Style Seeker: NBA and NYFW
Since David Stern instituted the NBA dress code for the 2005-2006 season, NBA players have adapted. Perhaps it was a case of the right rules at the right time, but players are embracing the fashion scene like never before. Most of the ill-fitting, "thug" apparel is exchanging for suits that cost most than the chains that were once popular. Players are learning to express themselves off the court using looks from the runway and many use stylists and personal shoppers. This year's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York (NYFW) brought out the fashionista set of the NBA including some sartorial surprises. Let's see who's showing an interest in fashion came dressed for the occasion.
Out of the new big three in Miami, who would have guessed that Chris Bosh would be the one making rounds at fashion week? Bosh and his fiancé, Adrienne Williams were fixtures at many events including the Lacoste and Cynthia Rowley runway shows and the Varvatos after party. Quite a few of my Twitter BFF's took note of Bosh's outfit at Lacoste. The whole thing is a little too well matched for my taste. If you're going to show off interesting socks, at least take more of a risk - give us a pop of unexpected colour. His outfit is fits into the Lacoste aesthetic, but he needs to stop trying so hard. Adrienne looks cute but that shade of burgundy is far too dark for her fair complexion and light hair.
Adrienne wasn't Bosh's only front row company this week, Ron Artest showed up sans psychiatrist to the Bebe catwalk. RonRon really dressed up for the occasion. He's wearing almost the same outfit as he sported to the MTV VMA's a few days before, including the same ShinShin tee (can't knock the hustle!) and faded jeans. He added a zip up (four stripes - faux adidas?) and a fitted cap for good measure. Bosh went subdued but trendy in layered v-neck and tee, raw denim and the now ubiquitous NBA black diamond bead bracelets. I can't hate on this look for Bosh, he looks much more relaxed than at the Lacoste show. Ron gets a pass purely for possessing the crazy card. Does he honestly have an interest in design? Perhaps he was just there to visit his friends the Kardashians, who design looks for Bebe. At least he looks more together than he did on Kimmel.
Ben Gordon and his girlfriend attended the Perry Ellis menswear show. Ben went for casual cool but dull with the classic dark jeans, dark jacket and button up shirt combo while his girl wore a great pair of flesh tone sandals to complete a graphic look. Hopefully some of her fashion sense will continue to rub off on Ben and he can try something a little more daring next time, as it sounds like they'll be back next season.
One of the most surprising appearances at fashion week was J.E. Skeets Andy Rautins and fellow New York Knicks rookie Landry Fields. Andy is known for having a keen interest in fashion, much like his dad, Leo. We can see the Gucci belt peeking out and his signature stud earring. Tweet of the week has to go to Field. While he doesn't have a lot of sartorial sense, he does have a great sense of humour. Shoutouts to Hanzel.
There were no LeBron, D-Wade or even Kobe sightings at fashion week this year. But my biggest disappointment was that the reigningNBA fashion plate, Jimmy Goldstein, was a no-show.
The NBA super fan instead chose to go to go to Turkey for the FIBA Championships. While I was crestfallen to not see his signature hat in the front row, I'm sure he will appear at the shows in Paris as most of his wardrobe and model company, come from overseas.
Best photo of the week has to go to Bosh and ZZ Top at the John Varvatos after party. If only Bosh kept his dreads long, he may have fit in better. We'll see if Bosh keeps up his interest in fashion this season while playing along Wade and James. It's funny how a change of scenery and a new contract can change your wardrobe, haircut and social circles. Although it's nice to see more players taking an interest in fashion, I long for the pre-game entrances of more fashionable NBA players like Zaza Pachulia and Steve Nash. Is it October 26th yet? Bring on the season, please!
Sean John and the NFL Draft: Tailored for Performance
The draft for professional sports leagues are hype machines. College-age kids parade in front of media and NFL staff like prized dogs; it's the most public job interview on the planet. While all leagues have something offer fans and athletes, the pure pageantry of the NFL Draft cannot be beat.
