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Michael Irvin is The Fourth Worst Dressed Athlete

Michael Irvin is a Hall of Fame Football player who had a penchant for garish and outlandish fashion components. There is nothing understated or subtle about Irvin who nicknamed himself “The Playmaker.” He was a phenomenal athlete who celebrated his fame with fortune often accessorizing with loudly patterned shirts and accessories that were oversized and overblinged. Irvin’s loud plays on the field made him one of the best football players of all time while his loud fashion proclivities off the field have made him one of the worst dressed athletes of all time. We’ve outlined some of Irvin’s “loudest” fashion mishaps below in hopes of creating a world of better dressed athletes and a world of less bling.

Shirts Featuring Loud Prints
If there’s a single word that describes Michael Irvin’s approach to style and fashion, it’s assuredly “loud.” The prints that Irvin tends to embrace in his shirts are all over the place; exceptionally outlandish and full of bright, bold and brazen colors. Many of the motifs can even be considered “cartoonish,” as some feature fictional characters and scenes that look as if they’re right out of a Disney movie. While it’s clear that he’s going for something unique and authentically him, he misses the mark on quality menswear fashion. These loud shirts may be high-end designer items with oversized price tags, but they do nothing but diminish Irvin’s chances at coordinating a handsome ensemble.

Thick-Rimmed Glasses
A lot of fashion-forward men avoid wearing glasses even when they need to. The fact is, however, glasses don’t have to take away from one’s ensemble. Nevertheless, the thick-rimmed, bold-colored glasses that Irvin tends to embrace do just that. He’s certainly going for a look that sets him apart, but it’s setting him apart for all the wrong reasons. Instead of making him look cool and sophisticated, these glasses make him look as if he doesn’t take himself seriously. They’re especially unattractive when combined with the printed shirts he tends to wear, making for an ensemble that gets him to the top of the list of the worst dressed athletes of all time.

What to Avoid
As much as we all want to be known as “The Playmaker,” we don’t want to top a list of the worst dressed. The first thing to avoid would be any printed shirt that brings the world “loud” or “cartoonish” to mind. Sorry Ed Hardy fans… Your T-shirts may be loud and attention-grabbing, but they are not doing you any favors in terms of style and class.

What we endorse instead, is mixing and matching your fashion pieces with patterned shirts but they should be simple, geometric and minimalistic. If you wear glasses, you’ll want to look for those which feature normal frames, avoiding those which are thick and feature bold colors. These may seem as if they’d come in handy in certain situations, but they often do nothing more than make ones appearance look ironic or cliche. Instead, choose a sophisticated, modern frame that mixes and matches with a subtle elegance with all of your pieces.

Other Poorly Dressed Athletes Making Our Top 5 Worst Dressed List:
Kyle Petty Voted Worst Dressed Athlete of All Time
2nd Worst Dressed: Deion Sanders

Steve Nash is The Third Worst Dressed Athlete

A lot of people who are fans of Steve Nash might say that he has been a smart dresser from the beginning and got even savvier as his career as a NBA point guard progressed. Not true. Nash’s style has undoubtedly improved as he has risen up the proverbial latter of stardom and has become one of the best athletes on the court but it has never accounted for much. NBA insiders say that David Stern (commissioner of the NBA) set a strict dress code in place because of Nash’s disheveled and unruly fashion habits. We don’t have the authority to set a dress code but we do have the ability to name Steve Nash as one of the worst dressed athletes of all time – coming in on #3 on our list.

The Hoodie and Jean Combo
Nash embodied the high school look of disheveled bed head, oversized hoodies and over-worn and over-distressed denim jeans. This haphazard combination is not the look of an athletic super star with a seven figure paycheck. Hoodies and ripped jeans were the name of the game for Nash early in his career and were considered his official uniform when he was off the court. While they work for a adolescent teen on a Saturday afternoon, there absurd on a NBA player at a press conference. Nevertheless, Nash wore these pieces with fervor and earned himself a place at the top of the list of the worst dressed athletes of all time.

Unruly Hair
Sometimes it isn’t necessarily the clothing that makes someone look as if they’re dressed wretchedly. It can often come down to hairstyle, and Steve Nash is a great example of the long term effects of unruly and unkempt hair. His long, thin hair was often worn in a scraggly manner, with little to no attention put into styling. As his career progressed, he certainly got better at working with his hair, but in the days when he was stuck in hoodies and ripped jeans, he often looked as if he had just woken up and rolled out of bed. Unkempt hair is nothing new in sports, but most people will agree that it doesn’t help one to look more attractive; just the fact that he switched things up over time is evidence that he looked in the mirror and saw what we’re talking about.

