When you walk into a department store of any kind, it is almost a given that no matter what you are looking for, you are going to run across something that contains animal print – clothes, shoes, purses, accessories. Animal print is one of those fads that you would think would go, come and end, but ironically, the animal print trend has gone, come and re-cycled again.
Quite honestly, I have always been a fan of certain types of animal print, yet with any kind of prints, you really have to be able to carry it yourself. Some people just do not have the body style to wear animal prints, some people just look drop-dead gorgeous in it, some people hate it, some people love it – so it is a taste that varies based on your personality.
Typically, I don’t associate many animal prints with blondes (nothing against blondes and those who wear animal prints, but typically, most animal prints, in my opinion, look better on those with darker hair). However, during last year’s ACC Tournament Semi-Finals, North Carolina State University Women’s Basketball Head Coach Kellie Harper came onto the court wearing a smashing red suit that was trimmed in leopard print. Kellie rocked this outfit and also jazzed it up by wearing some amazing red shoes. Granted this was not an outfit completely covered in animal print, but the little bit of animal print that trimmed her dress-suit provided an added flavor, and props to Kellie for pulling it off! (**On a side note, while I do love the red shoes, I may would have attempted to wear some type of leopard print shoes to make the print in the suit “pop” more; but it is very hard to find matching leopard prints. Either way, Kellie looked great in this assembly!**)
One coach that I always associate with animal print is the legendary women’s basketball coach from the University of Notre Dame, Muffet McGraw. Muffet is so classy and usually no matter what she wears, she looks great in it. While most of her outfits are typically skirts and shirts, she occasionally will mix in a taste of animal print. During last year’s NCAA Tournament Super Regional, held in Raleigh, North Carolina, Muffet came onto the court wearing a smashing leopard print skirt with a pair of red pumps! At first, I didn’t really like the white shirt she was wearing (as I would usually wear black) but because the skirt had a decent amount of white in the background, the white shirt was fitting. Either way, Muffet still looks fantastic in the leopard print as she is one coach who can ultimately wear the animal print and most definitely get away with it. To top it off, Muffet is known for her infamous “squat” on the sideline, so when she wears the animal prints and is in squat mode, it just looks like she is ready to pounce on her players or the referees.
Now, on the contrary to Muffet and Kellie, we have run across some people that should NOT wear animal prints or if they are going to wear them, at least wear ones with a little more class. I absolutely HATE the snakeskin animal print, HATE, HATE, HATE, and when you mix it with LEATHER, oh my goodness, I just nearly have a spazz-out moment! I am sure there are some people who could wear it and pull it off, but honestly, if you are going to be featured on the sidelines in front of thousands of people, please, please do NOT wear the python leather attire. Yes, I understand that basketball is not a runway for a fashion show, but in some aspects it is comparable. A coach will parade up and down the sideline of the court all throughout the game (similarly with models sashaying up and down the runway during a fashion show), so in some regards, maybe you should ponder what you are going to wear before stepping out into the arena or at least consult with one of your assistants.
One such figure, who loves to get under my skin with her “unique” sense of fashion, yet is also one of my favorite coaches in the sport is the Head Coach of the Women’s Basketball team at Baylor University, Kim Mulkey. Whenever Baylor has a game that is to be televised, my first thought is always “oh, no! What on earth will Mulkey wear tonight?” I adore Kim Mulkey; I have been fortunate to meet her and she is a class-act. But, her sense of fashion is well… just simple known to me as “Mulkey-wear”. Only Kim can get by with what she wears; sometimes her outfits (as crazy as they are) are terrific, others just leave me shaking my head. Sadly disappointing to me, Kim loves to wear the leather python pants, and I absolutely cannot stand them – not to mention, she wears them with a gold leather jacket that does NOT match!! So for Mulkey, when it comes to her “Mulkey-wear”, my advice to her is stick to her crazy, solid-colored, leather outfits or her suits, but please, please, quit wearing the animal prints because you cannot compete with Muffet McGraw in that regards.
So, there you have it – a brief exhibit of some of the highlights that I have witnessed first-hand of animal print in the women’s college basketball sports. And no, those white and black things that run up and down the court during the game are not zebras, unfortunately they are our referees – who sometimes I wonder aren’t crazy animals themselves.
And for the record, yes, I do wear animal print myself; and quite frankly, I think I look rather stylish in it myself – Chris Dailey (from UConn) would be proud!
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