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GQ dishes fashion tips in the wake of the NBA's new dress code
Sharp Dressed Man
Oct. 20 – GQ Creative Director Jim Moore has spent virtually his entire career – 25 years – with the magazine. His sharp eye, solid reputation, and creative influence helped develop GQ magazine's signature style as it’s evolved through the years. Moore has collaborated with many of the world's most talented photographers to produce distinctive, cutting-edge fashion coverage, including Bruce Weber, Mario Testino, Carter Smith, Terry Richardson, and Peggy Sirota. NBA.com caught up with Moore on Thursday to get fashion tips for NBA stars who may need to alter their look in light of the league's new dress code.
"I was pretty shocked when I heard (about the new dress code). And it’s not that I don’t believe in guys in suits, because I think Michael Jordan and Pat Riley really started something special. But guys should still be able to have an individuality. I guess there’s a couple things I’d like to say. I think a lot of great style comes from these sports guys – the NBA specifically. Sometimes it’s the way they wear a suit or the way they wear jeans, or their track suit or their casual clothes. I think it’s very 1950’s to say you’ve got to wear a suit. I can understand certain rules like, I don’t know what the exact rule is with the jewelry, but maybe there’s certain things that could be cleaned up a bit just like all of us could learn from some sort of a dress code. But to say only suits I think is very limiting.
"That said, there is nothing easier or stylish that a guy can wear than a suit. Because if you can wear a suit, you’re basically dressed, you just have to figure out what the certain tie is that goes with it. But my main concern, and I think that Michael Jordan had this over all of them in the beginning, is that he was very – I think Pat Riley taught him or vice versa – but it’s like they were very concerned with the fit of their suits. That’s what I get when I look at some of these guys; I think some of them are too tall to wear pinstripes. Some of them are wearing colors too loud. They’re taking the suit which is something that has a history to it, but it’s also kind of sexy and a cool thing to wear, and they’re kind of all just looking a little bit cookie cutter-ish. I like the idea that each of these guys takes the suit and gives it the personal expression. I mean, I love a suit with a track jacket under it. I love a suit with a v-neck t-shirt. I love a suit with a colorful shirt and tie or a black tie with a white shirt. I think what’s going to have to happen now is each of the players is going to have to find their own personal style within how they wear these suits because just saying everybody should go get a black suit is wrong. I think they all need to kind of rock it in their own way.
"What I do think a lot of times, and this has nothing to do with sports figures but the average man on the street, is that everybody dresses about five or ten years older than they are. When people put on a suit they think, 'Oh, here comes the suit. I’ve got to look a certain way.' One thing we say at GQ is there’s a way to put on a suit and look your age and have fun with it.
"I’ve never heard the term (dress jeans) and it’s a little scary to me. A jean is a jean. I think that’s a crazy, nebulous term because jeans can be bleached or faded or have holes in them or be dark or slim or baggy. I don’t know what the undertone is there. I don’t know if they’re saying, 'Wear jeans that aren’t baggy. Don’t wear jeans that have holes in them.' But again, I think that’s taking a little bit of the personal style of these guys. It probably means a less distressed jean is what they’d like, something a little bit dressier maybe. I always like the way jeans look with a dress shoe – like whether it’s faded or whether it’s a little bit distressed or whether it’s dark denim – it always looks good with a suit shoe."
Tips for the Earl Boykins' (5-6) of the NBA
"I think if you’re 5-6 then you should wear a pinstripe suit. Pinstripes always make you look taller. And I think it should be two-button and not three-button. A lower button stance creates a little bit more shirt and tie, which elongates the torso and makes you a little taller. I would be very, very aware that your suit jacket is not too long because you want – it’s not an illusion but you want your legs to appear as long as possible – so your jacket should be probably tailored a little bit shorter. There’s a rule of thumb which is when you’re standing and you cup your hands, the jacket should fit right into the cup of your hands when your hands are down to your side. And for someone who’s 5-6, I would go an inch or two shorter than that. The proportion’s going to be better, so a shorter jacket, pinstripe, two-button. And then I would always go flat-front pants on any these guys and make sure the pants are on the slim side but still comfortable. And a very simple shirt and tie, like a white shirt and black tie."
But how to look like Michael Jordan (6-6)?
"For 6-6, I would say stay away from double-breasted, I feel they shield too old. And I think that, again – I’m going to keep repeating myself – try a two-button suit and only try flat-front pants. Make sure that at 6-6 the suit fits you under the arm hole and in the shoulders. I think that when you can peripherally see your shoulders out of the corner of each eye then they’re probably too wide. These guys have wide shoulders anyway, so there should be very little padding in their suit jackets. So, I would say beware of a jacket that’s too big. At 6-6 you can really wear a pattern, but solid probably works best. Again, I would stay away from any wild colors, I would stay away from funky greens or purple or anything and just go with a nice khaki for spring or go with a beautiful navy or grey for fall. And, just again, try to get these guys in that two-button suit because the minute they do the three- and four-button suit, the whole front of the suit just comes up too high and then what you risk is just looking like you’re all legs. And you want the jacket to have a lower-button stance so that brings everything in better proportion. A lot of these guys don’t know it but they have a very high waist. Their torsos are short, but their legs are long. You have to be aware of those proportions."
And now for the big and very tall, like Yao Ming (7-6)
"Well, I would say stay away from anything that’s – I would go pretty simple. I wouldn’t do any kind of a stripe or a pattern. I would go with a black or a grey suit. Not to say that someone that tall couldn’t wear a khaki suit. I think a black two-button suit. Stand up straight, don’t be afraid of the fact that you’re tall and make sure you’re wearing the suit, not the suit’s wearing you. Because a lot of these basketball players I see, they think they have great style, and some of them do, but when they put a suit on they assume a different stance and they’re showing off the suit rather than showing off their personal style. So it’s really important that these guys buy a suit that’s comfortable and they get compliments on it. Again, I would just make sure if it’s a custom suit that the proportions are perfect."
