In an effort to be comfortable and simultaneously stylish, Venus Williams laced up a pair of fashionable sneaker heels while sitting front row at Lacoste‘s spring 2027 show held today in Paris. Beyond Williams, other notable show attendees included Uma Thurman, Dwyane Wade, Lily Rowland, Chase Hudson and Taylor Zakhar Perez, among others.
While Williams’ shoes were impressive, it was not the only remarkable footwear moment to come from the Lacoste show. The brand’s creative director, Pelagia Kolotouros, debuted the ACE-T1 sneaker, a chunky silhouette featuring actual tennis balls embedded into the heels. The shoe takes visual cues from a tennis net stretched by impact into consideration, creating a design that feels fluid. The addition is fun and sporty, embedding a love of tennis into the sneaker’s DNA.
Williams choice of footwear was undoubtedly athletic in nature, transitioning from the tennis court to the front row of Lacoste’s fashion show. The silhouette, which appeared to come straight off the spring 2027 runway, was cast in blue and white mesh for breathability, accompanied by lengthy oval-shaped toes and corded lace-up closures that used tension to tie tightly. As opposed to a sneaker’s usual lace-up closures, this offered the sneaker heels a utilitarian touch seen in most sportswear.
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The blue accents offered a refreshing reprieve from the almost all-white base, breathing life into the silhouette. Instead of traditional rubber soles, Williams’ footwear featured short heels standing at around 2 to 3 inches, also in the color blue. Like a typical sneaker, the tennis star’s pick also included pull tabs that made it easier to get the shoes on. Inventive styles like Williams are meant to update more traditionally athletic silhouettes, reinventing them.
While not your typical sneaker moment, the shoe blended the comfort of a casual sneaker with all the style and swagger of a high heel. This has been replicated many times before, even by Lacoste, but most notably by the brand Sneex. Apart from her heeled sneakers, Williams also wore a bright blue windbreaker-style coat draped over her shoulders, layered over a blue polo shirt with red, white and blue striping towards the hem.
The polo top was crafted of a high-shine material, rather than your usual cotton blend. On the bottom, the famed athlete sported bright blue micro shorts, also made of a shiny fabric. As for accessories, Williams sported silver shades and a shoulder bag, which just so happened to be the same color as a tennis ball in a neon yellow hue.
