Maria Sharapova Talks Off-Court Style, Her Nike Collaboration and Never Compromising Comfort

Click here to read the full article.

Even when Maria Sharapova is off the court, she finds a way to bring her ties to tennis into her daily ensembles.

“Mixing high fashion and athleisure looks is a natural aesthetic for my life because I am an athlete,” she told FN at the opening of Nordstrom NYC last week. “I understand what it’s like to go from the gym to a meeting.” Case in point: she wore a Sacai dress to the launch paired with her very own Nike Cortez collaboration sneaker.

More from Footwear News

She added, “I don’t want to compromise comfort. It’s such a huge part of today’s lifestyle. You’re always on the go, you’re always running around and you always want to accomplish things. And you want your wardrobe to complement that.”

For her third design take on the Nike Cortez, Sharapova created a premium “Blackened Blue” sneaker exclusively for the Nordstrom Manhattan debut, which rounded out her La Cortez collection, complete with leggings, bomber jacket and a long-sleeved tee.

“The Cortez, it’s iconic, and I still feel chic and cool. You often see a lot of silhouettes that are bigger and chunkier and I just like how streamlined this feels. It’s more elegant and one that doesn’t go out of style,” she said. “It is such a classic silhouette. There’s many thing I love about it — the price point and how accessible it is. I like that it’s very appealing in that I can transition from day to night.”

Sharapova added that this shoe was inspired by the idea of mixing grit and grace, featuring a color that is ideal for the fall season.

“I love pieces that transform my outfit no matter where I’m going and I don’t need to think twice about dressing up or dressing down,” she said.

To see more from Nike’s The La Cortez Collection by Maria Sharapova, ranging from $55 to $150, at Nordstrom, click here.

Want more?

Olivia Kim’s Nike Space at Nordstrom NYC Breaks New Ground in the Women’s Sneaker Market

Best of Footwear News

Sign up for FN's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.