What to Avoid
Rule number one: Don’t dress like a thirteen year old boy unless you are indeed a thirteen year old boy. Don’t create a wardrobe that pivots around a collection of oversized hoodies and ripped jeans. You’re better than that and you should always incorporate some effort into your menswear aesthetic. Rule number two: Always brush your hair; long or short, brush your hair. If you have longer hair, there’s no reason to consider cutting it short unless you feel as if you’d like to. Instead, one should simply do whatever they can to ensure that their hair is well-styled, regardless of length. While casual isn’t always bad, Nash took things to a new low for professional athletes thereby earning him a new high on our list of the worst dressed athletes.

More Poorly Dressed Sports Stars Making Our List:
Kyle Petty is the Worst Dressed Athlete
4th Worst Dressed: Michael Irvin

Deion Sanders is The Second Worst Dressed Athlete

Deion Luwynn Sanders also known as “Prime Time” and “Neon Deion” is widely considered to be the most versatile athlete in sporting history. That is quite an accolade by anyone’s standard. This sporting stud was a NFL cornerback, MLB outfielder and very possibly one of the worst dressed athletes of all time. “Neon Deion” was brazen and brash with his fashion proclivities, always opting for ostentatious ensembles with too much flash. Sanders was renowned for an outlandish ego that could only be eclipsed by his fashion vulgarities. Sanders’ most notoriously horrid fashion ensemble was heavily documented on his draft day, when he wore a track suit with enough gold to make a rapper blush.

The Bling
Sanders loved gold and apparently gold loved Sanders but too much is too much. The excessive amount of gold chains, gold bracelets, gold rings, gold earrings and so on, looked tawdry, kitschy and unfathomably heavy. Huge gold chains, diamond earrings and gold-studded sunglasses were apart of Sanders everyday fashion ensembles whether he was in a business suit, a tracksuit or a bathing suit. No matter what aesthetic Sanders was going for, he failed miserably. The pounds and pounds of bling looked excessive and that obscene degree of self indulgence always did and always will look cheap.

Track Jackets
Another bad habit of Sanders’ was his continual gravitation towards the track jacket and the track suit. Track suits are made for athletes and have their place in the athletic arena but have no place at a nightclub, a wedding, a holiday celebration or any other activity or event that doesn’t lead to perspiration. Track jackets are activewear, and very functional activewear at that. This being said, they should never make it into someone’s everyday non-athletic fashion rotation. Sanders doubled down on his fashion mishaps and wore too much gold with this track suits making him one of the worst dressed athletes of all time.

What to Avoid
Don’t ever, ever dress like a rapper (unless you are one). You can incorporate small doses of gold into your wardrobe but we would like you to limit yourself to two accent pieces like a watch, a gold a tie clip, or a golden pair of Cufflinks for example. There’s never a need for you to have a six inch solid gold money symbol hanging from your neck. Never. Definitely hold on to your athletic gear and track jackets but wear them accordingly. You would never wear a three piece suit to workout so follow that same line of logic and never wear a track suit to a business meeting or posh dinner out. Sanders is a prime example of what bad excess looks like. You never want to over-accessorize your way to the a list of the worse dressed athletes ever.

Other Worst Dressed Athletes Making the List:
Third Worst Dressed Athlete: Steve Nash
4th Worst Dressed Athlete: Michael Irvin

Kyle Petty is The Worst Dressed Athlete

The world of professional racing is certainly something that is unique in and of itself. Unlike any other sport, the athletes that make it up tend to be unlike any other athletes as well. Think Ricky Bobby. Race car driving is known for its speed and dare devil mentality –but not for its fashion. Most race car drivers embrace the NASCAR approved fashion quota of racing stripes and company endorsements. Kyle Petty is a racing great, but he tops our list for the worst dressed athletes of all time. His days in NASCAR certainly proved that his approach to fashion and style could have used a pit crew of fashionistas at the helm for a head to toe makeover. Petty’s standout pitfalls are outlined below and while some can be a reflection of the times, others are pure and simple stylistic blunders.

Logo Overload
Logos, logos and more logos. Kyle Petty seemed to live in his racing suit which was a patchwork frenzy of one endorsement after another coupled with a baseball hat with yes -another logo. Indeed, just about every piece of clothing Petty was seen wearing during his time racing in NASCAR featured multiple logos and corporate sponsorships. Race car driving embraces these endorsements and they undoubtedly define an esoteric aesthetic but there’s also time on and off the job. Kyle Petty is a legend, an icon and there’s something to be said for the theory of “cleaning up nicely.” We wish we could of seen Petty in just about anything else than his racing workwear.

The Rat Tail
Petty had a distinct hair style that pivoted around a riley, mismanaged rat tail. The dubious term makes us cringe let alone the mental image of this hideous hair style that is associated with a heehaw /hillbilly deep south Americana style. This choice of hair style furthered the NASCAR stereotype that the sport was for beer drinking, cursing, denim vesting, rat tailing enthusiasts. Petty loved his rat tail and it was a predominant component to his look yet no one has ever uttered these words, “Wow, he can really pull the rat tail off!” about anyone and especially not the Kyle Petty.

