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Meet Kim Sears, Andy Murray's Stylish Girlfriend

WAGs of Wimbledon

While Andy Murray celebrated his Wimbledon championship Sunday, his girlfriend, Kim Sears, became Britain’s latest fashion icon.

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On Sunday, the world watched as Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic to become the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years. After the match, Murray leapt into the stands to hug his coach, Ivan Lendl, and a stylish Kate Middleton look-alike cheering in the bleachers.

Meet Kim Sears, now the most talked-about WAG (read, wife and girlfriend) of Wimbledon. Sears, who racked in over 500,000 Google searches during Wimbledon and who already has a blog dedicated to her, entitled “Kim Sears is my Queen,” has officially made a splash on the style scene. The artist and longtime girlfriend of Murray clearly has an influence over sales as well. A Zara dress she wore on July 1 quickly sold out in the U.K., and there's a waitlist for the Victoria, Victoria Beckham dress she wore to Sunday's finals, creating an effect on the fashion industry reminiscent of those of Kate Middleton and Michelle Obama.

Sears has become recognized for her uncanny ability to mix high-and-low fashion. She has accessorized her accessible pieces, including a blue Zara blazer, bright yellow Ted Baker frock, and an orange shift dress from Hobbs with a light pink Mulberry Willow bag. Sunday evening at the Wimbledon Winners Ball, Sears wore a black gown with an embellished top by Burberry, a designer for whom she has sat front row. As a fan of both high-end designers and affordable stores like Topshop and Aldo, Kim Sears has become a WAG of the people.

Sitting near Djokovic's girlfriend, Jelena Ristic, Sears drew attention Sunday not only for a chic mint-green Victoria Beckham dress but for her glossy yet seemingly effortless blow-out. According to The Daily Mail, U.K.-based hair stylist Charles Worthington "has reported being inundated with customers requesting ‘The Kim’ after her locks became the focus of attention on Centre Court during the tennis tournament."

The couple met at the 2005 U.S. Open and began dating a year later. They were first spotted together at the SAP Open Tournament in San Jose, California, Murray's first senior title win—“It’s the first time Kim has come to a tournament,” Murray said of the match. “That made me quite relaxed. I’ll have to take her to some more.” The couple has been together ever since (minus a short break-up rumored to be the result of Murray's video-game addiction), and Sears has been regularly seen joining Murray's family circle at matches.

Prior to dating Murray, Sears was already part of the tennis clique: her dad is English tennis coach Nigel Sears. The Telegraph reported in February of 2006 that “it is understood that Murray and Miss Sears met through British tennis circles, and they spent some of their Christmas holidays together in South Africa.” The couple now keeps quiet at their home in Surrey, England, where Sears paints pictures of dogs and Murray makes light of wedding proposal rumors.

Despite the media frenzy and public obsession over her recent growth as a fashion icon, Sears remains a down-to-earth and private individual.

The 25 year-old British animal lover is an artist by trade, specializing in portraits of animals and family pets. When not on the tennis sidelines, Sears runs a faux Twitter account for her pup Maggie May (to which she jokes on her website, “Knew I shouldn’t have given her a Blackberry”), and enjoys “tea, lots of chocolate biscuits, Classic FM, and copious amounts of Jilly Cooper.”

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