It’s not a catwalk, but it might as well be.
With high-fashion looks, designer pieces and curated outfits, the WNBA’s pregame tunnel has morphed into a fashion show. Players are expressing themselves through game-day fits that have become a staple of WNBA culture.
Welcome to Yahoo Sports’ WNBA style diaries. This week, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, DiJonai Carrington, Rickea Jackson, and Jordan Horston share their personal style, favorite fit moments, and thoughts on the WNBA’s fashion renaissance.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Washington Mystics
There’s one outfit from childhood that sticks out to Walker-Kimbrough. As a toddler, her mom put her in a coat with leopard-print cuffs and a matching headband.
“Always had [me] looking cute,” Walker-Kimbrough said of her mom. But once she got older, she developed a stubborn side and refused to wear what her mom wanted. To this day, the two have playful disagreements about what the eight-year veteran wears, but that hasn’t stopped the Mystics guard from developing her own style. When she’s in the tunnel, Walker-Kimbrough wears effortlessly cool fits, neutral colors, and statement pieces.
Yahoo: How would you describe your personal style?
Walker-Kimbrough: The one word I normally like to use is versatile. I like to be able to wear different things and not be predictable while staying true to me. I’ll even say authentic. I’ll be inspired by other things, but I always add a piece of me to it.
Yahoo: How has your style evolved over the years?
Walker-Kimbrough: I think for me it is like just trying new things. And being comfortable with trying new things. I’m a creature of habit. So I’m very routine. When I look at my closet, I definitely fall in love with the grays and the blacks and the creams. So for me, it’s just adding a little bit of color here and there.
Yahoo: How did you get into fashion?
Walker-Kimbrough: I like to get dressed every single day. Even if I’m just going to the mall, even if I’m just going to a convenience store. But I will say, I started appreciating fashion more when I went and played in Europe. And fashion to them, it isn’t even fashion, it’s just a way of life over there. They go to grab coffee and they’ve got furs on, peacoat, trench coat, everyone is getting dressed. So then I was like, ‘Oh I’ve gotta do more.’
Yahoo: Do you have a stylist?
Walker-Kimbrough: I definitely do my own. I’m not opposed to working with a stylist, but I struggle with authority, so I don’t know if that would go well with my personality (laughs).
Yahoo: How do you pick your tunnel fits?
Walker-Kimbrough: When I go shopping I just get pieces, and also, I don’t care if I rewear my stuff. I won’t rewear an outfit, but I rewear the same pieces all the time. So for me, I like to start with a statement piece, so that can be some pants, a jacket, a hat, even shoes. Usually it’s a colorful piece, and then I start styling around that piece.
Yahoo: Where are your favorite places to shop right now?
Walker-Kimbrough: Zara is one of my favorite places, and I like a lot of European brands because my body type fits European styles a lot more. Zara is a place where I can get that style here in the U.S. Because I also hate trying stuff on. I just hold it up against my body and put it together in my mind, and then hope for the best (laughs). More times than not, it does come together.
