gala in May, 2017 in New York City.
Alexis Ohanian and a pregnant Serena Williams attend the Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between exhibit at the Costume Institute Gala in May, 2017 in New York City.
Photo: Mike Coppola / Getty Images For People.com
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Williams, left, poses with the singer, Mya, before the Luca Luca fall 2006 show during Fashion Week in New York.
Williams, left, poses with the singer, Mya, before the Luca Luca fall 2006 show during Fashion Week in New York.
Photo: Diane Bondareff / AP
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Williams after a fashion show in 2004 in Miami Beach, Fla., where she showed Williams showed her her newest collection from her Aneres line.
Williams after a fashion show in 2004 in Miami Beach, Fla., where she showed Williams showed her her newest collection from her Aneres line.
Photo: Alan Diaz /AP
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Tennis star Serena Williams arrives at the Zac Posen Spring/Summer 2008 fashion show during Fashion Week in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007.
Tennis star Serena Williams arrives at the Zac Posen Spring/Summer 2008 fashion show during Fashion Week in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007.
Photo: Jeff Christensen / AP
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Serena Williams, sporting a tight-fitting, one-piece Lycra catsuit defeats Dinara Safina during the second round of the U.S. Open, Wednesday, August 28, 2002, in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Serena Williams, sporting a tight-fitting, one-piece Lycra catsuit defeats Dinara Safina during the second round of the U.S. Open, Wednesday, August 28, 2002, in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Photo: Howard Simmons / KRT
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This anorak is color-blocked in black and metallic fabric.
This anorak is color-blocked in black and metallic fabric.
Photo: Courtesy Of Serena
Serena Williams launches fashion line for “strong, sexy, sassy” women
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Call her a sports superstar, wife and mother — but Serena Williams, jet-setting athlete and part-time San Francisco resident, is also a fashion entrepreneur with the launch of her latest new line, Serena, on May 30.
Serena — a line of dresses, bottoms, cropped tops and other apparel — has shades of ’90s fashion: medium and light wash denim and jogger wear (remember Juicy Couture?).
The casual wear was inspired by “strong, sexy, sophisticated, sassy, sure, smart, stylish, silly, and spontaneous women who are living their best lives, or making it up as they go — kinda like me,” Williams wrote on her website, www.serenawilliams.com.
The launch came a day after Williams, 36, appeared in an eye-catching black catsuit at the French Open. The body-hugging attire by Nike may have made it easier for her to move (she defeated Kristyna Pliskova) and generated headlines by calling attention to her post-pregnancy curves. And perhaps that was the point.
Serena, the fashion line, is intended for women of all shapes and sizes and ages, much like the tennis star herself, who doesn’t conform to traditional modes of beauty with her highly muscled 5-foot-9 frame. Williams, who had a baby girl by C-section in September, faced life-threatening complications from a blood clot afterward and is still getting back to pre-baby shape. (She is married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and splits her time between San Francisco, Los Angeles and Palm Beach.)
Of her catsuit, the New York Times quoted her in a May 29 article as saying, “It feels like this suit represents all the women that have been through a lot mentally, physically with their body to come back and have confidence and to believe in themselves.” She also, according to that published report, said she “indicated that the suit’s compressive qualities also had a functional role in light of her recurring problems with blood clots, because it facilitated circulation.”
In 2003, Williams launched the short-lived Aneres fashion line (“Serena” spelled backwards), which has been discontinued. HSN carries a casual womenswear line called Serena Williams Signature Statement.
Williams’ denim is not the dark, stretchy fabric found in so many leggings and jeggings on the market today, but carries a retro look for a reason. “It has a slight stretch, but Serena wanted a more constructed fit and authentic vintage feel,” a company spokeswoman said.
The apparel is designed by Williams with help from a team and is made in New York and Los Angeles. Future releases in summer and fall will include the black and red skirt Williams is seen wearing in a publicity photo. Prices range from $35 to $250, at www.serenawilliams.com.
Carolyne Zinko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected]
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