By Ben Cohen
If you follow the NBA, this past postseason was a revelation, but not just because LeBron James won a championship. Never in the history of sports has fashion been at the forefront quite like it is in professional basketball these days. And there might not be anyone who takes style more seriously than the Miami Heat?s Dwyane Wade.
Among his many resplendent flashes in last season?s NBA playoffs: tortoiseshell eyeglasses, lensless frames, pop-up sunglasses, green gingham jackets, magenta blazers, pocket squares the size of softballs and pants so pink they?d light up Times Square on their own. He has the sartorial respect of his peers: According to a Sports Illustrated poll of NBA players, Wade has the best fashion sense in the league. Just this week, Wade even curated his own Gilt sale.
At the Calvin Klein store on Madison Avenue for Fashion?s Night Out on Thursday, Wade was joined by Vogue editor Anna Wintour and Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, plus enough models to fill Wintour?s magazine. Wearing a black T-shirt under a gray suit with rolled-up sleeves, he spoke with Speakeasy between signing Heat jerseys, copies of his new book ?A Father First? and?September issues of Vogue.
Speakeasy: A lot of basketball players consider you the?style icon of the NBA.
Wade: Really?
Apparently! So who are your personal style icons? Who influences your style?
I?m more influenced by brands. I love a lot of brands?like, obviously Calvin Klein. If I could look at one athlete, it might be David Beckham.
David Beckham?
It seems like whatever he touches is gold.
Gold like your necklace?
I came real casual tonight. So I decided to throw on a little stuff just to give it a little something.
I saw your Gilt sale: the lizard belt, the alligator wallet, the lambskin card case. It seems like you like animals?
You know what I like? I love the way that it plays on other things. I love it on a watch, or sneakers. It brings a lot of character to whatever you?re wearing. So when I was picking them out, I was like, ?Yeeeaahh, I like this, I like this.?
What about that bomber hat in the sale? There?s shearling on it. You can?t really wear that in Miami.
Nah, but I can pull it off. I?m from Chicago, man.
The glasses were a big deal. We wrote a story about it and talked to James Jones, who said monocles were the next big thing.?Is he right?
You know what? Never say never.
We also talked to Edward Beiner, who said the glasses you wore with that blue blazer (left), the side of them was translucent blue.
It was sweet.
Do you match glasses to outfits? How many pairs of glasses do you own?
They send me a lot, so I had a lot of options. I can?t match every one. But if you have a couple of colors, then you can pull them off with certain outfits. That was my best one.
What about socks? Do you have a philosophy on socks?
They just add personality. If you have an all-black suit on and you sit down, someone sees you have some style, and it makes them think something different. They can tell you?re a little edgy. You?re not boring in any sense.
What?s your favorite item in your closet?
I would have to say?shoes.
What shoes are you wearing tonight?
These are Louboutin.
So besides you, or anyone else on the Heat, who is the most stylish dresser in the NBA? Not the best dressed, but the most stylish?
(Silence.)
Are you going to say Russell Westbrook?
I?m not going to say most stylish. I?m going to say?he just started. You gotta give him more time.
So he?ll grow out of fish-hook polos, or that?s his thing?
No, that?s his thing right now. It?s good that he has that. But he has to do more. He?s gotta do a little more.
Is there one who sticks out?
I mean, honestly, with Bron and CB on my team, I get to see a lot. But obviously Amar?e, Carmelo, Chris and those guys. They dress very well, as well.
Do you acknowledge each other in private? Will you send Russ a text being like, ?I saw those glasses, they were pretty nice??
If somebody?s got on something, I?ll say something. I?m not a hater.
Which coach has the most style?
Uh, coaches ain?t got style. Coach Riley?s gone. Ain?t no more Coach Rileys on the bench.
You have a stylist. What is the best advice that she?s given you?
She helped me take a chance. She opened me up a little bit. I was all dark colors and didn?t want to take chances. She kind of was like, ?Man, listen, you can do it.?
She says, Here are pink pants.
I trust her now. She pushes me a little bit. Sometimes, I?ll be like, ?Uh, I don?t know.? She?ll be like, ?Trust me.?
I know you probably don?t get starstruck much, but you?ve sat in the front row at shows with Anna Wintour, and she was here tonight. What is it like meeting her?
Since I have a good relationship with Anna, I will call her Anna. People are like, ?Anna who?? I?m like, ?Anna Wintour.? And they don?t care what I do in basketball, how many championships I win. They?re like, ?Oh my god, you know Anna Wintour??
Source: http://feeds.wsjonline.com/~r/wsj/runway/feed/~3/BK09VfntEuM/
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