SGG Special: WNBA Draft Spectacular
The girls are not only allright - but they're very well-attired!
Hi friends and strangers,
Spring has sprung and it’s starting to feel like we’re hurtling towards summer here in NYC. While I am holding onto some semblance of layering and higher IQ outfits rather than being as naked as possible to have some small respite from the incoming humid heatwaves - a 27-degree Celsius day in April is truly predicting a wildly sticky, stinky summer. But the weather forecast wasn’t the only highlight this Monday - the WNBA draft took place and it was truly a style scorcher.
I am going to mark 2024 as the year that the WNBA eclipsed the NBA when it came to aesthetic acumen. While I saw some fans complain that I felt too red carpet - most seemed delighted to see these young woman get their shine. Some of my favorite commentaries came from other WNBA players like Sydney Colson who was so happy to see the next class freed from the clutches of business casual fashion on the big stage (learn from our mistakes!).
Now, before I get into the nitty-gritty of the critique - I thought this was by far the most exciting, glamorous and interesting red carpet from a draft in years - including the NBA. Womenswear is generally, a little more interesting than menswear for the average fashion fan because there is so much more room to play than say - suiting. And if you follow menswear experts like Derek Guy on Twitter - you’ll know that often the perfect look is not complex until you focus on the details. Good tailoring is not often complicated but it doesn’t often sing on the red carpet and with menswear because of the tailoring and body types and shapes - it can be harder to get right. Also, so much of the NBA Draft has become paid placements for major consumer brands and endorsements, leaving less room for actual aesthetic achievements and risks.
By and large most looks worked and come down to accessorizing choices that are often improved upon with age, access and time. I only learned to take critique when I went to design summer school, Pensole at Parsons at 25 (I was older then than they are now, yikes) and I can’t even put on my fake eyelashes so I’m always impressed by how they balance personal style and beauty with on-court prowess. Let’s get to it.
Caitlin Clark in Prada
As expected, Caitlin Clark went first overall to the Indiana fever, keeping CC in the Midwest to the delight of future teammates, fans, and clearly marketers given how much content rolled out. Clark is also making headlines for being the first athlete dressed by Prada for any professional sports draft. From a media standpoint, many are using the cost of a custom Prada outfit, which some are valuing around $17,000, as a way to comment on the WNBA salaries and how they align more with say, an accountant wage than one of the biggest names in North American sports. While I think some of the conversation is genuine and the lack of parity in the WNBA is abysmal - I think there are less vapid ways to analyze the outfit choice.
The two most recent first-overall picks - Wembanyama and Clark, have both been styled by a singular brand as a product placement (and in Wemby’s case - later as an endorsement deal) - bringing the athlete styling ecosystem akin to the celebrity styling world. Let me give you a look behind the working stylist’s curtain: the way that most celebrities can wear runway pieces soon after - and how the industry is often pushed to conform to body standards - is through sample garments. These pieces are either from the runway shows or are garments that are made in a few standard sizes to show buyers, press, and publications what will be made (not all runway pieces are made - often the pieces are tailored towards a specific, often wider consumer and things like materials, colors and finishing can change between runway and production that you can buy at retail). Simply, think of sample pieces as the sisterhood of travelling pants - but the pants could put a down payment on a house and for small brands - these samples are basically their whole home and investment.
