The W in Designer: Next Up On the Draft Orange Carpet
Entering the league with a glamorous start, the 2023 draftees introduce themselves through style.
Broadcasting from Spring Studios, a fashion hotspot in New York City, the 2023 WNBA Draft took place on Monday, April 10. Apart from welcoming 36 new players into the league, this year’s edition set a new record for the most viewed WNBA Draft since 2004. Following similar record-breaking numbers for viewership across women’s basketball at the college level, this class of rising players are pushing their levels of glam into new heights.
Drawing upon their impressive knowledge of navigating NIL deals, these draftees not only know how to dress but also how to make a statement with each of their pieces. Recognizing that several players have already worked with sportswear brands like Nike, Wilson and Under Armour, their impact as a group indicates trends for shaping future generations of women’s basketball: studies have shown that women’s college basketball ranks the third-highest among NIL compensated sports, with 12.6% of total NIL compensation going towards these athletes.
Kicking off “The W in Designer” for the upcoming season, get to know these players through their draft night looks and their personality-driven choices.
Dressing in a chic three-piece set from Sergio Hudson, Hayley Jones feels like her outfit was “very spring, very me.” Establishing herself at Stanford as the school’s career scoring leader, Jones reflects her go-for-the-gold mentality with a delicate arrangement of gold accessories. Shouting out her family, she also shares that, “I’m wearing my great grandma’s ring that she gave to me. It’s my first time wearing it, very special occasion.”
Born and raised in Santa Cruz, Jones’ eye-catching green suit reflects how her hometown influences her style. “[In the Bay,] you’re unapologetically yourself all the time, so you’re gonna do what you do, and you’re never gonna make any type of apologies for it,” explains Jones, “It’s just got a special swag to it, so I like to think I got that same swag.” Drafted to the Atlanta Dream, fans can expect Jones to make fashion statements in every way possible.
Entering draft night with a bold, hot pink suit from Model Atelier, Brea Beal sparkled with a crystalized top, heels and her signature chain. Inspired by her personality, the shiny look reveals contrasts about Beal as a player, “I know a lot of people think I come off as calm, but I’m very bubbly, very girly, so I decided to go for that.” She also balances her doll energy with a rapper-like swag through her BB chain, sharing that “My boyfriend got it as a gift for my birthday, so it’s my favorite.”
While playing at the University of South Carolina, Beal is known for bringing a comfortable, “loungey” game-day style that’s always complemented with “some good sneakers.” As she joins the Minnesota Lynx this season, Beal expresses a desire to continue making fashion statements to express her personality. “I’m not a talkative person, my [natural personality] doesn’t do enough, so being more loud with outfits.”
Heavy repping Tennessee at the draft, Jordan Horston rocks a full Louis Vuitton vibe with her Southern slang, explaining that it’s “nothing too maze.” She wears a Louis jacket, with “nice long slacks,” Louis loafers, and a Louis belt. The designer patterns are subtle against Horston’s personality, and Horston adds that she’s “just keeping it cool, you know chill vibe.” Wearing ice from Happy Jewelers, Horston adds that she “got the bling, the jewelry glistening.” With attention to the smallest of details, Horston’s nails are on point with coordinated checkerboard patterns and black flames.
Joining the Seattle Storm, her on-court essentials start with her sweatbands or her arm sleeve: “It’s so retro and then I could just get the sweat off of me, it’s like a 2-in-1.” Other signature style elements for Horston include short shorts, “short shorts is always in;” showing her compression gear; and socks that are “not too high, not too low, right in the middle.” Describing her in-game mentality, “You gotta be pretty on the court to play pretty,” says Horston, “You know, look good, feel good, play good.”
Championing women’s basketball between the United States and Brazil, Stephanie Soares stunts in an all-white jumpsuit set from Model Atelier. With her impressive height, Soares explains that they had to find something that was “long enough for [her] legs.” Sharing that she feels great in her sleek look, she also jokes, “I got flats on, ’cause you don’t wanna see me in heels.” Accessorizing with a rose gold timepiece and jewelry, the Iowa State player also adds that they personalized her name on the inner back of her coat, so “it’ll be a good memory to keep.”
With a generally straightforward attitude to life, Soares was quickly traded to the Dallas Wings during the draft. On-court, she shares that her signature style detail is “to have her hair slicked back” and that she hates when hair is in her face. Although Soares admits that her name is out there, she emphasizes that her growing recognition needs a global approach: “It’s not just over here, but also back home in Brazil.” She’ll also be working on her social media, “I need to get that a little more hyped up.”
Approaching the Orange Carpet with a sleek, simple approach, Laeticia Amihere shares that her black dress was meant to be “classy and a little sexy, with a leg slit.” Taking styling into her own hands, Amihere reveals that her dress is from Nordstrom Rack, but the overall look was crafted with her friends. “I have a friend group of about six people and they all helped me out,” says Amihere, “So, I’ll shout out to them.” Her only accessory is a gold Olympic rings necklace, an accolade that helped her get ready for the WNBA, “It’s great, you get to experience so many levels of players and playing.”
After playing at the University of South Carolina, Amihere was drafted by the Atlanta Dream. While in school, Amihere wore Under Armour gear, but she was known for her colorful sneakers. “You know the pink ones? My aunt had breast cancer, so I wore pink shoes for her,” says Amihere. Apart from her goals of breaking into the modeling industry, Amihere also plans to keep working on her nonprofit, Back To The Motherland, throughout the season.
Rocking a salmon-colored three-piece set from Model Atelier, Diamond Miller brightens up the Orange Carpet with her big smile. She describes her choice of custom outfit with a “very much sexy professional” vibe and that her goal tonight was “feeling confident in [her] own skin.” To match her serious approach to elevated dressing, she rocks perfectly straight hair by Crystal King and flawless makeup by Micah Nadz. Her hair and beauty team also worked with other draftees as part of their Style Suite experience.
Raised in New Jersey, Miller celebrated the draft with one of her basketball-playing sisters, who was dressed in a similar all-white suit set. Selected 2nd overall in the 2023 draft by the Minnesota Lynx, Miller shares that her on-court style includes a reputation for wearing colorful shoes. “I like them to pop,” says Miller. With a strong family lineage in the basketball world, Miller expresses that she wants to work on her social media and to “be more of an influencer.”
WNBA reporter Kirsten Chen writes a lifestyle & fashion column on WNBA.com throughout the season and can be reached on Twitter through @hotgothwriter. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.
