Issue #3 | How to Wear Sports Gear Without Looking Like an Asshole
Sports apparel, white jeans, the question of blazers, a great Italian shirtmaker, and more
Welcome to the third installment of Front of Book. I’ve got sports on my mind this week, so let’s begin by looking at:
1. How to Wear Team Apparel Without Looking Like an Asshole
It’s one of the best times of year for a sports fan: the NFL is in full swing, the NBA tipped off on Tuesday, the NHL is underway, and the World Series is about to begin. But how do you support your team without looking like an asshole? It’s the eternal question for a stylish fan. Here’s a rough guide.
Hats: I’ve noticed a lot of guys who are into tailoring wearing hats with what would otherwise be a formal outfit, even a suit. Other than the practical question of when you’d ever get the chance to wear a suit and a baseball cap at the same time in real life, I like the look.
I enjoy wearing hats. Some days you just don’t want to fiddle with your hair, and they can be a nice outfit accessory. MLB hats are the easiest to pull off, of course. And if you’re lucky, you’re a fan of a team with a classic, two- or-three color design.
The Yankees’ hat is the single most beautifully designed item in sports history. Unfortunately, the Yankees are loathsome and I can’t bring myself to wear their hat, even though it goes with everything. But there are a ton of teams with stylish hats, with the Tigers, Dodgers, Red Sox, White Sox, Pirates, and Mets among my favorites. (I also want to shout out the San Diego Padres for reverting to the brown and yellow color scheme. Front of Book approved!)
One tip: In 2007, New Era switched from wool to polyester for official MLB caps. Although they look and feel similar, the wool ones are better. It’s like the difference between a hand- and machine-made suit: Most people can’t tell the difference, but the former is simply superior. You can hunt for wool hats on eBay, but there’s often a mark-up.
Another option: Wear the shit out of a snapback, like The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White:
Jerseys: Jerseys are tougher. Again, baseball gear is the easiest to work with, because of the simplicity of the designs and they actually fit like a shirt.
I particularly like the powder blue road jerseys some teams are wearing. I know the Phillies are out, but these tops are champion-level:
Basketball jerseys are risky but not impossible. During their 2019 run, I wore an old school purple Toronto Raptors jersey under a jacket. I thought it looked cool but was roundly mocked by my friends. Jonah Hill, however, manages to pull off this ’90s Suns jersey—tucked in with no undershirt! It helps to be a tattooed celebrity, so my advice is to proceed with caution.
All I can say about soccer kits is that I’m IN on the Inter Miami Messi shirt, which the Times recently called “the hottest piece of sports merchandise on the planet,” and which I’d wear with something unexpected, like olive Army fatigues or dress pants.
Football or hockey jerseys? Unless you’re going to a game (and even then, think hard), just, no.
Other apparel: I grew up in the ’90s, which remains the Golden Era for sports apparel (Starter jackets, East Bay, Jordan brand, New Era Tidal Wave hats, Zubaz pants…). So that’s the style I look for when I’m hunting for team gear. I have a great Brooklyn Nets snapback script hat and a few vintage team sweatshirts and t-shirts. For sweatshirts, which you can find on eBay and Etsy and in thrift stores, you’re looking for a big, bulky fit, drop shoulders, and some funky design on the front, preferably with a bit of a fade. Taylor Swift nails it here:
That’s an anytime sweatshirt, because it’s less about the team and more about the look. Tip your stylist, Taylor!
Oh, one last thing: Never wear gear of two different teams at the same time. Never.
2. Front of Book Endorses: White Jeans After Labor Day
For guidance here, I turn to Alessandro Squarzi. He’s the man behind the Italian brand Fortela and an elder statement of Instagram. His style is heavily influenced by classic Americana: jeans, khakis, chambray shirts, military jackets, loafers, with a lot of turquoise accessories.
Squarzi inspired me to pick up a pair of white jeans this summer for the first time, and I have to tell, they’re a revelation. There’s so much you can wear them with, and like Squarzi, who is a year-round white jeans wearer, I’ve kept mine in rotation after Labor Day. Pair with a knit navy sweater or gray French terry sweatshirt, or a long, oversized topcoat with boots or Vans.
3. The Blazer Conundrum, Part 1
This isn’t a recommendation but a lament and a question: How the hell do you style a blazer or sports coat?
I’ve only owned one in my life. It was made in China of a thick, patterned tweed and I mostly wore it as an outer layer in fall and winter with (gag!) the collar popped. Since then, I haven’t been tempted to buy one, because a) I haven’t found that I need one, and b) I haven’t quite figured out how to wear one. I’ve always thought that a blazer, depending on the design, makes you look like a member of an English hunting party, Tucker Carlson, a college professor, or lowly, underpaid newspaper reporter whose wife just left him. None of these are archetypes of style.
(A quick aside on terminology, which is bit confusing: sports coats were traditionally the more casual of the two, made of tweed and often with patterns, and used for outdoor activities; blazers were dressier, often with silver or gold buttons, but less formal than a suit jacket. These days, however, the lines are blurred considerably, and the description depends on the brand. Drake’s, for example, just calls them blazers, Todd Snyder uses sports coats, and J. Mueser, jackets.)
Then there’s the price: a good blazer can easily cost $700 and go way up, so why not put that towards a suit? That’s always been my thinking.
A few years ago, though, I started coveting this double breasted blazer from Drake’s, although I never pulled the trigger:
I’ve also noticed people styling blazers in a way that appeals to me. A few weeks ago I saw a guy in Soho wearing a vibrant green linen blazer with white pants and suede loafers. He looked great. The other day I tried on an indigo corduroy sports coat from RRL, and realized that, yes, I would get a lot of wear out of it. But again, the price tag was over $700.
So let’s call this the beginning of a journey. Financial considerations permitting, 2024 will be my Year of the Blazer. I’m going to skip the foundational navy jacket, and aim for two: One lightweight linen in a lightish color for summer, and another a thicker, patterned wool for fall and winter.
I’ll keep you posted as I go. Recommendations welcome.
4. A Brand I Love: Bevilacqua
I recently pulled from my closet a striped gray flannel shirt from the Italian shirtmaker Bevilacqua and remembered how much I love it. My other Bevilacqua piece is a collarless shirt in powder blue with light brown stripes. Both are loose, but the high arm holes make them feel fitted at the same time. Shirts from the brand are hand sewn and decadently soft.
5. Weekly Inspiration
Jon Alan has a deep wardrobe of vintage threads and a world-class five o’clock shadow. He’s inspired several outfits and eBay deep dives since I found him on Instagram last year. See how he works the Dodgers hat?
That’s all for this week. See you next Friday.
Mitch
Question? Comment? Suggestion? Caught a typo? Email me at mitch.moxley@gmail.com
Yes, of course one may wear White Jeans after Labor Day! Why so many people even casually think that the after-Labor-day-restriction even needs to be countenanced defies explanation!