Unsurprisingly, professional athletes are rarely sample size - as often the menswear sizes are medium and the womenswear sizes are small. Over the years, making special colorways or custom styles either inspired by the runway or completely different and specific for a star is not uncommon but it’s not exactly normal in the athlete realm, outside of true superstars - like say Serena Williams on the cover of Vogue. The NBA, NFL and now the WNBA Draft are becoming giant marquee events - much like an award show red carpet for sports - numbers-wise, the WNBA Draft broke records with over 2.4 million viewers, not including the plethora of online impressions. I’m curious to see if a bigger ripple effect unfolds. In the past few years, luxury retailers like FarFetch built out an athlete styling department, while mega-brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior and Burberry dispatch online stylists and athlete specialists to assist both sports stars and stylists with preorders and fashion show invites (thank you to those who look out for me). I wonder if we’ll see more of a push for extended sizing at brands like Prada - will they finally make Miu Miu mini skirts that can accommodate those of us with athlete thighs? Will designers have to inflate their budgets to create more sample sizes to cater to superstar athletes? Will the divide between big brands and small labels widen due to budgets and funding? Likely, only conglomerate brands can afford to regularly make custom, gifted outfits and fly out athletes for shows, while small labels often can’t afford to make giant sample runs. Targeted publicity and smart styling will be essential for both mid-range athletes and brands to be successful in the long run. When I first started athlete styling in 2011, I remember begging my sales reps at Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton for anything bigger than a size US 12/EU 45/LV 11. Then came the 46s and 47s. And then eventually some brands even up to 49 or 50 - big brands adapted but it took time. I can’t help but wonder if the big luxury houses will continue to work with athletes and start recognizing more body diversity in their models, patterns and ready-to-wear pieces.
Now, onto the actual fit - I’m a known Prada apologist but the look gave more Miu Miu (Prada’s little cheeky sister line) than Prada with the short hemline, shiny fabric and general proportions. It felt like a great look for a photo call or say a pre-draft dinner, rather than the main event. According to the Prada outfit credits, Clark (styled by Azsn Studio) wore, a “white double saint shirt and skirt paired with an embroidered rhinestone mesh top, acetate sunglasses, Prada Galleria bag and black leather slingback pumps”. Satin a very tricky material for a lot of reasons, and not one I recommend for the red carpet because it is temperamental - and with it being white, the creasing showed much more than say, if she wore a dark color. Perhaps if she stood on the bus and had a steamer at the ready, it would have looked better. But part of styling is knowing the environs and although there was no doubt she was going first overall - she would have to sit. If she went with another material that Prada favours, like nylon, the crinkling would look more intentional but it would have likely looked too casual for the venue if it was also rendered in a two-piece set. She seems to favour oversized tops, like the jacket she wore on SNL, but I feel like it sort of overwhelms her given she doesn’t have wide shoulders. They are on trend, but can be tricky on camera.
In some ways, I respect that she went with a Prada look, a brand that she called more minimal and simple in keeping with her taste - but clearly showed that she wants her merits as a fashion girl - you don’t wear a mini length and mesh rhinestones if you want to be low-key. I do think she looks great in saturated colors, black and white but probably prints and pastels would feel too fussy or delicate for her more streamlined style.
For her official press conference with the Indiana Fever today, she played to her strengths wearing a Louis Vuitton cross-over bust detailing dress ($4750) with a white caplet which she took off for the press conference, black pumps (her signature when off-court it seems) and black Louis Vuitton bag. The gold epaulet-style detailing on the shoulders and the cross-over detailing both bring attention to her face, accent her shoulders to balance her silhouette and also give just enough detail in both close-up shots and wide length to look a touch of minimal edge - a vibe she seems to favour thus far. Additionally, the mini length looks great proportionally on her as well - whereas a longer length here may feel a bit too matronly. This is a look I expected to see her in at the Draft, but I do like that she took a risk. It’ll be interesting to see how her style evolves and how much she’ll wear that is sponsored versus her aesthetic taste - at least she’s already a better dresser than the other superstar basketball player in Indianapolis.
Cameron Brink in Balmain
Cameron Brink, the 6’4 stunner from Stanford went second overall to the Sparks but she had one of the strongest looks. Brink wore a Balmain black and white asymmetrical gown with a thigh-high slit. She understands what works for her and the black and white look makes a great, sleek statement. I love the hair and make up which was dramatic but not overpowering. The only minor quibbles I have are the shoes and bag choice. I think picking a shoe with a metallic element would have felt a little more elevated than a black pump, but I think the addition of the anklet/foot jewelry was a way to bring drama to footwear.
