Five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin was barely distinguishable — both in stature and cuteness — from the throngs of pre-tween girls who swarmed Greeley Square wearing gymnastics outfits on Saturday morning. To celebrate the launch of Supergirl by Nastia, her new clothing line for JCPenney, Liukin led a stretching and tumbling class for her 4- to 12-year-old fans, who dutifully rolled around on a large purple mat in the middle of the park as moms rabidly snapped photos and Justin Bieber thumped over the speaker system. “Arms up, like a supergirl!” prompted the bubbly Liukin, doing jazz hands from her perch on a pink-and-purple stage.
Liukin is no stranger to the fashion world; she has designed all of her own leotards since she was 12, and has a leotard line with GK Elite Sportswear. Her JCPenney line was showcased at the event via a Toddlers & Tiaras–esque fashion show that featured heavily lipsticked elementary-schoolers prancing across the stage in glittery outfits to Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA.” For all their sparkle, though, most of the clothes weren’t short or tight, which the very wholesome Liukin was careful to point out. “I wanted to make something mom-friendly and mom-approved,” she said. “You don’t want these girls flaunting around at recess looking like they don’t have pants on.” Click ahead to see a slideshow of the girls somersaulting, splitting, and scissor-kicking in the Liukin-designed duds.
