As a forward on the Chicago Sky, Angel Reese is one of the most dominant players in the WNBA, and when she joined us to speak about being named to our Best Dressed in Business, she’d just broken league records by closing her fourth consecutive game with 15+ rebounds. (When critics panned her for “mebounding,” she trademarked it.)
It all embodies how Reese’s draft class did more than add fresh competition to the league when it arrived with a splash in 2024. It awakened the spectacle of the sport, celebrating the uniqueness of players who broke free from their uniforms with expressive, pregame tunnel walks—a critical piece in increasing sponsors 19% that year and viewership by 170%.
“A lot of the women already had the fashion, and I think the platform really helped them,” says Reese. “I think coming to the league with all the eyes that we had, it really shined a light on them and gave them the flowers that they deserve.”
Long before she joined the Met Gala host committee or had partnerships with Good American and Reebok (her signature Reese 1, inspired by diamonds, was announced this month), Reese earned the nickname Bayou Barbie for her glam perspective, even on the court, which was part of her game as long as she remembers. “I always had my hair done, and my nails were painted,” she recalls. “My grandma used to put mascara on my lashes, and she brushed my hair up nicely. It was always ‘dress to impress.’”
Reese’s passion for fashion was spurred on through her mother’s closet, from which she’d steal bags and heels, the latter of which felt tricky for her 6‘ 3” frame. “I think it took me a while to feel confident in heels, going out, because I was already so tall,” she says. “But once I got older and seeing how much I stood out, it made me feel, like, super confident and bold.”
That boldness is a throughline of her ‘fits—and perhaps the only one she cares much about. When I mention her silhouettes tend to embrace high waists and crop tops, she shrugs off any trends you might see, and insists she wants to have the opposite of any signature look.
“Sometimes I’ll go streetwear. Sometimes I’ll go super girly,” she says. “I don’t really identify myself as dressing one type of way. [Though] I am into high fashion for sure. So you probably see me with a nice bag, nice pair of glasses.”
Describe your style in a sentence.
I am versatile.
What’s the one piece in your closet you’ll never get rid of?
I think my bags. I’ve created a collection of bags, when I see it, I need it, I have it. I’m in collector mode, in my vintage era. I just got this double flap Chanel bag, it’s orange, and I love it.
How long does it take you to get dressed in the morning?
If I’m only going to practice, it doesn’t take me long. But when I’m getting ready for a game? An hour, for sure.
What do you wear to a big meeting?
I don’t really have meetings [laughs]. Most of these things are on Zoom these days. I don’t want to meet people or go to their office.
What’s the best piece of fashion advice you’ve ever gotten?
Be confident in your skin. Law Roach kind of told me before, don’t care what anybody else has to say. Like, as long as you’re confident in it and you feel good in it.
It’s aura. You have to have aura.
