By The Smugger

WHY HE’S A STYLE ICON

Sports icons rarely make good style icons. Except for the occasional David Beckham type, athletes typically look like they were dressed in the dark with Helen Keller as their stylist. Maybe it’s the windfall of money that comes at a young age when style preferences are still in their formative years.

The worst fashion offenders among them are basketball players who serve as a prime example that money can’t buy good taste. Add that to a monstrously tall frame, and you have a recipe for dressing disaster. So, it becomes a wonder howMichael Jordan, almost unarguably the best player of all time, could be selected as a style icon.

Jordan deserves credit for mostly avoiding peer pressure and managing to dress himself like a superstar. His attention to style goes far beyond a pair of Nike basketball shoes, because off the court, his look is dapper and refined. Despite the horrible advent of the pimp-like, four-button suit, which has become the everyday outfit for b-ball players on the go, Jordan still manages to appear put together in every situation. At 6’6”, he certainly commands attention, and as if it were even possible, he isn’t afraid to make more heads turn with bright colors and pinstripe patterns that accentuate his nearly mythical proportions.

DRESS THE JORDAN WAY

Emulating Jordan in style is more of a lesson in concept than copying. Perhaps with an extra few inches, there is room for that fourth suit button after all. However, at your height, chances are you should stick to a scaled down, two-button version. Dressing such a large frame also requires serious effort, and the help of at least a few well-trained tailors to churn out custom clothing. You don’t need an NBA player’s bank account to get your own slice of almost-bespoke heaven. Most men never wear a suit often enough to warrant spending a bundle on a custom-made one, and even a made-to-measure dress shirt can cost a pretty penny. Now, classic sportswear designers are offering slimmer-fitting models in colors and patterns loud enough to do this icon justice. Ralph Lauren’s appropriately branded “custom fit” shirts look as though they were made just for you — even if you’re as massive as Michael.

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