Submitted By Contributing Blogger Joe WalshWith summer long gone and your sweaters starting to work their way back into the rotation, we are already approaching the quarter-pole of the NFL season. Most of the big questions remain unanswered: Is Brady back to form? Jury’s out. Are Favre and the Vikes for real? Probably - as long as Adrian Peterson stays healthy. Can Shannon Sharpe continue to show consistent week-to-week improvement in his studio attire? Let’s hope so!
Sharpe might be the biggest surprise of all. After years of leading the league in fashion flags, the former tight end has tightened up his game. In spite of sporting an NFL frame, Sharpe was always working suits that were cut with shoulders too broad, making him look even boxier. That is to say nothing of the venal sin of knotting his tie so large it looked more like a chest protector.
But, Sharpe was not the first guy to throw fashion Hail Marys during fall football coverage. On-air fashion has been through several phases. Join me for a quick journey through football fashion history.
Monday Night Mustard in the 70’s
The Look: In the early days, networks were so keen on promoting themselves with their sports programming that we were treated to uniforms – not just on-field, but also in the broadcast booth. The whole broadcast team was decked out in the same gear, and it always sported a blaring breast pocket logo. Probably the most memorable of these were the Monday Night Football mustard yellow blazers.
The Lesson: Blazers are classic and can work well in fall especially because they are versatile enough for jeans or cords, can look good over loafers, sneaks or boots, and you can rock one with a long-sleeve t-shirt, Henley, or sweater. Go classic blue, but stay away from anything that might make its way into Craig Sager’s closet.
EPSN and the 80’s
The Look: Logo wear was largely abandoned in the 80’s as networks realized that fans were drawn more by personality than network loyalty (enter, John Madden). Letting the “talent” off-leash led to some horribly bad neckwear, just look back at some of the early ESPN Sportscenter broadcasts. In fairness, Chris Berman was not alone - the tie problem was a pervasive signature of the entire decade in all walks of life. Piano tie anyone?
The Lesson: Chances are you are confident in picking ties for your suiting, but what about trying a tie as an accent on the weekend? There are some great knit ties out there this fall that can add some color and texture to autumn ensembles that threaten to get too drab.
Getting Sporty in the 90’s
The Look: Everything old is new again, and the 90’s brought back the trend toward broadcast teams gearing up in signature unis. This time though, there were no blazers. Instead, many networks went with golf shirts. Check out some old college football broadcasts from the 90’s era especially. Hey, nothing says “professional broadcast” like logo wear that any two-bit local business could get for $14.99 a unit from the local screen and embroidery shop.
The Lesson: Odds are you won’t be wearing your golf shirts too deep into fall, but the rules apply for sports gear year-round. There is a difference between a trim-cut polo and breathable golf gear designed to wick away the sweat. Save the sweats for the gym. Your game jersey? Don’t even ask.
2000’s – Blame the Steve Harvey Show
The Look: Steve Harvey had a hit show, he has a bestselling book, and he even has his own clothing line. Two out of three ain’t bad. Harvey’s signature look (broad pinstripes, bold colors, gross overuse of the pocket square and A LOT of buttons) made in-roads on-air in the new millennium. Merril Hoge loves the broad pinstripes. Until this year, the aforementioned Shannon Sharpe always seemed to have about twenty buttons on every suit. Michael Irvin would pair both sins - and throw in a color, like fire engine red.
The Lesson: If you stick with classic looks, you may not feel quite as au currant in the club, but you will never look back at pictures and ask: “what in the…?” Also, be careful about over-accessorizing. Howie Long usually looks good, but he sometimes goes off the rails by pairing four and five-button suits with huge tie knots and v-neck sweaters. Is there a shirt in there Howie?
Silver Lining to the Recession Cloud?
So far, 2009 looks like a good year for fashion fans (and fans in Indy, N’awlins, NYC, Minny and Mile High). Even Shannon Sharpe doesn’t seem as set on “expressing himself.” Maybe the networks are buckling down a little bit on some of the more ostentatious stuff because of the economy.
Next week, I’m going to take a small break from hardcore fashion and revisit some favorite NFL uniforms from years past. Have a favorite, send me an email and I’ll make sure we get it in the post.
Based in Boston, Joe is a Brand Ambassador for Perry Ellis and works in the renewable energy industry. His views on the law, policy and politics of energy and the environment are cited by worldwide news agencies like Reuters and leading media outlets like the Wall Street Journal. His email address is energyworkscr@gmail.com
The Look: Everything old is new again, and the 90’s brought back the trend toward broadcast teams gearing up in signature unis. This time though, there were no blazers. Instead, many networks went with golf shirts. Check out some old college football broadcasts from the 90’s era especially. Hey, nothing says “professional broadcast” like logo wear that any two-bit local business could get for $14.99 a unit from the local screen and embroidery shop.
The Lesson: Odds are you won’t be wearing your golf shirts too deep into fall, but the rules apply for sports gear year-round. There is a difference between a trim-cut polo and breathable golf gear designed to wick away the sweat. Save the sweats for the gym. Your game jersey? Don’t even ask.
2000’s – Blame the Steve Harvey Show
The Look: Steve Harvey had a hit show, he has a bestselling book, and he even has his own clothing line. Two out of three ain’t bad. Harvey’s signature look (broad pinstripes, bold colors, gross overuse of the pocket square and A LOT of buttons) made in-roads on-air in the new millennium. Merril Hoge loves the broad pinstripes. Until this year, the aforementioned Shannon Sharpe always seemed to have about twenty buttons on every suit. Michael Irvin would pair both sins - and throw in a color, like fire engine red.
The Lesson: If you stick with classic looks, you may not feel quite as au currant in the club, but you will never look back at pictures and ask: “what in the…?” Also, be careful about over-accessorizing. Howie Long usually looks good, but he sometimes goes off the rails by pairing four and five-button suits with huge tie knots and v-neck sweaters. Is there a shirt in there Howie?
Silver Lining to the Recession Cloud?
So far, 2009 looks like a good year for fashion fans (and fans in Indy, N’awlins, NYC, Minny and Mile High). Even Shannon Sharpe doesn’t seem as set on “expressing himself.” Maybe the networks are buckling down a little bit on some of the more ostentatious stuff because of the economy.
Next week, I’m going to take a small break from hardcore fashion and revisit some favorite NFL uniforms from years past. Have a favorite, send me an email and I’ll make sure we get it in the post.
Based in Boston, Joe is a Brand Ambassador for Perry Ellis and works in the renewable energy industry. His views on the law, policy and politics of energy and the environment are cited by worldwide news agencies like Reuters and leading media outlets like the Wall Street Journal. His email address is energyworkscr@gmail.com