The event takes place in Radio City Music Hall, the grandest of stages, in the biggest American city "where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do" - New York City. These draftees are the nation's focus, some at the peak of their careers: it's their Hollywood moment - there's even a red carpet. These young men will sign contracts that most of us couldn't even fathom, from the dollar signs to the endorsements to the restrictions and ownerships on their lives. It's fitting that companies and stylists are clamouring to dress these future stars before they're whisked from collegiate stars to NFL starters, as the old cliché goes, it truly is the first day of the rest of their lives.
In the past, draftees have sometimes come correct, showing their flair or perhaps a swift mother's hand. Other looked like they're wearing old ill-fitting church suits and some were just trying a little too hard to impress. As much I want to see these young men shine, bad draft day outfits are what keep blogs going. But dressing properly for the occasion is something that all new employees of the NFL should learn as it can help them in their public and private reputation for years down the line. If the NFL added a style boot camp to the combine, I would be in sports heaven.
One brand decided to try to do their own version of a style boot camp coupled with a strong branding initiative - Sean John. It was announced in Women's Wear Daily, that the man they call Diddy's fashion brand would be dressing a number of top NFL prospects for the draft. Sean Combs' defined his company's work with the draftees as a "pre-draft tailoring experience" where they would be given a fine suit and the use of an in-house tailor and stylist at Sean John's 5th Avenue flagship store. Conversion Sports and Entertainment ran the event which also included a chauffeured Rolls Royce Phantom and a bevy of other goodies. From my last count, the Sean John roster included seven players, all first round draft picks. Diddy didn't get to go number one, but he did get arguably the best player in the draft in Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh who went second overall to the Detroit Lions. Other players included Eric Berry (#5), Russell Okung (#6), Joe Haden (#7), CJ Spiller (#9), Derrick Morgan (#16), Demaryius Thomas (#22) and Dan Williams (#26).
This initiative is a great look for Sean John for a number of reasons. They're reaching out to one of the most powerful and flush demographics in the United Sates - professional athletes. These players will be soon cashing in on their talent (and not their universities) and building brand loyalty could really pay off in the long run. Also, this is one of the first occasions for these college players to receive a gift in a public, grand scale without having to worry about jeopardizing their amateur status. Once they declare for the draft, everything is fair game. Sean John swooped in by telling the players that they were rewarding their fine play with a fine suit and showing them a slice of the good life. It's like equating NFL talent with what I'm sure Sean John hopes is NFL style. The other athletes, who perhaps turned down Sean John's invite, see their fellow draftees chauffeured in luxury and catered to by a media mogul may think twice about going to Sean John in the future. Look at all the Louis Vuitton and Beats by Dre in dressing rooms - could the Sean John suit be the new coveted item? Maybe not, but the attired athletes in their brand will exist in the archives for ages.
Down the line, Sean John could also tap into these young men for advertising as using athletes as the model and muse seems to becoming the norm in men's fashion. Cristiano Ronaldo stripped down for Emporio Armani, Tiger Woods was a Tag Heuer man - could Suh be the face of Sean John big and tall? It's not a far-fetched idea. Sean John is doing what their CEO does so well - network to improve his net worth. Diddy would never have come this far without friends and powerful connections - from the Notorious B.I.G. to Anna Wintour, the man makes his Rolodex spin with his connections and hard work. It's only fitting that he models his clothing line with the same work ethic. Sean John also used their blog and Twitter to feature vignettes and behind the scenes photos on the athletes on their Sean John experience. In the age of social media where so many players are taking to Twitter and becoming more accessible than ever, it's fitting to have Sean John let the fans into equation, without even giving them an invite.
