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Cavs star Tristan Thompson mixes classic and modern looks to stand out on the fashion-forward Cavs: “You could say it’s a little bit of a competition.” We caught up with him before a Jan. 6 game against the Nets at the Barclays Center.
How would you describe your style? I feel that just because of my age (25), my height (6-foot-9), my structure and build, I’m a little versatile in how I’m feeling with my style. For instance, in the playoffs, I tend to wear more suits just because I want a more business look, but during the season you might catch me in more fashion-forward, what’s going on today and what are the “dope” pieces and brands that people are wearing.
How do you keep up with the trends? Whether it’s Esquire or GQ, really just looking at people that I think have dope style or swag is the word everyone uses today. Really that and educating myself. Obviously I love playing basketball, but my second passion is clothes and dressing and style. So, I take it really serious, and I try to make sure whenever I’m out and about I’m definitely going to be wearing something that people will say “oh, where did you get that from?”
Whose style do you admire? What really got me into fashion and clothes and dressing was actually Kanye. If you ask a lot of kids in my generation who actually dress nice, everyone would probably say Kanye is No. 1 on the list.
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How much does Malcolm Jenkins like his bow ties? Enough to start Rock Avenue, a tie manufacturer — and soon a full men’s clothing line.
Game day is all about preparation, and for the Cardinals cornerback that includes his attire. He considers the season and the city to come up with his signature look.
What’s the fashion game like among your teammates? Is it one-upsmanship between you and your teammates? You could say it’s sometimes a little bit of a competition in terms of dressing, but every guy on my team has kind of a different style or little twist. For instance, with Kevin (Love) he’ll be wearing Ralph (Lauren), or he wears a suit or turtleneck. He’ll keep very timeless pieces which is a great thing because there are other guys around the league who wear very trendy stuff — that stuff only lasts for one season.
LeBron, he’s a little older than us, so he tries to keep it clean, but he will come with some trendy stuff that is going on for the season, just to show you that “hey, I can still roll with the young fellas.” Everyone has their own spice and flavor to their style. We try to show everyone that we’re the best-dressed team in the league.
I’ve seen you show up in fur, is that standard for you? We were playing on Christmas, and it was a home Christmas game, so I said, you know what, Christmas, Golden State, I’m going to make sure I set a statement, purposely. So I made sure to purchase a nice fur coat — Frank Lucas style from “American Gangster” — I wanted to have that kind of approach that I am about business!
Anyone can throw on a fur, but if you don’t put it together correctly, you’re just going to look like a fool wearing a fur.
Specifically to the outfit you wore in Brooklyn, how did you put it together, what goes into thinking about it? Whenever I am planning outfits it’s me and my two best friends who are my stylists or personal shoppers. When we talk about clothes, it’s very much like a meeting. We come together and talk about what kind of look are we going for for today’s game. And whenever you are in New York, for us, there are certain cities, like New York, you always try to make sure that your look is a little better, no disrespect to Milwaukee or Salt Lake, but there are certain cities that you want to be wearing lines that people recognize.
I am a planner, the one thing I hate most is being last minute. So before this road trip, we literally sat down for two days, and we looked at what cities we were going to and the temperature and what kind of looks we want to have. It’s literally a meeting. We come together and bounce ideas off each other and come together to figure out the best look for that designated city.
Tom Ford turtleneck: “The turtleneck is cashmere, and it’s Tom Ford, which is one of my favorite brands in terms of their timeless pieces.”
$1,320, tomford.com
Jean Paul Gaultier sunglasses: “I keep my frames vintage or Cartier. The last thing you want to do is wear shades that don’t fit your face correctly.”
Price available upon request, jeanpaulgaultier.com
Vintage Chanel brooch: “I want to be wearing something that gives me an
’I’m here’ approach: a blazer, a turtleneck, this vintage brooch. It tells you I know what’s going on.”
Price available upon request, chanel.com
Balmain biker jeans: “You won’t see a lot of tall guys in sports wear Balmains because they can’t fit in them. I think that’s the advantage I have: I can still wear what the little guys wear.”
$754, balmain.com
Goyard toiletry bag “What’s in it? Deodorant, a brush, hair oil, face moisturizer — everything I need for a shower after a game. Oh, and a phone charger. Can’t forget that.”
$1,275, goyard.com
Common Projects Chelsea boots “The last thing you want to do, especially after a game, is crush your feet. Common Projects does a good job on their insole; they’re good for guys with bigger feet.”
$530, commonprojects.com
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