Former U.S. Olympic volleyball star Lindsey Napela Berg’s flair for fashion has something in common with her tenure as a world-class athlete: “I’m all over the place,” Berg said, “and I definitely have evolved and changed a ton as well.”
Berg, 36, grew up in Manoa, attended the University of Minnesota, traveled the globe with Team USA and enjoyed stints in professional volleyball leagues in Italy and Turkey. She now lives in downtown Los Angeles, where she is trying to set herself up with a career in fashion.
She describes her style as “tomboy chic with a little edge.”
“I love to be comfortable but chic at the same time; definitely put together but comfortable,” Berg said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles.
“For me it’s all about comfort with style and looking put together at the same time without having to be in a tailored suit or in a tight tailored dress.”
During her childhood in Honolulu, Berg could often be found in a T-shirt and shorts on the volleyball court or at the beach. That changed after she graduated from Punahou School and accepted an athletic scholarship to Minnesota, where she was forced to adapt her wardrobe to the cold weather.
Her love for fashion grew from there and evolved as she toured the world playing volleyball.
Berg was the dynamic setter for Team USA in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics, picking up two silver medals and traveling the world for tournaments. As a professional player, she spent seven seasons in Italy, where she was exposed to the trendy fashion scene.
Returning home, Berg served as an assistant coach last season for the University of Hawaii wahine volleyball team but now lives in L.A., where she is working on her first capsule collection.
Although spending much of her life on a volleyball court, Berg said her interests have always reached far beyond sports.
“I think that’s what people got really surprised about once social media became really relevant, that on my Instagram I’m posting way more things that I’m interested in other than volleyball and people got to know more about me,” she said.
“I love fashion, I love art, I love interior design and all these different things.”
CONQUERING BODY IMAGE
She found confidence and inspiration through her travel experiences and learning to be comfortable in her own skin. The 5-foot-8 Berg said she didn’t fit the “typical volleyball body type” of a tall, lanky player and recalls facing criticism for her thickset, muscular build.
She’s over it now.
“I really don’t care what others are going to think about what I’m wearing,” Berg said. “I’m really just wearing it for me. And that’s been a real help in my evolution, just being secure with myself, my style and really just who I am.”
A bad knee forced Berg to retire from the sport, but she still works out at Unbreakable Performance Center, a gym in West Hollywood she founded with retired NFL star Brian Urlacher and Fox Sports journalist Jay Glazer. She has other business interests and appears at celebrity sports events.
But fashion is her game now.
Her current obsession: robes and kimonos. Berg likes to tailor kimonos she buys by removing the sleeves and pulling in the back for more shape. She is working on designing a modern kimono line of her own.
“These are all that I wear now; sometimes with shorts, sometimes with jeans, sometimes with thigh-high boots, sometimes with sneakers,” Berg said. “I’m all over the place but robes and kimonos are my signature piece now.”
In addition to outerwear, she’s been known to incorporate men’s wear in her looks. For example, Berg will don a men’s T-shirt like a dress, pairing it with thigh-high boots.
“I like to shock people with, like, ‘Oh I would’ve never put that together’ — that really personally inspires me. And I actually get excited sometimes when I put things together and I’m like, ‘Oh that works!’”
FUN WITH FASHION
If she has a fashion “uniform” it’s black leather leggings — if it’s not too hot out — worn with Air Jordan athletic shoes or heels. Berg loves how comfortable leggings are and that they can be dressed up or down.
One of her current favorite outfits is a unitard under a kimono with sneakers.
“I think it’s really all about having fun and I really have fun with fashion,” Berg said.
“I love where I’ve gotten personally of just being happy and really secure with myself. How I dress and what I do for myself helps that, and so I love just stepping out and being really comfortable with what I have on or how I feel or how I look …
“I’m really just doing it for myself.”
Berg, who is rarely without her Celine sunglasses, said she tries not to be too trendy but looks for pieces that work for her edgy style and body type.
“I think it’s just really about just dressing for your body type,” Berg said. “I’m not a small girl by any means and I’ve had my own issues with my body, and I think you’ve just really got to understand what makes your body look the best — what cuts, what style of clothing — and then just start looking at things for inspiration, whether it’s magazines or other people …
“I think just, you know, take risks and have fun with it.”
