REVIEW: Costume Designer Sharen Davis Nails It For “King Richard”
King Richard debuted this weekend on HBO Max and in theaters. Venus and Serena’s professional tennis careers are attributed to Richard Williams III, and both ladies wanted us to know that. The film is an intimate look into Mr. Williams' life (from his perspective) and gives him the props he deserves as the Black father who followed his own plan to groom two of the best athletes in the world.
King Richard was more than well-done. It’s cinematic perfection. And of course, so are the costumes.
A look back.
The media has always made it a point to describe Venus and Serena’s on-court wardrobe as “over the top,” “daring,” or “outrageous.” Whatever you think of their fashion, there is no doubt the Williams sisters eye-catching ensembles brought some much needed glamor to women's tennis. Far from the usual pastel hues, the Williams rocked vivid colors, bold prints and patterns, texture and even denim. They even introduced tennis lovers to lace corset-style dresses, rompers and bamboo earrings.
Enhanced with color.
Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning Costume Designer Sharen Davis (Watcmen, Dreamgirls, Ray) really nailed 90s tennis style and each character’s visual story. Both Venus and Serena stayed in subtle pastel shades with the occasion of a striped print. But her designs for Richard Williams (played by Will Smith) scaled the entire rainbow, which successfully kept the visual focus on him. Through Sharen’s depiction, we see that Mr. Williams embraced 80s style tennis wear. The inseam on his shorts was no longer than 4.5 inches. Though the color palettes in his first few changes spoke to the tennis fashion trends of the 70s - muted with pops of bright colors like red & pink.
One HERO. Multiple changes.
Will Smith’s HERO jacket with three red horizontal stripes across the chest and back is paired with a few different looks. We see the intermixing of different tops (white short-sleeve polo, white short-sleeve crew neck t-shirt and a pink polo shirt) underneath the striped jacket. Along with a pair of either red or white shorts. We see Will Smith rotate these wardrobe pieces a few times before we see him change. Repeating wardrobe pieces helps humanize a character. It explores the way we should wear our modern wardrobe to expand our pieces.
Reference points were met.
Sharen really nailed reference images of Venus, Serena and their dad in the 80s and 90s. The black and white Reebok looks are spot on and the images of Venus and Serena posing for a picture with Nancy Reagan is too.
More color play.
In the scene where the Williams family is watching Cinderella, Sharen created a nice color palette of greens, pink, orange and blue and subtly broke it down into two different analogous color schemes. It’s quite lovely to watch.
Honorable department mention.
The collaboration between Costumes and Hair is one to be cherished. Shout out to the head of the department, Jacenda Burkett, and her team for authentic storytelling. Our hair is our crown, getting it right means the absolute most.
