Serena Williams' Met Gala history: From Oscar de la Renta to Atelier Versace
Two years after debuting her baby bump on the Met Gala red carpet, Serena Williams will make her gala return on Monday, May 6!
The 37-year-old tennis champion will be joining Harry Styles, Lady Gaga, Anna Wintour and Gucci's Alessandro Michele as one of the hosts of this year's fundraiser. This year's extravaganza is themed as "Camp: Notes on Fashion" and will be attended by the likes of Bradley Cooper, newly-pregnant Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Lupita Nyong'o and Jennifer Lopez, amongst other Hollywood elites.
And whether she's on the court or walking a red carpet, we know that the record holder will be making a grand slam in the sartorial department.
Williams, who welcomed daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. with husband Alexis in September 2017, has attended the annual gala a total of three times. She made her Met Gala debut in 2004 with a purple jewel-tone silk gown, which she accessorized with a gold purse and silver heels.
She returned again in 2011 for "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" wearing a feathered and strapless Oscar de la Renta gown with a matching fascinator. The star attended the ball again six years later, showing off her new baby bump in a form-fitting green Atelier Versace gown.
Spiced up with emerald earrings and extravagant tennis bracelets, it was a look that seemingly foreshadowed a watershed two years for Williams' style, which she's long had an interest in but is now just coming to light. What most people don't know is that the icon has long been influenced by fashion before she began gracing the red carpets, having studied it at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in between competitions.
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While the star has worked with brands such as Burberry and Victoria Beckham, Armani and Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang and Tom Ford, it wasn't until recently that the mom-of-one really used her clothes to make a statement. Remember the catsuit controversy at the French Open last summer? Or the fishnets and bodysuits this year? Or the tutus she wore by Off-White designer Virgil Abloh? She even recently launched her own eponymous label "Serena" ten months ago. "You know I love to be different,” she said.
And despite the complexity that is the 2019 Met Gala theme, we can only imagine Williams' look on Monday will be as statement-making as ever, considering her very fashionable few years.
For more on the "Oscars of Fashion," watch the video above.
