How Women’s Basketball Players Are Redefining Fashion

Comfort truly reigns supreme when preparing for a tunnel walk at the WNBA Finals like Sydney Colson, Lexie Brown, and Theresa Plaisance.

“Being comfortable is everything,” Brown said. “Every trend is not for you. Everybody’s body is different and beautiful.”

Once comfortability is checked off, Colson joins forces with her girlfriend and celebrity stylist, Amadi Brooks. Brooks, who was recently featured in a True Religion campaign, works with top talent to bring out their inner style and personality. The wardrobe consultant takes the stress out of having the perfect outfit for Colson and Plaisance.

“I put together what maybe wouldn’t match traditionally and don’t care about not wearing white after Labor Day,” Colson said. “If I’m prepared, I really look forward to getting dressed.”

As they found themselves through trial and error with fashion, they were experimenting in front of the world, unlike others who get to build their closet and personal style behind closed doors.

Just as they built their fashion identities, the PEC works actively to build the identity of AU Pro Basketball. They work on all aspects of the league alongside AU staff, from identifying players to add to the roster to establishing the rules and scoring system. 

When Colson looks back on her hundreds of outfits over the years, she does not regret any of them. As long as she liked it when she put it on, that was all that mattered to her. Plaisance echoed the same.

“If I feel confident walking out the door and it’s the ugliest thing to other people but I feel great in what I have on, at the end of the day, I was feeling hella fly walking out the door,” Plaisance said.

Wear what makes you feel confident and beautiful. If you put it on and you feel great, then who cares.

Isabelle Harrison,

#2, Forward

A part of being comfortable comes from the inside out, but sometimes, society may be late to the party. Colson believes as the queer community became more accepted in the modern world, it allowed women’s basketball players to show up as their true selves.

“Once I got comfortable with dressing masculine, I was okay with experimenting more,” Colson said. “I’ll wear whatever now. I think queerness is more accepted now, more than even when I was in college. When I was at the draft, it was business casual. We would travel in business casual to our commercial flights. When society is more accepting of something, then people are too. People have an understanding that there are more lesbian and queer players in college and in the W and so, you let people be themselves so that they can show up authentically and not feel suffocated by societal norms and attire.”

Over the last year, Plaisance’s favorite outfit came during a trip to the Big Apple. Colson and Plaisance were booked to go on the Tamron Hall Show in November. During a time when it can be hard to balance style and warmth, Plaisance did not have to choose between the two.

Plaisance’s best New York City fashion moment came from wearing her entire suitcase at once and mixing prints, including camouflage and florals. Her outfit came together and even garnered a compliment from Brooks.

“I was more than Cloud 9,” Plaisance said. “It was better than normal, I was on Cloud 10.”

For Plaisance and Colson, Brooks motivates them to push the envelope. At the beginning of the WNBA season, Brooks sourced an outfit from designer Sheila Rashid for Colson that featured an ode to Black hair salons and magazine culture from the 1990s and 2000s.

“Sometimes, I like to dress more feminine because people are used to seeing me in a tomboy outfit,” Colson said. “I tell Amadi I’m in this mood and I already know they’re going to eat this up. I am a woman at the end of the day.”

Hair also inspires Brown when she is getting dressed. She always likes to coordinate her hairstyles with her outfits and will preserve an outfit until she has the perfect hairstyle to match. While playing for the Connecticut Sun from 2018 to 2019, it was difficult for Brown to find a hairstylist who catered to Black hair. 

Brown takes pride in always keeping her hair done. During her time in Connecticut, she planned her hairstyles around the team’s away game schedule and used stylist and city hashtags to locate skilled professionals around the country on social media.

While playing for the Minnesota Lynx from 2019 to 2020, the team was required to wear team gear when traveling. Brown traveled with a tripod to home and away games to take pictures and document her outfits before photographers flooded the pre-game tunnels. For Brown, high achievements on and off the court have been the motivation behind purchasing the items she wants and deserves. 

“Growing up in my house, everything was based around school,” Brown said. “If I got good grades, then I got to go shopping. If you got an A on your test, then you could also go buy things. I’ve always associated shopping with achievement. Every time I do something well, I like to treat myself.”

As Brown was coming of age, her favorite store was Limited Too, now known as Justice. She also went through a preppy stage, favoring Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Bermuda shorts, and collared shirts. 

Brown has molded her style over the last few years, drawing inspiration from Europe while playing overseas. 

“Europeans dress nice but simple while still being elegant with elevated styles,” Brown said. “It’s not normal to see someone wearing sweats and leggings, especially in Hungary and France. I liked to people watch in Budapest and the H&M and Zara overseas are elite.”

While Brown’s inspiration has come from all over the world, Isabelle Harrison only had to look one bedroom over from her for fashion inspiration while growing up with six sisters. Harrison is one of 12 and grew up mostly getting hand-me-downs from her sisters’ closets. It was hard for the 6-foot-3 forward to find clothing with long enough sleeves and pants.

“I mostly wanted to wear shorts, skirts, and dresses so that I didn’t have to worry about different things being long enough,” Harrison said. “I was always the tallest girl in class and sometimes even the tallest person, but I learned to love my height and length.”

Harrison held on to her two favorite pairs of jeans that fit just right until she could not wear them anymore. When she entered the University of Tennessee, she began to find websites with clothing sections catered to taller women. 

During the 2024 WNBA season, Harrison began integrating her stylist, Golden, into her game day. 

“So, I’ve learned my lesson,” Harrison said. “I was doing my game day outfits on the same day. I know how to dress myself, but I like how stylists help you plan in advance. She’s really elevated my style and made it more fun, flirty, and girly. I believe I can pull off any look. I love the way clothes can make you feel amazing.”

When offering advice for women looking to identify their style, the PEC sings a similar song.

“Wear what makes you feel confident and beautiful,” Harrison said. “If you put it on and you feel great, then who cares.”