| Suiting Up Interview by: Alan Schwarz [from POV (Point of View) Magazine] When is a jacket, pants and tie not just a jacket, pants and tie? Our model, stylin' Seattle Mariners shortstop Alex Rodriguez, proves that knowing how to wear a suit produces a fashion home run every time--even if you don't earn $4 million a year. A-ROD ON HIS FAVORITE STYLE OF SUIT: "I like Giorgio Armani. I like the drape. It fits great. I'm six-foot-three, so it just falls well on me. A lot of suits I just can't fit into, because the cut is made too small. I like [the cut] long--three-button or two button Giorgio Armani. I love blacks, grays, charcoals; I also like navy. In those families, you can do a lot." ON HIS PERSON STYLE: "I like to exude a sense of subtlety, but still be stylish. Really show that you're not trying too hard. I'm not into the crazy colors or the red and yellows and all that. I stick with the basics. To me, great dressers don't try too hard. You see a lot of people equate 'more' with 'better.' That's a mistake. I think elegance is defined by subtlety and nice color combinations." ON DRESSING WELL: "It's very important. You can go into an office, wear a suit well, carry yourself well, and then everything that follows from that, everything that comes out of your mouth, can be supported by the way you look and the way you feel. It's about confidence; I'm a big believer that if you look good and feel good, you play good-and you act accordingly in business. It goes hand in hand. It's very important that you carry yourself well in a suit, and it's important to know what suit fits you. Just because it's some fancy brand name everyone is impressed with, that doesn't mean it's going to look good on you." ON ADVICE FOR BUYING YOUR FIRST EXPENSIVE SUIT: "Get one good suit then get a white shirt, a blue shirt, maybe a gray shirt, and three different ties, and you have five different outfits. Or you can get a blue suit and a black suit and mix and match pants, so you can wear sport jacket and a suit, and really diversify your closet. The biggest no-no for me is when guys get their pants and they don't "cuff them, and they're too short. Especially for tall guys, I think it's very important to have then real long. When you tell the tailor, have then almost curly at the bottom, so it doesn't look like you're going into a river or something." ON BECOMING A FASHION EXPERT: "To me, it's like a hobby. Some people love boating, jewelry or golf. My thing is, I love clothes. I just think it's fun. I can definitely see myself getting into the clothes business if I'm not involved in baseball. It's something I really enjoy. I'd like to own my own store, like on Madison Avenue. ON MAKING AN IMPRESSION: "You earn respect by your actions and what comes out of your mouth and how you behave, not necessarily the way you dress. But it can't hurt. It definitely can't hurt. It's important to be well-groomed. That doesn't mean just wearing a suit. That means a nice haircut, a good shave, stuff like that. The whole appearance thing is important." ON WHAT HIS TEAMMATES SAY ABOUT HIS STYLISH WAYS: "Some guys razz me a little bit. Most of them are pretty complimentary, though. We have a very nice team, a cool bunch of guys. John Marzano [the Mariners' backup catcher], he always rags on me. He will say, 'Look at this guy. He puts on a suit, and he thinks he's worth a million bucks.' He says I walk around cocky when I put on a suit. We joke around all the time." |