The Coaches' Collection: Leather or Not, Here We Come!

**Reminder to click on the pictures below for an up close & personal look at the pictures!**

When it comes to leather, where do I even begin?

Okay, quite honestly, I am a personal fan of leather – to an extent. I adore my leather jackets (and I have a variety of them) and I adore my heated leather seats in my Explorer (oh yeah, that’s a different subject – sorry!); but when it comes to leather pants, skirts, shirts, etc., well that’s a different matter. Yes, I have owned a pair of leather pants (until I kept growing and they became high-waters), and recently I tried on another pair in Kohls, but again, they were too short on me. I used to own a leather skirt, too. So I really don’t have a problem with wearing and owning leather. But, I do feel there is a time and a place to appropriately wear leather. The question is – Is the sideline of a basketball court one of those places? In reality, it depends on how you wear the leather or rather what you are wearing the leather with to determine whether it is appropriate or not. Sometimes you can get by with wearing a leather skirt and a nice shirt and it looks fine; whereas other people may wear leather pants and a nice shirt and they look like…….well, I will let you fill in the gaps on that one!

So let’s examine a few occasions where I have seen some individuals wear some types of leather during basketball games, and what better place to start than with an ultimate “Duel of Leather”. There are some coaches that you just learn to expect the unexpected with their dress attire, but had you told me that in a key match-up between two “big-name” teams, that both of their head coaches would be wearing some type of leather, I would have not have anticipated that. So the “Duel of the Leather” begins…


Ladies and Gentleman, this is the main event, the one we have all been waiting for… Entering along the right sideline of the arena, hailing from Notre Dame University, weighing in wearing a black leather skirt and sea green dress shirt is the legendary head coach, Muffet McGraw! Her opponent, coming in on the left sideline of the arena, hailing from Baylor University, weighing in with python print leather pants and a beige leather jacket, is the reigning NCAA Coach of the Year and current holder of the “Gaudiest Leather” title, Kim Mulkey! As both competitors meet in the middle for the mandatory “meet and greet”, it appears our reigning champion, Mulkey, is dissing McGraw, but in the end, McGraw will win the “Duel of the Leather” whereas Mulkey will retain her “Gaudiest Leather” title. Muffet McGraw is known for wearing her leather skirt, and in all honesty, it looks really good on her because she has the stature that can carry it well and she doesn’t make it look to gaudy. She does her best to coordinate it with a decent type shirt and, of course, shoes (which aren’t shown here); so in Muffet’s case, she is fine to wear the leather because she knows how to wear it and still look fashionable. On the contrary, Kim Mulkey, who is spunky, lacks the fashion sense that Muffet has. Mulkey’s outfit is just down-right gaudy – python print leather pants, really? And then mix it with a beige/gold leather jacket? Wow, someone please help Mulkey see the light! I’ve seen Mulkey wear some other leather outfits that are passable, but this one is just plain nasty and has to go. I don’t care how many wins your team has, don’t keep drawing attention to yourself on the sideline while wearing these horrendously matched and tight-fitted outfits, just dress normal and let the talent of your team shine.

And then there is Sylvia…


Oh! dear Sylvia Hatchell, whose name we have heard countless times this season on ESPN for FINALLY getting her 900th win. We all know who you are and where you coach, but you really have to come to the ACC Tournament with a Carolina Blue leather jacket on? Granted, it isn’t the worst thing I have seen, but should someone of your age be wearing a leather jacket to coach a game? And didn’t you get hot? Oh, no, wait!, that’s right!, your team played as cold as ice that championship game as Duke literally obliterated you guys on the court. So maybe the Carolina Blue jacket helped warmed you a little more from the icy temperatures on the court. Either way, this one is a hit or miss – it just doesn’t faze me, though honestly I hate it because of the color.


Going back to Mulkey, the Queen of Leather, wow, I would just love to know where in Waco does she find such clothes or does she have to custom order them? The python leather pants and gold jacket, as I have previously stated, is just distasteful to me and way too distracting on the court. However, I will say that the pink jacket trimmed in leather-faux with black leather pants…well I am going to get some slack for this, but I actually kind of like this outfit. I still think the leather pants are a bit too tight for her to be wearing on ESPN (and we all know now how much of a distraction they caused for UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma!); but overall, this outfit isn’t one of Kim’s worst ones. (Plus, her shoes were absolutely amazing that night!) Y’all know how much I adore Kim Mulkey, and in some ways, she is bold and brave to wear this – but as I said, expect the unexpected. Mulkey has her own fashion sense – sometimes it works, sometimes it just doesn’t and sometimes it makes her look something besides a coach (just saying!). I just hope and pray that if Baylor makes it to the 2013 NCAA National Championship game again this year, that Kim will NOT wear leather – you can wear your spiked heels (which I love!) but please, refrain from wearing leather to claim the National Championship!


So with all this ghastly leather, is there anyone who can save the day and show us how to minimally wear leather and make it look good? Of course there is … the fashionista of women’s college basketball, who looks absolutely smashing in anything - she can show us how to wear leather appropriately. The title “Fashionista” belongs exclusively to her, and she is one of my most favorite coaches of this day in time. She is Chris Dailey, the Associate Head Coach of the UConn Women’s Basketball team, and it is partly her fashion style that helps to make Geno Auriemma look so good on the court. (Maybe that is why they are often referred to as the “Donna Karan and Giorgio Armani” of women’s basketball!) “CD” (as she is most commonly known) does not very often wear leather, but when she does, as exhibited in these few circumstances, she can pull it off very, very easily. Her rail-thin yet toned frame can carry almost any outfit that you throw her way, and she can always accessorize better than any other coach. UConn honored Geno, as well as CD, when they won their 800th game, and that evening she wore a very simple pair of grayish slacks with a white shirt covered by a classy leather jacket – nothing too gaudy nor out of character. During a recent battle against rival Notre Dame, The Fashionista went head-to-head against “Runner-Up Fashionista” (Muffet McGraw) – Muffet in her animal print skirt vs. Chris in her grayish skirt and half leather top. At first glance, I did not really like CD’s top, but as the game progressed and she was shown more and more on TV (thanks to Geno’s antics and CD being the ONLY person who has the supreme ability to calm him during trying times, ha!), my initial impression of her outfit began to change and I began to really develop a liking to her top. Do I think leather is Chris Dailey’s calling? Heck no! She has many other outfits (to be featured later) that are just amazing. But, of all the coaches featured here, she knows how to design an outfit that is not exclusively made up of all-things-leather!

In the end, I’m not so sure I am willing to rush back out to Kohl’s or some other store to look for another pair of leather pants for myself. I think I’ll settle for my leather jackets and coats, as well as my shoes and just try to accessorize and be like CD. Oh and yes, I will continue to enjoy my heated leather seats – you can’t even go wrong with that leather!