In Defense of Michael Jordan's Style

It’s time to reconsider His Airness’ taste in clothes.

HYPEBEAST Features - Go in-depth and learn more about the culture. HYPEBEAST Features May 15, 2020 In Defense of Michael Jordan's Style It’s time to reconsider His Airness’ taste in clothes. Pascal Le Segretain/Laureus/Getty Images Michael Jordan has had enough praise lavished on his sporting skills to last several lifetimes. His promising baseball career and disputable golfing legacy aside, his prowess on the basketball court truly is the stuff of legend. Perhaps the constant praise heaped on Jordan’s athletic abilities has encouraged the exact opposite response to his sense of style. Divisive enough to garner an infamous Tumblr page, Michael Jordan’s fashion taste has garnered a new wave of scrutiny in the wake of ESPN’s multi-part documentary series The Last Dance. Despite some begrudging accolades, Jordan has otherwise been frequently denigrated as an example of how not to dress by sports websites, menswear enthusiasts and Twitter personalities. “Everybody thinks they’re a Dave Chapelle-level comedian on social media,” counters Jordan’s son, Marcus Jordan. “He’s confident and comfortable with his style choices.” That confidence is key in reframing Michael Jordan’s stylistic choices as adept, not inept: Jordan’s style over the past few decades is not only appreciable, but prescient. Rocky Widner/Nbae/Getty Images Even a staunch supporter of Jordan’s fashions must concede that the basketball legend has worn his fair share of less-than-stylish outfits, including his terrifying ESPY Awards suit, and his many enormous shirts and heavily pre-distressed jeans. However, Jordan has equally displayed an plethora of especially outfits with interesting proportions and garments — consider his perfectly-fitted Closed jeans from 2003. The dichotomy between his highs and lows speak to Jordan’s willingness to push the envelope with clothing, displaying adventurousness hit-or-miss styling that predates contemporary male fashion influencers. To best view the Chicago Bulls veteran’s style, filter it through a contemporary, post-logomania lens. Sure, the normcore references are easy enough to make, but those are applicable to countless celebrity outfits pre-2010. Michael Jordan never really embodied normcore tenets, like the effortlessness of a grandpa at the airport or the self-aware irony of a Williamsburg scenester. Instead, Jordan took his garments as seriously as his ball game: this authentic attitude makes his silly outfits that much more outlandish, but it also lends weight to his influence. For years, Jordan has possessed fastidiously specific clothing preferences; he hired tailors to provide exact cuts, sourced premium textiles for his bespoke shirts and studied shirt cuffs created by international designers. This is a well-curated man, one who knows what he seeks in automobiles, cigars and apparel alike. READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON HYPEBEAST → More HYPEBEAST Features FASHION The Art of Shaving Reflects on the Craft Behind the Barber Chair for New Campaign FOOD & BEVERAGE Three Chefs on the Power of a Good Cookbook Get The App Free on iOS and Android Follow 2020 HYPEBEAST Limited. All Rights Reserved Manage Subscriptions You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to HYPEBEAST's marketing emails. You can unsubscribe from us any time by clicking here. It may take 48 hours to complete the unsubscribe process. Contact subscription@hypebeast.com for assistance on any enquiries. Our Mailing Address: HYPEBEAST, 10F, KC 100, 100 Kwai Cheong Road, Kwai Chung, Hong Kong