It may be April, but March Madness is still going strong. The women’s tournament has reached the Final matchup, with UConn facing off against 2024 champions South Carolina in tomorrow’s title game. Regardless of the outcome, however, the tournament has proven an opportunity for these NCAA coaches to show off their fashion alongside their basketball prowess.
While Notre Dame may not have made it past the Sweet Sixteen round, head coach Niele Ivey caught our attention by twinning with none other than Rihanna. Ivey watched on from the sidelines as the Fighting Irish took on the Michigan Wolverines, dressed in a green crocodile-printed silk set from Balenciaga—a button-up blouse tucked into a pair of flowing palazzo pants. But that’s not where Ivey’s look ended. Watching on, she sat crouched in a pair of teetering knifepoint Christian Louboutin stilettos. (Once an athlete, always an athlete!)
Perhaps nobody is more famous for their courtside style than Louisiana State University coach Kim Mulkey. Though LSU was bested by UCLA during the Elite Eight round, Mulkey managed to stand out on multiple occasions. During the Sweet Sixteen round, the head coach wore an indigo denim Alice + Olivia set—a military jacket and extreme flares embroidered with gold flowers. Mulkey wasn’t the only coach who embraced Alice + Olivia’s flamboyant styles from the sidelines: University of Arizona coach Adia Barnes also opted for a white pantsuit covered in a statement-making outsized blue toile.
Although the tournament may be nearing its end, there’s still one coach left in the game with a serious eye for style. Over the course of March Madness South Carolina’s Dawn Staley has proven that comfort and fashion go hand-in-hand on the court. Sure, Staley may often be decked out in sweats, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be chic. When the Gamecocks took on the Duke Blue Devils in the Elite Eight, Staley wore head-to-toe Chanel, and she rocked Louis Vuitton during games against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and Maryland Terrapins.
With March Madness coming down to the wire, will any of the coaches make a big fashion play? We’re looking at you, Dawn Staley.
