Posted on February 28 2018
If you’re one of those men who like to dress fashionably, but who can’t be bothered keeping an eye on fashion trends, you’re not alone. It’s never easy to stay ‘on trend’ and if you’re not one to leaf through a copy of GQ every month, it’s even more difficult.
You need to find other, less time-consuming sources of men’s fashion inspiration. Fortunately, if you happen to be a hockey fan, you’re in luck. Since 2005, NHL players have been contractually obligated to wear suits and ties to and from games.
For years, no one noticed, other than that NHLers looked different to the counterparts in other pro sports. There were no hipster Derek Jeter/Dwayne Wade fashion runway styles here; these are straight-laced, tie-fully-done-up business suits on athletes.
But, when you have a group of men whose average annual salary hovers around $3 million, and you obligate them to wear a suit and tie, it doesn’t take long for them to become style icons dressed in some of the best menswear that money can buy.
If you do happen to catch the shots of the players arriving for a game on Hockey Night in Canada, start taking a closer look at some of the fashions. As players explore what’s possible and what they’re ‘contractually obligated’ to wear, you’ll notice some very interesting, and potentially inspiring, styles and ideas.
Not surprisingly, Brent Burns might be one of the leaders in this department, having been spotted at the 2017 NHL All-Star Game in a double-breasted blue suit, red pocket square and a camping-style back pack.
That look, if nothing else, really underlines the biggest lesson you can take from the suits NHLers wear. While you’ll spot lots of lists of “essentials” for your wardrobe, there really is only one.
If you like t-shirts and jeans and scoff at the idea that a straight-up business suit is the only essential in a man’s wardrobe, what are you going to wear to your next job interview, or your sister’s wedding, or your uncle’s funeral? Sure, we live in an era of ‘anything goes’ when it comes to fashion and different occasions, but if you truly like to look sharp and fashionable, the best business suit you can buy is essential.
After that, you can do like Brent Burns and get as funky as you like. But you need the great fitting, great looking suit first.
