Queen of Sports

Maria Sharapova In Weird Evian Ad

Tennis pro Maria Sharapova attended Evian’s Baby On The Inside event earlier this week at the Openhouse Gallery in New York City. We are not liking this ensemble, the t-shirt is definitely odd but the outfit gets even stranger when paired with sequin gold shorts and a long black suit jacket. Yikes!

The new Evian campaign shows real people and celebrities wearing a t-shirt with the screen printed image of a baby’s body. The tagline for the campaign is “Live Young”. The new Evian advertisement is suppose to symbolize the effects of the company’s water on people of all ages.

Photos: Evian and Twitter

Joakim Noah’s Golf Outfit

Chicago Bulls player Joakim Noah was wearing this spectacular outfit at the annual Chicago Bulls/Verison Wireless Charity Golf Outing earlier in the week.

In addition to Joakim, Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc, Jay Williams, Will Perdue, Tom Boerwinkle, Dave Corzine, Bob Love, John Paxson, Gar Forman, Tom Thibodeau, Bill Wennington, Neil Funk, Chuck Swirsky, John Mengelt, Benny the Bull, and former Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee were all on hand to support CharitaBulls and Prevent Child Abuse America.

CharitaBulls is dedicated to enhancing the lives of Chicago’s youth by actively supporting educational, recreational and social programs to help make Chicagoland a better place to live. Prevent Child Abuse America engages communities through the important work of strengthening families and valuing children. For more than 30 years, Prevent Child Abuse America has been the leading national organization focused on preventing child maltreatment before it occurs.

On a side note, looks like the Bulls mascot, Benny the Bull was wreaking havoc on the course!

What do you think of Joakim’s outfit, hit or miss?

Photos: Chicago Bulls

Kaka Modeling For Adidas

We’ve found some awesome pictures of our favorite Brazilian soccer player Kaka modeling the latest Adidas gear.

In addition to having a modeling contract with Adidas, Kaka has been featured in ads for Armani and Dolce & Gabbana.

Photos: Adidas SLVR

Ralph Lauren Partners With Venus Williams For US Open Look

Venus Williams has partnered with Ralph Lauren to create some pieces for the brand’s US Open collection. Venus has her own fashion line, EleVen, which worked in partnership with Ralph Lauren. She debuted one of the limited edition dresses at a clinic held in New York where she demonstrated her techniques,  fielded questions, and offered tips. The Legends Clinic was live-streamed on-line. The dress she wore is available for purchase on-line, along with a polo of the same style. 15% of the proceeds of the Venus Williams polo and dress will benefit the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Venus will also be debuting some pieces she designed for the fashion house which she will reveal at the US Open. The look includes a day-time look, as well as a night-time one. Venus is very excited about the partnership, said said, “Ralph Lauren is an iconic design label and it’s a privilege to work with them to produce such a sporty and chic look.”

Serena Williams Celebrates Cover Of Hamptons Magazine

Tennis champion Serena Williams was at Pranna in New York City on Wednesday night celebrating her cover of Hamptons Magazine.

Serena still has a boot on her foot and confirmed that she will not be playing in the upcoming U.S. Open earlier this week. Serena said doctors advised her not to play so her foot can heal, and she called missing the tournament “one of the most devastating moments of my career.” Poor Serena!

But back to the good stuff, what do we think of Serena’s red carpet look?

Photo: PR Photos

New York Yankees Partner With Jay-Z For Limited Edition Merchandise

The New York Yankees announced yesterday that limited-edition co-branded Yankees and Jay-Z merchandise will be sold exclusively at Yankee Stadium beginning on Monday. The merchandise will be available at Yankee Stadium through the Jay-Z and Eminem concerts taking place in the venue on September 13th and 14th.

Each item will feature the Jay-Z and Yankees logos. Merchandise will include men’s and women’s T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts (all by Majestic) along with New Era 59/50 fitted Yankees caps with the album logo from Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3.

NASCAR’s Deborah Renshaw Parker Opening Clothing Boutique

Former NASCAR driver Deborah Renshaw Parker is getting ready to open up her own fashion boutique in Bowling Green, Kentucky. In November 2006, Deborah married NASCAR crew chief Shawn Parker. The couple met at the Daytona International Speedway in February of 2004.

We had the opportunity to ask Deborah a couple questions about her new business venture while she was in Los Angeles selecting brands to carry in her new store. Sounds like so much fun!

