1 month ago
Caitlin Clark. Cameron Brink. Kamilla Cordoso. Angel Reese.
All will measurement into nan glaring spotlight of Monday night’s WNBA’s draft having faced nan situation fundamentally each female tin place with: Wearing conscionable nan correct outfit for a typical occasion.
When a female finds what she wants, it’s not a mobility of whether alterations are needed, but really much. The taller nan woman, nan bigger nan challenge.
This draft, acknowledgment to Clark and others, much group should beryllium watching than ever before.
“There’s ne'er been a bigger spotlight connected women’s basketball, acknowledgment successful ample portion to players for illustration Caitlin Clark, and coaches for illustration Dawn Staley,” Rose Minutaglio, ELLE senor editor of features and typical projects, wrote successful an email to The Associated Press.
That makes it nan cleanable clip to make a fashionable splash.
“With much eyes connected nan league, players admit nan opportunity to showcase their personalities done their style,” Minutaglio said. “Because of glaring salary discrepancies, manner partnerships and marque sponsorships will proceed to play a large domiciled for female athletes.”
Staley and her South Carolina Gamecocks’ triumph complete Clark and Iowa for nan women’s nationalist title crippled outdrew nan men successful tv ratings, and this is shaping up to beryllium nan WNBA’s most-watched draft.
The 6-foot-1 Clark will beryllium joined successful New York by nan 6-7 Cordoso, 6-5 Brink and 6-3 Reese, among others. They’ve been engaged since nan NCAA Tournament too, particularly Clark who made a astonishment quality connected “Saturday Night Live.”
Clark wouldn’t extremity her manus Sunday astir what she’s wearing Monday night, saying it’s ever reliable picking retired what to wear. Luckily, she has had group helping her prepare.
“I haven’t had to do it each myself, truthful it’s been a small little stressful,” Clark said.
Finding glitter looks disconnected nan rack tin beryllium a situation for astir women.
Being tall, however, really tin beryllium an advantage and not a hinderance for WNBA players. Models who grace nan runways during manner week and nan covers of manner magazines besides guidelines astatine slightest 6 feet and taller.
The league’s ain increasing fame successful caller years besides has helped.
“Players are besides starting to activity straight pinch designers, who thief outfit them, and stylists, who attraction connected game-day drip,” Minutaglio wrote.
This will beryllium only nan 2nd WNBA draught pinch fans successful attendance, and 1,000 tickets sold retired successful February to be Monday nighttime astatine nan Brooklyn Academy of Music. Fans sewage to be nan 2016 draught astatine nan Mohegan Sun erstwhile erstwhile UConn All-American Breanna Stewart was nan apical pick.
Shakira Austin, nan 3rd wide prime successful 2022 by nan Washington Mystics, understands nan angst Clark and others face. While nan 6-5 halfway was playing successful assemblage astatine Mississippi, Austin was forced to beryllium imaginative arsenic she struggled to find pants that fresh aliases immoderate clothing that fresh her style.
So she exchanged rings pinch a sewing instrumentality and became her ain designer. Now that Austin is successful nan pros, she’s a fashionista tapping into her productivity doing much than conscionable pants, leggings and shirts. Austin told nan AP earlier this twelvemonth that it’s a awesome clip to dive into some modeling and clothing design.
She sees nary logic to hold until her playing profession is over.
“I’ve ever wanted my ain brand, and I deliberation this clip correct now allows maine to really build disconnected that and besides collab pinch different brands and talk to group who adhd their ain styles,” Austin said.
On her measurement to becoming nan NCAA Division I all-time starring scorer, Clark was amazed by designer Kristin Juszczyk, whose hubby Kyle plays for NFC champion San Francisco successful nan NFL. She created a puffer vest pinch Clark’s No. 22 successful Iowa achromatic and gold, putting nan subordinate successful prime institution pinch nan likes of entertainer Taylor Swift.
Minutaglio said respective brands activity pinch female athletes pinch Glossier and SKIMS teaming up pinch nan WNBA specifically. She noted sports brands for illustration PUMA, Adidas, and NIKE each activity pinch women successful basketball.
“What’s absorbing is we’re seeing players and teams branch retired into high-fashion, wearing Dior and Louis Vuitton and Gucci,” Minutaglio said.
Staley herself was decked retired connected nan sideline of nan title crippled successful Louis Vuitton from her metallic overgarment down to her sneakers, grabbing attraction for her look acold beyond nan sports pages. Minutaglio noted New York-based women’s deterioration marque M.M. LaFleur has a multi-year woody pinch nan New York Liberty.
“I wrote a story for ELLE successful 2022 predicting nan emergence of WNBA game-day fashion, and since then, nan looks conscionable support getting amended and better,” Minutaglio wrote. “The manner group is excited to spot wherever it goes from here.”
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AP Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg contributed to this report. ___
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
