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Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game will put rival rookie sensations Caitlin Clarke and Angel Reese on the same team.

But some of the attention will come before the game, in “The Cave” at the Phoenix Convention Center, where the nation’s top players are expected to make some eye-catching appearances.

WNBA fashion has gotten a boost over the years, thanks to avant-garde trendsetters. Ah Wilson, Kelsey Plum And Skylar Diggins-Smith. It’s a big change from the late 1990s and early 2000s, when players and coaches wore more traditional business attire, almost blending in with masculinity (NBA players had their own fashion dilemmas at the time). according to SB

Now they’re pushing the WNBA tunnels — the sports lingo that enters the game-day arenas — with chic menswear-inspired looks mixed with microminis, six-inch pumps and leather trench coats.

The fashion bible, Vogue, has updated its WNBA tunnel and named it a New runwayand Saturday night’s All-Star Game has a pregame fashion show in the works.

April draft He started 2024 with number 1 wearing Caitlin Clarke Structured satin shirt Crop top from Prada and crystal. Before her season-ending ACL injury, second-overall pick Cameron Brink wore an elegant ultramodern one-shoulder black gown with a cut-out, while No. 7 Angel Reese wore an award-show-worthy shiny gunmetal dress by Australian label Bronx and the hood.

WNBA players make a fraction of what their male counterparts earn. Fashion — and the lucrative brand endorsements that can come with it — can increase the potential for the league’s players.

The hope of providing new support for athletes and a greater focus on the WNBA as a whole, inspired Christopher Ruff to create it. Suitable for the WNBA league Social media account. Ruff has been a WNBA fan since seeing Los Angeles Sparks player Lisa Leslie two decades ago and in 2021. He began thinking about how he could help attract more fans to the league.

“You can use it as a first step to get people to look at fashion and put more eyes on the real product, which is the game,” Ruff said.

A player’s clothing can convey their personality and creativity, which may not normally be seen in basketball. Tunnel fashion is about personal beauty before play-wear fit.

But many athletes don’t have the luxury of big-name fashion houses knocking on their doors, so they’re getting creative. WNBA stylists are scrambling to source Italian fabrics and make them for players who don’t have big brand sponsorships, said Velissa Vonn, a fashion publicist who manages the Instagram account. Focused on the appearance of the WNBA cave.

“They really want to embrace their creativity, their self-expression,” Vaughn told the Post.

Some, eg Nafisa CollierTo get the same look from mainstream retailers, prioritize new brands that are women’s or black-owned or carried by locally owned boutiques.

Its growing popularity is good for emerging designers, Vonn said, and for fashion-savvy athletes.

“To see what he looks like now, the respect and appreciation from pop culture and society is so rewarding,” Vaughn said.