Queen Of Sports: Have you always been interested in fashion and retail?

Deborah: Absolutely, fashion has always interested me because of the ever changing looks that have evolved over time.   I’m so excited about having the opportunity to bring the latest trends and styles to Bowling Green after being at the MAGIC [Men's Apparel Guild of Southern California - clothing convention] show in Vegas and being shown around the LA Mart this week. I think growing up around the automotive retail business (family business), truly helped shape my future in the retail industry…whether it’s the automotive or fashion industry.

Queen Of Sports: How did you encounter this opportunity?

Deborah: After my husband and I had our second child, I had this desire to start my own business. I ended up staying home after giving birth to our daughter and found lots of time to start drawing up my business plan. We ended up going out for breakfast one morning and went into this boutique named Apricot Lane. They had just opened and me being so interested in how beautiful the store was… I struck up a conversation with one of the associates. She ended up being the owner and shared with me her story of opening their boutique. That’s when I found out it was a franchise. To sum it all up, I was on the phone with the apricot lane headquarters within an hour after leaving their store. That was roughly 7 months ago and my store will be opening Oct 15th!!! We are so excited and were already looking at a 2nd and third location!

Queen Of Sports: What similarities have you found in being a professional race car driver and opening your own fashion boutique?

Deborah: They are both such a fast pace industry. If your not keeping up with the trends, whether it’s new set ups at a race track or a new safety feature in your racecar OR what’s the newest trend for the upcoming season… You WILL be left behind and not be successful! Also, if you don’t have the right “team” surrounding you in either industry you will not be able to keep up. I personally feel that in any industry you must surround yourself with amazing people. You should always empower the ones around you giving them the ability to help you make the important decisions. Being successful is NEVER the work of one individual… It is your “team” that makes it happen!

Queen Of Sports: What is your favorite item that your store will carry?

Deborah: Probably will be our premium denim lines. I’m such a jeans girl! Some of my favorites are: Miss Me, Joe’s Jeans and Rock Revival. Oh… And I love to pair them up with a great funky belt!

Queen Of Sports: What does your husband Shawn think about your new business venture?

Deborah: He is 100% supportive on this adventure. For example, while I’ve been at MAGIC in Vegas and out here in LA for buying merchandise for two weeks, he truly stepped up to ease my mind about our children. He’s been at home doing all the duties of raising two children. Putting them both to bed every night etc…. I’ve never been away from home this long and he has made it very easy for me.

*Big thank you to Deborah Renshaw Parker for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer our questions and also to her publicist Stacey Graham for coordinating!

Photos: Stacey Graham

Athletes Support Apricot Lanes Boutique Initiative To Raise Money For Gulf Coast Victims

Apricot Lanes along with the United Way and with help of several athletes (Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart pictured above) have launched a nationwide partnership to help Gulf Coast victims.

The nationally franchised boutique is selling Humanity T Shirts for $24 in both men’s and women’s sizes. Check out Terrell Owens sporting one of the shirts above! 50% of the net profit will be donated to United Way Gulf Coast Initiative to Build Homes for Families in New Orleans. Apricot Lanes best selling accessory, the Humanity bracelet collection tells a story of passion, purpose and courage with the graphic image on the outside and the written message on the inside. Humanity is a story driven fashion that supports non-profits around the world. Check out ESPN reporter Erin Andrews and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees showing off their Humanity bracelets:

Check out which stores are offering the Humanity line here.

Transparent Systems Clothing Line By Rainbow Alexander

We attended Paul Rodriguez‘s shoe launch last weekend where we met his girlfriend, Rainbow Alexander.

Rainbow has launched a clothing line called Transparent Systems which includes t-shirts, tanks  and hoodies for both the male and female consumer. All the tops in the picture above are pieces of the latest collection (except the baby).

The line is currently available in local Los Angeles skate shops but they are expanding to Chicago and New York. Transparentt Systems is also available online.

Paul and Rainbow pictured below:

John Daly’s Fancy Pants

Check out John Daly’s fabulous outfit from today’s Knoxville News Sentinel Open at Fox Den Country Club.

Known for wearing the Loudmouth Pants with crazy designs and bright colors, John Daly has always stuck out on the golf course! Check out the picture below from Monday’s practice session:

Which outfit do you like better? Our vote is for the pants he wore on Monday! They look like a cross between flowers and peacock feathers!

Photos: Michael Patrick, Knox News