Stylish Athletes: Looking Great While Being the Greatest
What first comes to mind when you think of athletes? Sports? Strength? Enthusiastic roars? While those are all correct, when we see the likes of Serena Williams, Mario Balotelli or Dennis Rodman, they wear their gears with such finesse.
From the start, Serena Williams has had her own pizzazz on the sportswear she puts on. In 2004, Serena debuted her renowned collaboration with Nike at the US Open. I mean the woman had on a two piece denim set with a beautifully pleated mini skirt and studded wristband. She had a championship to win at 10am and the afterparty at 5pm all in one outfit. That was only during the games, when she made her entries she stole the moment. You wouldn’t even know who she was competing against, no shade. In a field where people tried to masculinise women, she kept her sense of self. She was effortlessly graceful and feminine in how she presented herself.
We cannot mention stylish athletes without the NBA’s Prince, Dennis Rodman. Dennis’s style was eccentric, bold and authentically him. The category was sporty futuristic alien. He paved the way for not conforming to the stereotypical look of a black man that plays basketball. He is just a fly dude who loves to express himself through his appearance and just so happens to be exceptional at basketball. One thing about him, he had a different hair style for every game, with a crazy pattern. He was mostly known for his signature eyewear, the Oakley Eye Jacket. Today, that look transcends from the court to track.
Speaking of, the women of track are genius with how they subtly sprinkle a little bit of them in with their gear. There’s not much you wear when running, but women such as Gail Denver and Florence Griffith (rip queen), had a nasty set of nails on every occasion. Gail had flashy curved metallic nails that I’m sure gave her super speed, I won’t be able to explain how.
She won gold in the 1996 Olympic games matching with her gold nails, it’s almost like she knew.
Mario Balotelli gave us playboy, edgy fashion boy on the football pitch. He was literally like if Pharrell played football. Even when training before a big match with his team Manchester City, he often wore bold monochromatic balenciaga outfits with flashy accessories. He was unpredictable and controversial on and off the pitch. But one thing you could bet on is that he will always have that sh*t on !
Honourable mentions are Naomi Osaka with her fairy like sportswear and statement skirts. Allen Iverson braids that are printed on every barbershop. Yuzuru Hanyu and his outfits on the ice as if he just came out of a Disney movie.
Expressing yourself through your appearance has no boundaries and the athletes mentioned symbolise looking great whilst being the greatest.
Written by Essie Francis
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