Serena Williams is a real shero. After nearly dying from a health condition following the birth of her daughter, Alexis Olympia, on Sept. 1, 2017, the tennis star made a stunning return to the sport in late 2017, staging one of the best comebacks I've ever seen. Between all that, there's no time like the present to spend your Halloween honoring the bustling powerhouse. If you're down to give it a shot, here are two Serena Williams costume ideas that you can easily execute.
If you prefer to reenact some of her looks on the court, there's plenty of range for you to perfectly honor Williams and her iconic looks. One outfit in particular that grabbed headlines this year was Williams' badass, all-black tutu. She sported the garment during the first round of the U.S. Open on Aug. 27 after the French Tennis Federation (FTF) decided to ban her "Black Panther" catsuit (even though it helps prevent blood clots, which nearly killed her after birthing her daughter) because this tennis queen will not be stopped. And, of course, she won the game.
If you're feeling motivated to honor Williams for the sartorial clapback, keep on reading for how you can serve up the look.
For this look, you'll need:
JenniWears Vintage Tutu ($10.99 at Walmart), Black One-Shoulder Bodysuit ($25 at PrettyLittleThing), White Ankle Socks ($20 at Bloomingdale's). Any pair of white sneakers that you might have lying around should work just perfectly. And of course, don't forget the tennis racket.
...don't be the person who tries to recreate this controversial moment from the U.S. Open, where chair umpire Carlos Ramos charged Williams with three code violations, including a warning to Williams for receiving "coaching." If you remember, the calls set off a ripple effect where the tennis star broke her racket, called out Ramos, received two scoring penalties and ultimately lost the game. The dramatic moment left Williams in tears and was widely criticized for what many saw as racist or sexist undertones, so, yeah... not really a good idea to try and recreate what happened. Thank me later.
This one is a much safer bet, anyway. If the "Black Panther" suit seems more in-line with your style, it's just as easy to execute, and it's the perfect gesture to show your love for Williams. Here's what you'll need for that one:
Black Spandex Catsuit ($34.99 at HalloweenCostumes.com), Black and Green Tennis Racket by Wilson ($13.99 at Walmart), Red Ribbon ($2.99 at TTargetJo-Ann Fabric and Craft). Again, any athletic-looking sneakers should work for this costume.
Here's the fun stuff. Obviously, Williams rocked her natural, curly tresses for both of the above occasions, switching the styles between a half-down, half-up look and a sleek up-do. If the texture of her hair is similar to yours, a simple wash should bring out your curls and then you can take a hair tie and toss your tresses into a similar hairdo. Williams gets all of her beauty products from Target, too, which means you won't be breaking the bank to achieve her look.
If the texture of your hair is more straight, getting it to look exactly like Williams' might be a bit more tricky to pull off, but you should still be able to make it work, nonetheless. Try using a Denman brush to tease your hair and fluffing it out with your fingers, or toss in some curls. See a tutorial here.
As for cosmetics, Williams' favorite makeup brands include CoverGirl, Milani, Colourpop and Nars, according to various interviews. So you have some variety in how you want to go recreating her makeup. Just make sure you purchase makeup that's true to your skin tone. But those eyebrows... well, you might be out of luck when it comes to getting your eyebrows to look as perfectly full and defined as hers, as Williams previously told People that it took her a year to grow them out. Maybe next year, though. Until then, try out filling in your brows with a kit like this one from Sephora.
And BOOM — you're Serena Williams. Happy Halloween!