Some friends who are more sports fans than fashion mavens asked why would these athletes who will soon be making first round money be wearing a brand that is more known downtown than uptown - isn't Sean John a lesser quality product? Although I agree that some of Sean John's suits are not as fashion forward as brands like Z Zegna, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, J. Lindberg, or Dior Homme, but are more standard American sportswear. Players that bring size and strength on their frame are not easy to fit into skinny cut suits from a high fashion house even with a tailor's help. Also, like most major fashion brands, Sean John licenses their product to a manufacturer that specializes in suit construction. Peerless Clothing has a factory in Montreal that cranks out 25,000 suits a week for brands like Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Chaps, Ralph Lauren, and of course, Sean John - all New York base brands. When you buy their suits, you're really paying for the name and styling and not their manufacturing and customization.
Finally, as a stylist, it's a bit disappointing to see a big company taking over the styling for so many young players who could be potential clients. However, I applaud their use of a tailor on site and suit customization. Buying off the rack will rarely work any man - not just professional athletes. It's worth the time and effort to have a suit to tailored so it fits to perfection than just spending all your money on just a name. Fit is the most important thing to keep in mind while shopping and is accessible at every price and size. Sean John may not offer such luxury to all shoppers, but a personal shopper and a tailor can turn their suit into your suit with a few tips and a little work. And while fashion disasters on draft day are memorable, it's nice to see these young men looking ready for their next big step - the contract and then finally, the playing field. Good luck, young fellas.
Man-scaping: Kirilenko and Birdman De-Gel
In the NBA, there have been a flurry of hair fads and fades. Traditionally, the white players don't belong to the interesting hair club for men. Great players like John Stockton, Larry Bird and today's token bench warmers like Brian Scalabrine and J.J. Redick, have always kept it safe when it comes to their hair. The influx of European players have brought trendy styles into the fold, but rarely anything too extreme. That's where we come to two trail blazers in the white guys with out of control hair phenomenon - Andrei Kirilenko and Chris "Birdman" Andersen. Leave it to a Russian import and small town party animal to bring something new to the court.
Both players have shown different but not always flattering styles and an almost unhealthy addiction to hair gel. But recently, Birdman and AK47 took to the court with unaltered, soft natural hair! It was more shocking than a fully clothed Ron Artest or a neutral Craig Sager suit. But to get to the bottom of this, let's take a look at some of highlights (and of course, lowlights) of these two front court taste makers.
Andrei Kirilenko arrived at the draft with very stereotypical Eastern European hair - short on the sides and a little spiky on top. He was a perfect poster boy for the Russian national team.His hair later grew out a bit and became a slightly larger version of the short on the sides, big on top look. However, gel helps make this hair very pronounced. He's mostly stayed with this hair cut, sometimes gelled to the side, occasionally combed over and even fashioned into a faux-hawk that inspires envy even with teammates.
However, this season he seems to favour either the combed over AND gelled look that seems "Leave it to Beaver" or lately, completely gel-less and . I didn't really notice this change until early February when he had clearly had a very unfortunate bowl cut.
Why Andrei why?! In motion, its tolerable but otherwise he looks like his mother got a borscht bowl out and stuck it on his head. Since February and his cut, AK47's stats are eclipsing this season's averages. In five games this month, he's averaged 16.8 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game. Were all the hair products holding him down? It's an interesting idea, but AK47 hasn't given us a hint on the reasoning behind the hair change so unfortunately, we can all just speculate for now.
Chris Andersen took a slightly less conventional road to the NBA. From tiny town ball in the back roads of Texas, to balling overseas in China to being the first ever D-League call up with the Denver Nuggets; Andersen's career has been anything but normal. The NBA's first glimpse of the man they now call Birdman was very different from we know him today - shaved head and very lightly inked.
It didn't take long for Birdman to make his mark with fans and players as his outlandish style sense and personality. The mink coats, the gigantic murdered-out truck, the constantly fresh tattoos - but it was his hair that seemed to endear him to fans the most. He's spotted everything from side parted chin length hair, a head full of spikes, and his most popular, the seemingly gravity defying faux hawk complete with head band.
