Fashion throwdown: Lakers Steve Nash and Dwight Howard
NBA players across the league have been steadily ramping up their off-court fashion quotient ever since Commissioner David Stern revised the player dress code in 2005. Now the two highest-profile additions to the Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, are bringing their distinct senses of style to Staples Center this season. Here’s a brief comparison:
Steve Nash
Stats: 38 years old, 6 feet, 3 inches tall, 178 pounds
Dresses like: The harried hedge fund manager fresh off the squash court: somewhat disheveled in bold pinstripes, no tie, hair slicked back — or not.
Style signature: Whether it’s wind-swept, sweat-soaked or gelled into a cresting wave, Nash is known for his bountiful and mostly mussed mane.
Laker first look: Turned up at his introductory press conference in a notch-lapel chalk-stripe suit, burgundy-colored pocket square, white dress shirt — and no necktie.
Foray into fashion: The Steve Nash Collection, a line of suits, silk ties, pocket squares and cufflinks in collaboration with Vancouver- based custom-clothing e-tailer Indochino (in which he’s also an investor) launched in October 2011.
Footwear endorsement: Chinese sports brand Luyou.
Fashion fail: Thanks to a consistently inconsistent coif — which over the years has been mullet-like, center-parted, buzzed close to the head and currently appears to be inspired by the Bob’s Big Boy mascot — Nash’s look seems to be constantly in transition, which makes his shape-shifting ‘do his fashion don’t.
Local shopping options: Sunset Plaza, Traffic at the Beverly Center, desktop computer.
Dwight Howard
Stats: 26 years old, 6 feet, 11 inches tall, 265 pounds
Dresses like: Collegiate Clark Kent with a layered look and an attention to details: tie bars with his neckties or a pop of color in a pocket square. Frequently seen sporting Gucci horse-bit loafers.
Style signature: A deep bench of eye-catching eyewear, including nouveau-retro rims, nerd-chic tortoiseshells and Adidas sunnies.
Laker first look: At his introductory press conference he wore a black and gray color-blocked V-neck sweater, white dress shirt, black and gray striped necktie, gray five-pocket jeans, and he accessorized with stylishly studious-looking spectacles.
Foray into fashion: Made his runway debut during New York Fashion Week in September 2011, cruising the catwalk for Marithé + François Girbaud clad in a V-neck T-shirt and dark denim and carrying a globe under his arm.
Footwear endorsement: Adidas — a new version of his $110 adiPower Howard 3 sneakers with Laker purple accents recently hit retail.
Fashion fail: An unflagging appetite for embellished True Religion, from the white jeans with outsized contrast stitching he wore on “Ellen” to the dark denim with studded leather pocket trim he was seen wearing on the red carpet during the last NBA All-Star weekend.
Local shopping options: Rodeo Drive, South Coast Plaza, the True Religion outlet in Cabazon.