The Miss Dior bag is cute but more daytime and the off-white leather and gold hardware doesn’t quite work with the black and white starkness of the dress - it feels better suited for ladies who lunch than red carpet stunners. I understand the need for phones and makeup touch-ups but I think an organic-shaped clutch might have been cooler. Brink has great instincts and could easily be a model when she’s not hooping so I’m sure we’ll be seeing her honing her red carpet looks soon, especially given that she’ll be playing in Los Angeles.
Angel Reese in BronxandBanco
Next up is the Bayou Barbie, and I loved Angel’s look. She was styled by Naomi Elizée, who recently styled Reese’s Vogue Draft announcement. Reese wore a BronxandBanco backless silver knit dress that shimmered in the light and often looked a little bit like the sparkle of Mardi Gras complimented by silver Christian Louboutin heels, a silver Simon Miller bag, jewelry by Jason of Beverly Hills as well as black bow nails and a silver, icy grill as the finishing touch. The look felt like an updated version of Rihanna’s infamous sheer Swarovski diamond dress at the 2014 CFDA Awards. I also love to see how Reese tags her full team on her Instagram stories and her stylist on her main - real one material!
Rickea Jackson in Two Suiting Looks
So CC may have been the first athlete to be dressed by Prada at a draft but Rickea Jackson pulled off the first outfit change at the event - which honestly may have been a bigger fashion feat. Jackson was styled by Tosha Hartzog, and the first arrival look was an all-red suit with skirt detail by Ellae Lisque and Christian Louboutin shoes. Her accessories carried through both ensembles which included a diamond collar, earrings, bracelet and ring as well as a pair of custom Chrome Hearts Cartier Buffs sunglasses - a very cool tribute to her hometown of Detroit. For her second look, Jackson wore a shimmering silver suit by Prissy Duck Designs with a matching bra underneath, and Amina Muaddi heels.
I may be someone with a red aura, but the silver look wowed me the most - it glistened beautifully in the light and worked even better with her jewelry choices. She’s one of my hoopers to watch this season fully off the strength of these two outfits - she also got one of the best portraits of the draft, without question.
Aaliyah Edwards in Galvan and Judith Leiber
I have to give some love to my fellow Canadian, Aaliyah Edwards, who was dressed by Holt Renfrew (it’s like a mini Neiman Marcus of Canada) and filmed a cute get-ready with me video at their Yorkdale location alongside Uninterrupted Canada. Edwards picked a white Galvan London ($1350) dress with beading and fringe that compliments but doesn’t compete with her trademark hairstyle. It was a great choice to braid her hair at the crown since it’s a high-neckline dress and that way there was more focus on her face and her necklace.
She added a Judith Leiber basketball purse ($4495) that was the perfect Draft night touch. My only edit would be the shoe choice - while I love that she went with silver to go with her theme for sparklier accessories - with her jewelry and bag - I feel like all the wrapping details of the sandals compete with the dress and then the eyes don’t know where to focus. Perhaps going with a more minimal silver shoe like these that echo the curves of the cutouts without being a literal match would have given the ensemble a little more balance. I’m excited to follow Edwards and cheer for another Canadian in the WNBA.
Paige Bueckers in Louis Vuitton
Finally, one of the players with the most airtime wasn’t even eligible to be drafted - Paige Bueckers. The UConn star came in an all-white Louis Vuitton look and bag that had many comparing her to LeBron James and his infamous draft days suit. Bueckers’ look was much more successful, perhaps also because she wasn’t being judged on the draft stage and was more playing the supportive Mom friend in the crowd. An over-sized men’s suit is a tricky wear for even the most seasoned style stars so I’m very impressed by how effortlessly cool Paige looks. Also - I know all my fellow millennials love an excuse to post an original Mean Girls reference.
There were so many more style highlights - like Alissa Pili celebrating her Indigenous and Polynesian heritage through her beautiful dress and Nika Muhl’s grill and Gentle Monster x Mugler glasses combo (did not love the proportions of the outfit but I give her credit for the general swag and working with a great stylist) - but I’m out of room for now. Here’s to an amazing and stylish WNBA season.
Stay safe and stay true,