Since Mr. Andersen has such a vivacious on court persona, it was even more of a shock to see him without the trademark spikes. February 5th 2010 marked the game day that Birdman sported this new hairstyle - slightly mop top, similar to Kirilenko's. At the Staples Center against the Lakers, ESPN broadcasters and NBA twitter-aholics alike took notice of the hairdo debut. Lisa Salters, reported that Birdman initially joked that the lack of hair gel was due to the economy - the once free spending Andersen was cutting back his unnecessary expenses. He later said he just forgot his gel at home, and he's very picky about what he uses.
I'm sorry, but isn't that what equipment managers or groupies for? How can the land of perpetual tans and celebrity stylists be free of hair gel? I think its all a cover up. His new hair doesn't look like it has the length for the perfect Birdman faux-hawk. I think he cut it too short and needed an excuse. But, it seems like AK47's new do, it's benefitting his performance. Since the chop, Birdman is averaging 10 points and 8 rebounds, including a rare double-double on his new do début. The lack of gel and performance can't just be accidental, can it?
We'll see if the two blonds (who both play in the rather conservative markets of Denver and Salt Lake City) can keep up their performances and hairstyles post All-Star break. But who will we look to for interesting hair now? Who will hold down the gel for NBA players everywhere? For now, it seems Andris Biedrins and Danilo Gallinari are holding it down for now. God bless the European ballers.
High fives & booty taps,
Megan
Man-scaping: Mike Comrie
"Stop it there without a care to what you've got to fearKeep it all between your beer and your hockey hair A lot of weird people traits and ticks From the strangers to these dangerous faces you kiss You know this town ain't cool as it used to be When the lion, tigers and bears'd stare at your jewelry Truthfully I'm content with how the day moves Stepped up the game, oops, still rock the same shoes"
- Atmosphere, Hockey Hair
Hockey players aren't usually known for their interesting hair styles or radical fashion sense. If anything, they're known for receding hair lines and boring suits. So, I'm shocked to hear that Edmonton Oiler Mike Comrie has put blonde highlights on the left side of his hair. Is Comrie trying to impress his Gossip Girl girlfriend with a MTV inspired haircut?
On further inspection, Comrie shaved three large lines on the left side of his temple.
I have no issue with steps, stripes, lines....whatever you want to call them. They're prevalent in many scenes: urban, white trash, European house music kids, as well as other sports, specifically basketball and soccer. Hell, even I've had them. However, Comrie's stripes are NOT so pretty or flattering. They're far too thick and obvious; very poor barber skills. He already has a receding hairline so it just looks like he lost a chunk of hair. And perhaps he did, he likely he lost a bet and a teammate got shaver happy.
Another possibility could be that Mike Comrie is a Vikings fan, or in particular, a Jared Allen fan. I'm far from a Vikings supporter, but you gotta love a guy like Jared Allen. He's a beast on the field and thanks to his mullet hairstyle, you just know he's a party off of it. Maybe Mike just has a man-crush on the aptly numbered 69.
Honestly, I get the Jared Allen love affair....from the front. He's the kind of guy you don't want to watch walking away after you've had some fun in the barn. But enough about me, let's talk about Mr. Mike Comrie. Maybe he decided to pay tribute to Allen with the hairstyle. He may have watched the below video for inspiration.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02LPy1CgJcQ]
Allen gets a razor line in his hair for every sack he makes during the regular season, like the Buckeyes' sticker program but, decidedly more hick. Well, Comrie has 3 assists (all season!), is that why he shaved 3 lines? Or maybe he stuffed the Duff 3 times the night before? We may never know, as he wore a Oilers' cap during the post game interviews last night.
But one thing is for certain when it comes to Comrie; the guy has an actress girlfriend, an NHL contract, and is the heir The Brick throne - he's RICH, BITCH! He can at least afford a good barber and stylist...even in the less than vogue Edmonton. Is Comrie a fashion hairstyle victim or just another casualty of locker room hijinks? You be the judge, I'll be the style critic.