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Barrington-area women design line of tennis wear

A trio of Barrington-area tennis players combined their business acumen and love of the sport to create their own apparel line, with one key ingredient: shapewear.

Specifically, their outfits all feature an inner layer of compression from the bodice through the shorts underneath the skirts with firming layers that work to keep the muscles warm, leading to better performance and recovery.

While their full line officially won't be ready to purchase until February, the business partners are giving area women a sneak preview Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Barrington Junior Women's Fall Fashion Show.

The luncheon typically draws hundreds of women to the Stonegate Conference & Banquet Centre in Hoffman Estates. During the professionally choreographed runway show produced by Zzazz Productions, three of their outfits will be featured.

“Women want to look good,” says Kelly Daugherty of Inverness, one of three managing partners. “When they look good, they feel good, and that leads to better play.”

For the last 18 months, Daugherty has worked with her friends from the travel team at the South Barrington Club on the venture, including Jayne Drew of South Barrington and Allysa Pazdan of Barrington.

Each brings a business background to the table, including marketing, advertising, management consulting and money management. Only one, Daugherty, had any experience with retail, having served as an assistant buyer for the May Company stores.

Nonetheless, they head into their business confidently, knowing they are filling a void in the marketplace.

“Shapewear right now in women's clothing is huge,” Daugherty says. “Brands like Spanx are everywhere, but it's really only been the last five years or so.”

Taking a cue from their on-court tennis skills, where they might smash an overhead return, they are calling their new line Smashing, and describe it as a product line featuring “fashion that performs.”

“Ninety percent of real women have real bodies,” Pazdan says. “And, yet, the clothing does not reflect that in the pro shops.”

Once they decided to act on their idea, they began examining pieces of their own clothing including their everyday wear to see which pieces and materials they liked and how they worked to flatter the figure.

They incorporated these design elements into their ensembles, making sure they were made out of soft, “buttery” fabric and shaped in flattering silhouettes, and all with collars and necklines that brings the focus to the face and away from problem areas.

Already, they have received orders from the pro shop at Biltmore Country Club in North Barrington, the tennis team at Barrington Hills Country Club, and the pro shop at Royal Melbourne Country Club in Long Grove.

“For the golf industry, the idea of compression wear is fairly new,” says Tim Hval, PGA professional at Royal Melbourne. “We thought we'd give it a shot.”

Hval adds that he not only has ordered pieces for the pro shop, but also that he has booked the partners to present a fashion show next spring on ladies' opening day.

Nancy Pierce of North Barrington wanted to support the local businesswomen, but she also said their new line of tennis outfits would flatter all of her travel team members this summer at Barrington Hills Country Club.

“I liked their buzz words of compression wear and slenderizing,” Pierce said. “We've got all different ages on our team from their 20s to their 70s with all different figure styles. These seemed to make everyone look their best.”

The partners stress that all of the pieces in their line are manufactured in Chicago and are made out of American-made material.

Once they launch the apparel in February, they will hold trunk shows and sell the pieces online. The cost of the sportswear will be $190 for a dress, $100 for a skirt and $80 for shorts.

For information, visit smashingonline.com.

  Alyssa Pazdan, left, and Jane Drew talk about the benefits of their new Smashing line of tennis and golf wear for women. Some of the pieces will be shown during a sneak preview at the Barrington Junior Women’s Fall Fashion Show on Saturday. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  Women attending the Barrington Junior Women’s Fall Fashion Show on Saturday will get to see a sneak preview of the new Smashing tennis and golf wear. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  All of the pieces in the new Smashing line of tennis and golf wear are manufactured in Chicago. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  Jayne Drew explains how the inner layer of compression in the Smashing skirts is designed to keep muscles warm and flatter all figures. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  Kelly Daugherty describes the new Smashing line of tennis and golf wear for women as “fashion that performs.” Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com

If you go

<p>What: Barrington Junior Women's Fall Fashion Show</p>

<p>When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, with the show at 1 p.m.</p>

<p>Where: Stonegate Conference and Banquet Centre, 2401 W. Higgins Road, Hoffman Estates</p>

<p>Tickets: Non-runway tickets cost $65</p>

<p>Details: bjwc.org</p>