Serena Williams put on a brave face despite her shock US Open loss, unveiling her latest fashion collection in New York with Anna Wintour and rumoured boyfriend Drake in the front row. The tennis player, whose dreams of winning a calendar year Grand Slam were dashed in the US Open semi-finals at Flushing Meadows, looked beautiful in black and flashed a sheepish smile to cheering fans at the end of the show. In the same Hell’s Kitchen venue where Donatella Versace hosted Rihanna and Naomi Campbell at a celebrity party last season, Williams presented 23 looks – all available to buy online immediately. Rumours about Drake and Williams’ relationship status began to swirl after the Canadian rapper kissed Williams’ hand backstage and she accompanied the models down the runway with his music. Wintour – editor in chief of Vogue, powerful style icon and huge tennis fan – chatted front row with Drake and hot model Gigi Hadid. At the end of the show, Wintour politely shook Drake’s offered hand before being the first to head backstage to speak to Williams. The Serena Williams signature statement for retailer HSN was practical, comfortable, affordable and exuded the relaxed, everyday vibe you’d expect from an athlete with a keen sense of style. She made liberal use of fringe – a key look seen in the Spring/Summer 2016 collections during New York Fashion Week – with asymmetric tasseled skirts and tasseled suede jackets. Suede and leather featured prominently – in skirts, dresses and cropped jackets, with distressed leather leggings and a black halter neck evening dress with a fringe leather train. There were several long-sleeved T-shirts, made elegant by cowl necks or draped over the shoulders, as well as hooded ponchos and a fringed leather cape. Pants were tight. There were also printed leggings and microshorts and, in a nod to fall 2015, leather jackets with faux fox trim. The color palette included brown, tan, gray, white and black with splashes of pink. Pieces from the collection are available at prices ranging from $29.90 for a pair of leggings to $129.90 for a faux shearling jacket. “All my life I have always believed in pushing boundaries,” Williams said in a statement. She said that offering the clothes through HSN allowed her to “communicate directly with my fans.”
