GOTSTYLE

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is the fastest growing sport in the world but it also has the worst reputation when it comes style. As you may have noticed, Gotstyle is trying to buck the trend. Taking cues from fellow mixed martial athletes like Georges St. Pierre (who still wears his custom Gotstyle ensemble), more fighters are eschewing the tacky promotional t-shirts and instead are suiting up for press and public appearances. Yesterday in Toronto, Melissa and the team dressed three very different fighters ahead of UFC 140 here in Toronto: Frank Mir, Jon Jones, and Mark Hominick.

The fact that three unique athletes all chose to wear suits rather than casual gear for their appearance on TSN’s Off the Record shows a change of thought and a more professional approach to the sport. The NBA enforces a dress code and many players now employ stylists to compete with each other on a bespoke suit level. Hockey players are taught since major junior leagues to wear a suit before and after games and NFL players like Mark Sanchez and Tom Brady serve as spokesmodels for high end menswear brands. Perhaps it’s time for the UFC to ask more of their athletes and elevate the image of the sport. T-shirts and shorts may be the easy way out, but nothing celebrates and highlights diverse body types quite like a well-tailored suit.

Let’s take a look at all three gentlemen out of logo tees and jeans and now adorned in their new Gotstyle duds.

Frank Mir (above) is a veteran fighter with ten years experience, both in the ring with the UFC as well as a color commentator for the WEC. The 6’3 heavyweight found a black Gotstyle Private Label suit and white shirt to show off his 260lb frame; the classic style of the suit will never go out of style. Mir’s polished, professional look is finished with a Ted Baker tie and Amanda Christensen pocket square.

Local fighter Mark Hominick (right) will be a part of the UFC 140 card this weekend in Toronto. It’s a small change for the MMA journeyman from London, Ontario to go from gym gear to a custom suit fitting before a television taping. Hominick stands at only 5’8 and 148 pounds so a Paul Betenly large size range helped him find a charcoal grey suit that not only fits him well, but he can wear it to almost any occasion. Hominick’s ensemble is finished with a Gotstyle Private Label shirt, Ted Baker tie, and Amanda Christensen pocket square.

Jon “Bones” Jones (above) is the toast of the UFC and their youngest champion of all time. He also has the longest reach in the UFC 84.5 inches which can make finding a sleeve long enough for Jones difficult. A Gotstyle Private Label check suit and a Gotstyle Private Label shirt with contrast collar is the perfect fit for 24 year old light heavyweight, blending on-trend pieces with a modern suit. He’ll also be wearing a Ted Baker tie and Amanda Christensen pocket square to complete the look.

You can find these suave and sophisticated looks as well as similar styles in-store at Gotstyle now. Be sure to watch these well-dressed fighters on TSN’s Off the Record tonight at 5:00PM EST and keep an eye out for them out and about in Toronto.

Megan Ann Wilson is a Toronto-based stylist and writer. She can usually be found shopping for NBA players, interviewing designers, designing custom items or hosting video segments. You can find her blog dedicated to aesthetics and athletics at meganannwilson.com and follow her on Twitter as @shegotgame.

A few weeks ago I came across Tiyana Grulovic’s article in the Globe’s style section advising women on acceptable ways to wear shorts to work. I read the article while perched on a ledge just outside of my work, guzzling an iced tea, cowering under scarce shade. It was hot. Dead hot. Sahara-desert-hot.

As I perspired through my dress shirt, tie and dress pants, I thought to myself, why not me? Why can’t I have freedom from office heat-stroke and pit stains? Why shouldn’t I have the option to bare skin and enjoy the breeze?

For most of us men, our wardrobes are like our tires: all-season. Our Thursday shirt sometimes blends with our Monday slacks but that’s where the creativity hits a wall. Men, unfortunately, have limited options and this becomes a problem during the dog days of summer.

Before I accidentally start a movement of overheated men tossing away their pants in Homer Simpson-like fashion, instead opting for basketball shorts, I should point out that in most, relatively conservative businesses, offices shorts are the exception, not the rule. They should be reserved for those unbearable days during a heat wave.

Here are five rules to follow when attempting the office short:

1. Only wear them on Fridays. Unless you work in a tech startup or other environment where ratty t-shirts and jean shorts are totally acceptable.
2. Length – at the knee or slightly above. Too long and you look like a toddler, too short and you resemble a marathon runner.
3. Colours – Khaki or Navy. Bright colours are risky so if you have a hesitation, air on the side of caution. Never, under any circumstances, are white shorts acceptable, unless you’re actually in the Navy.
4. You’re at work, so wear a collared shirt. Wonder what I mean? Consult the The Style Blogger, he’s got the right idea.
5. Shoes – this can be tricky. The Style Guy at GQ recommends a penny loafer but I think you’re safe wearing Sperry Top-Siders. Low-cut Converse classics are also acceptable.

via Media Profile

Written by our friend Alen Sadeh from Media Profile. We co-sign everything he said.

The 2010 edition of the FIFA World Cup has come and gone with the red and yellow clad Spanish team taking home the Louis Vuitton encased trophy. The players exhibited flare on field, but their off pitch style game was just as exciting. The England team arrived in amazingly tailored grey suits while Team USA came head to toe in vintage inspired Nike Sportswear.

On the sidelines, Joachim Low favored the flattering but understated v-neck and blazer combination. David Beckham looked slick sitting out in a tonal pant and vest look. Fashion and team branding went hand in hand on all sides of the pitch in South Africa to truly translate soccer’s sartorial sense.

When I was in New York City this June, I attended Steve Nash’s Showdown in Chinatown. It’s an event that partners NBA stars with professional soccer players and media personalities for a game in downtown NYC. After seeing how many of the NBA stars brought their style game to the field, I was left wondering – who are the better dressed athletes: basketball or soccer players?

Soccer players seem to have the consensus victory among fans thanks to their WAG wives (Victoria Beckham’s designs show at NY Fashion Week) and direct access to European designers. Phoenix Sun Jared Dudley agrees, “I say soccer players, Europeans get more fashion”. His personal fashion mantra: “…no bright colours, no baggy clothes, those are out….Italian style, fitted to your body”.

This past NBA season, players embraced tailored silhouettes and preppy styles more often seen on the runways than courtside. But is their game at the same level as their sports rivals? NBA players tend to stay away from “Eurotrash” soccer fashion – speedos and embellished t-shirts favored by players like Cristiano Ronaldo. Players like James Harden, Baron Davis, and Steve Nash bring European tailoring with American classic standards like sneakers and plaid to the league. A valiant style effort that I hope continues this season among veterans as well as first year players, who mostly came correct at this year’s draft.

Are there any athletes that you model your wardrobe around when you shop at Gotstyle? Let me know here or on Twitter.

Megan Wilson is the NBA fashion and style writer for Nothing Easy as well as an Assignment Editor at The Score. She also works as a fashion stylist and personal shopper and maintains a blog on sports and style called She Got Game. You can reach her