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AI garment reconstruction: Serena Williams, Miami Open 2004. A white sleeveless Nike tennis dress with a wide, metallic silver corset-style waist and a short flared skirt.

Match kit · AI garment reconstruction.

Serena Williams · 2004

Metallic corsetry

Serena’s first custom Nike look put a metallic corset over tennis whites.

The story behind the look

Serena Williams began her Nike matchwear story at the 2004 NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami. A metallic corset-style waist interrupted the white dress, turning a familiar tennis silhouette into something closer to stagewear. It was her first custom competition outfit with the brand, following her signing in late 2003.

Williams actively encouraged the experiment. In an interview recalled by Glamour, she described asking Nike to explore unusual fabrics and striking looks, even when they departed from conventional ideas of comfort. The silver waist remains the defining feature: an athlete’s own fashion direction made visible in a garment designed for play. Contemporary reporting even described the dress as dry-clean-only.