{"id":26116,"date":"2024-04-16T02:16:27","date_gmt":"2024-04-16T07:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=26116"},"modified":"2024-04-16T02:16:34","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T07:16:34","slug":"wnba-fashionistas-showcase-their-styles-at-the-draft-with-spotlight-on-womens-hoops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=26116","title":{"rendered":"WNBA fashionistas showcase their styles at the draft with spotlight on women\u2019s hoops"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The stars of the game wore top fashion labels Monday night that turned the draft<\/u><\/a> into a mini-Oscars where style was front and center along with the picks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caitlin Clark<\/u><\/a>. Cameron Brink. Kamilla Cardoso. Angel Reese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They all stepped onto the stage and met the challenge essentially every woman can identify with: Overcoming the trepidation of finding just the right outfit for that special occasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s never been a bigger spotlight on women\u2019s basketball, thanks in large part to players like Caitlin Clark and coaches like Dawn Staley,\u201d Rose Minutaglio, ELLE senior editor of features and special projects, wrote in an email to The Associated Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually, when a woman finds what she wants, it\u2019s not a question of whether alterations are needed, but how much. The taller the woman, the bigger the challenge can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These tall ladies appeared to pass the test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the perfect time for a fashionable splash just like NFL and NBA players do on their draft nights. Last year, Taylor Hendricks of UCF wore a pink suit with the jacket lined with photos representing his journey to the NBA and the people who meant the most to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>\u201cWith more eyes on the league, players recognize the opportunity to showcase their personalities through their style,\u201d Minutaglio said. \u201cBecause of glaring pay discrepancies, fashion partnerships and brand sponsorships will continue to play a big role for female athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staley and her South Carolina Gamecocks\u2019 victory over Clark and Iowa<\/u><\/a> in the women\u2019s national championship game outdrew the men in television ratings<\/u><\/a>, and this is shaping up to be the WNBA\u2019s most-watched draft.<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 6-foot Clark was joined in New York by the 6-7 Cardoso, 6-4 Brink and 6-3 Reese, among others. They\u2019ve been busy since the NCAA Tournament, too, especially Clark, who made a surprise appearance on \u201cSaturday Night Live.\u201d<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clark went with a white jacket and skirt with a sparkly cut-off top, sunglasses and black heels. She credited having people help her prepare keeping it less stressful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe first time Prada has ever dressed a male or female for WNBA or NBA draft so pretty cool,\u201d Clark said during the WNBA\u2019s livestream<\/u><\/a> from its orange carpet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Brink and Reese<\/u><\/a> wore outfits that wouldn\u2019t be out of place during Fashion Week or a red carpet in Hollywood. Brink wore a diagonal black and white dress showing off both shoulders with a slit exposing her right leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reese shimmered in a hooded, backless gray dress with a plunging neckline after a late wardrobe change with help from designers Bronx and Banco, Simon Miller and Christian Louboutin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI got this two days ago,\u201d Reese said. \u201cMy original dress didn\u2019t fit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rickea Jackson of Tennessee made a wardrobe change between the orange carpet and the draft itself before being selected fourth overall by the Los Angeles Sparks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re just going to be falling in love with my personality,\u201d Jackson said of Sparks\u2019 fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alissa Pili, the eighth pick by Minnesota, worked with a designer to pay tribute to her Alaskan heritage in the black and gold pattern of her dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of these glam looks didn\u2019t come off the rack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being tall is an advantage and not a hindrance for WNBA players. Models who grace the runways during fashion week and the covers of fashion magazines often stand at least 6 feet and taller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The league\u2019s own growing popularity in recent years also has helped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlayers are also starting to work directly with designers, who help outfit them, and stylists, who focus on game-day drip,\u201d Minutaglio wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>This was only the second WNBA draft with fans in attendance, and 1,000 tickets sold out in February for the event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Fans got to attend the 2016 draft at the Mohegan Sun when former UConn All-American Breanna Stewart was the top pick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shakira Austin, the third overall pick in 2022 by the Washington Mystics, understands the angst Clark and others faced. While the 6-5 center was playing in college at Mississippi, Austin was forced to be creative as she struggled to find pants that fit or any clothing that captured her style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So she got busy with a sewing machine and became her own designer. Now that Austin is in the pros, she\u2019s a fashionista tapping into her creativity, doing more than just pants, leggings and shirts. Austin told the AP earlier this year that it\u2019s a great time to dive into both modeling and clothing design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On her way to becoming the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, Clark was surprised by designer Kristin Juszczyk<\/u><\/a>, whose husband, Kyle, plays for NFC champion San Francisco in the NFL. She created a puffer vest with Clark\u2019s No. 22 in Iowa black and gold, putting the player in select company with the likes of pop superstar Taylor Swift.<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutaglio said several brands work with female athletes, with Glossier and SKIMS teaming up with the WNBA specifically. She noted sports brands like Puma, Adidas and Nike all work with women in basketball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s interesting is we\u2019re seeing players and teams branch out into high-fashion, wearing Dior and Louis Vuitton and Gucci,\u201d Minutaglio said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staley herself was decked out on the sideline of the title game in Louis Vuitton, from her silver jacket down to her sneakers, grabbing attention for her look far beyond the sports pages. Minutaglio noted New York-based women\u2019s wear brand M.M. LaFleur has a multiyear deal with the New York Liberty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wrote a story for ELLE in 2022 predicting the rise of WNBA game-day fashion, and since then, the looks just keep getting better and better,\u201d Minutaglio wrote. \u201cThe fashion set is excited to see where it goes from here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apnews<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The stars of the game wore top fashion labels Monday night that turned the draft into a mini-Oscars where style was front and center along with the picks. Caitlin Clark. Cameron Brink. Kamilla Cardoso. Angel Reese. They all stepped onto the stage and met the challenge essentially every woman can identify with: Overcoming the trepidation of finding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":26117,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5782],"tags":[27857,27855,27854,27856],"class_list":["post-26116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ep","tag-draft-picks","tag-fashionistas","tag-wnba","tag-womens-basketball"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26116"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26118,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26116\/revisions\/26118"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}