August 29, 2005 -- SHE looks like a knockout on court. But once leggy 18-year-old tennis ace Maria Sharapova steps into street clothes - or onto the red carpet - she double-faults and morphs into a champion fashion victim.
Witness the unflattering baggy brown jumpsuit Sharapova wore to the recent ESPY Awards, the sports world's most glamorous night.
"It made her look like Cher - circa 1972," groans Michelle Lee, author of "Fashion Victim: Our Love-Hate Relationship with Dressing, Shopping and the Cost of Style," who is perplexed that such a looker can't get past her unfortunate habit of always "almost getting it right" - fashion speak for royally screwing up.
The green-eyed 6-foot-2 Russian blonde recently described her own fashion sense as "elegant."
"I want to be classy, but I always want to be edgy," Sharapova said. "If someone's wearing black, I want to wear red. I always want to be different. I love to look gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous."
She might never miss a backhand, but she'll probably be surprised by the reaction she elicits from some of New York City's top style gurus.
"She has a sophisticated eye, one that appreciates and enjoys fashion," says stylist Robert Verdi, as he studies Sharapova's serial style snafus. "But she hasn't mastered the art of being chic. Usually, she has the right idea, but the wrong execution."
Hollywould designer Holly Dunlap, who suspects Sharapova is "taking fashion cues from the liner notes in a Shania Twain album," believes "a few minor changes could make Maria into a major fashion icon like Gwyneth Paltrow, Sienna Miller and Jessica Simpson."
Turn the page to find out what Sharapova can do to sharpen her act, as Lee and Verdi critique her missteps to show her (and the rest of us) how to score big in the fashion game.
Robert Verdi is the host of the Discovery Channel's "Surprise by Design," and E TV's fasion critic. He is also the stylist for several Hollywood hotties, including Eva Longoria.
Right: "Too low-cut, too heavy of a fabric, too much fabric and entirely too much jewelry - she looks like a little girl who emptied her mother's jewelry box on the bed and put it all on to play dress-up. A great big ring and a show-stopping necklace or earring would have sufficed. She should have chosen something made from a sexier fabric that was cut a little closer to her body. This just looks like it doesn't fit."
Michelle Lee is the executive editor at In Touch Weekly. She is also the author of the best-selling "Fashion Victim: Our Love-Hate Relationship with Dressing, Shopping, and the Cost of Style."
Below right: "I had a sweater dress like this in the '80s, and it died along with my Bananarama tapes. She shouldn't have worn this with jeans - or at all - and she should ditch the scarf, which totally doesn't go with those stripes or colors. And that drastic side-part isn't the best look for her."
Verdi: "She looks like she is about to be shipped off somewhere - maybe back to Russia for crimes committed against American fashion. I don't know if this is a designer dress, but it looks like the designer wants to be Roberto Cavalli and Diane von Furstenberg's love child."
Verdi: "This look shows how Maria is the queen of good pieces and poor assembly. The pattern, the detail on the camel skirt, and the ankle-strap multicolor shoe once again is too much. A pencil skirt would be more effective with this shoe, and a classic alligator pump would be more effective with this skirt. The loose, casual top doesn't feel stylish, it looks sloppy. She has a great body, and a snug tank top would have really set off this fashion statement."
Verdi: "This look is straight off the Brighton Beach runway. While she understands the elements of style (the sexy embellished shoe or the dramatic dress) she has a difficult time picking a favorite. The dress with the squirrel patches on the shoulders looks cheap. Whose is it? Cher's? It also has a Cavalli-like feel but is styled more like a fashion show at a mall in Atlanta. The shoe should be simpler, the bag should be simpler, the jewelry should be simpler, the dress should be simpler."
Verdi: "She has great legs, and she obviously knows that she can show them off. The problem is that it looks like she left her clothes in the dryer too long. The shorts look like bloomers and the cropped jacket is proportionately wrong. It would work better if it was waist-length. Short jacket + short shorts = short style. The flip-flop looks totally unplanned - and not unplanned in a planned stylish way, but unplanned in a purely unplanned way."
LEE: "This could be the reason why tennis players wear skirts! From the top up, she's dressy; then, from the shorts down, she's casual. It's a mess. The bolero and white tee would've been better paired with jeans and nice heels."
Verdi: "She's picked great elements of style, great pieces - the fabulous handbag, the great trench, the cowboy boot - but she's wearing them all at once. The beret recalls a Monica Lewinsky moment. Is that really anything that we need to see again?"
LEE: "There's something very Tom Petty going on here with the sunglasses and hair, and there are way too many looks competing for attention. Wearing jeans tucked into boots is such a big trend, but she should look at stars like Sienna Miller and Kate Bosworth who've done it right. The key is to choose jeans that more tapered - not baggy like Maria's. And don't get me started on the boots. Yeesh. Typically, it's not a good idea for anyone, even if you're a 6-foot-tall Amazon, to wear boots that hit your calf right in the middle. They cut off the line of your legs and make them look stumpy."
Verdi:"It's actually a really cool idea to mix a vintage '80s style: Alexis Carrington, 'Knot's Landing,' 'Dynasty,' yellow leather jacket with a nautical shirt and a vintage-style embossed bag. Where Maria loses it is with the short, rolled-up jeans. Again, she has one too many things happening. A smart boot-cut jean would have created a cleaner line from head to toe. But, this is the best example of Maria mixing diverse elements to create her own look that isn't cookie-cutter."
LEE:"I like this look. It's young and hip and fun. If I'd change one thing, I would tone down the stripes on the shirt and make it a solid - less fussy. Otherwise, I think she looks pretty cute."
LEE: "I don't hate this. The print is a little busy, but it's nice with her tan. I think this is a flattering dress - and it really showcases her long legs."
LEE: "Maria has a knack for ALMOST getting an outfit right. On their own, her top and skirt might not be bad, but the shoes are just a little too matchy-matchy, like she tried to have a color stripe for every color in her top. The cut of her skirt paired with the pattern of her top are too busy. She should've worn the skirt and the shoes with a solid top."
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