What to Avoid
The lessons to learn from Kyle Petty are no matter how fast you can drive, you can never outrun your monumental fashion blunders like the logo heavy racing onesie or the non-anatomical rat tail. Petty’s fashion proclivities rooted him in the negative stereotype of his sport and won him the top spot of our worst dressed list. No matter your successes and talents, always acknowledge the fact that you’re in the public eye and every major fashion mishap could be recorded on the internet, on Facebook or by a an ordinary fashion copy editor.

Other Worst Dressed Athletes:
Deion Sanders: The 2nd Worst Dressed Athlete of All Time
4th on Our Wost Dressed List: Michael Irvin

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Navy & White Pin Stripes Earn the NY Yankees the “Most Stylish MLB Jersey” Title for 2012

Baseball fans had a lot to enjoy about this season. With rivalries in full swing and a sweep of a world series, it’s difficult for anyone who loves the game to ignore the exciting displays that occurred on the field throughout the 2012 season. One thing that often gets overlooked in baseball, however, is the style of each team’s uniforms. A lot of people don’t even realize just how stylish some of the MLB uniforms are, and thus overlook this aspect of the game. The fact is, being well-dressed on the field often results in a boost in confidence, which is sometimes exactly what it takes to win a game. The New York Yankees were, without doubt, the most stylish dressed team on the field this season.

The Most Stylish Players on the Most Stylish Dressed Team: Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez

That the NY Yankees have a sense of style should be of no surprise. Not too long did we award Yankees players Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez as two of the best dressed players in MLB. This time we focused our attention on the entire team on the field. Here are all the reasons why the NY Yankees rank on the top of our list of the most stylish baseball jerseys for 2012.

Home Jersey
When most people think of the style of the Yankees, it is their home jersey that typically comes to mind. The Yankees home jersey is practically a household image at this point in time, being perhaps the most well-known in the league. Consisting of blue and white pinstripes, the jersey is clean, sophisticated and rather appropriate for the team. It features a “NY” emblem on the left breast in blue, as well as blue numbering on the back. Paired with pants that feature the same blue and white pinstripes, the ensemble is cohesive without being “busy.” Tie it off with the exceptionally well-known blue Yankees cap with white emblem, and you’ve got an on-field ensemble that is difficult to argue with.

Away Jersey
The away jersey of the NY Yankees is certainly quite a bit different from their home uniform, but this is not to say that it is any less attractive. This jersey consists of grey pants topped with a grey shirt, featuring “New York” embroidered across the chest. As the away team is never as well-recognized in a stadium as the home team, this is an effective way for the Yankees to gain attention to themselves while on the road. While it could easily be considered a bit drab in comparison with the crisp, clean pinstripes they wear at home, the team’s away jersey serves a purpose, and is a strong choice for the Yankees.

What You Can Learn
Modern men can learn a lot from analyzing the Yankees home and away jerseys. For one, the pinstripes featured on their home jersey can be incorporated into practically any type of ensemble; Derek Jeter often wears suits that utilize this pattern. The clarified logo on the front of their away jerseys is also worth paying attention to, as it shows that sometimes making a statement with one’s fashion can be very effective. While wearing logos on clothing isn’t always the best choice, this concept can be applied to a variety of different clothing pieces. Instantly coming to mind are the classic RL polo shirts.

Other Stylish Jerseys in MLB:
2nd Most Stylish Jersey: Oakland A’s
3rd Most Stylish Jersey: Detroit Tigers

Voted 2nd Most Stylish MLB Jersey: The Oakland A’s

Fans of the Oakland Athletics seem to be some of the most devoted in the world. They simply love the team, regardless of how well they perform throughout a season. While 2012 was indeed a fairly good season for the Athletics, it’s tough for fans to get around the fact that they didn’t make it to the world series. Even so, the Athletics are considered by many to be one of the best-dressed teams in the MLB, and their 2012 jerseys helped to support this claim. Those who are interested in fashion can learn a lot simply by looking at how the Athletics dressed on the field this season, as there are a variety of elements of their ensembles that can be incorporated into daily attire. Here are the reasons why the Oakland A’s were the 2nd most stylish dressed MLB team on the field.

Home Jersey

The Athletics are one of the few teams in which it can be said that both their home and away jerseys are perhaps equally attractive. Their 2012 home jersey was stark white, featuring “Athletics” embroidered in green across the chest, with each player’s number embroidered underneath the left breast. The deep green was framed by a bright yellow accent, helping the logo to not only pop but also remain easy on the eyes. The contrast between the green/yellow embroidery and the stark white of the shirt was difficult to ignore (especially given the fact that players wore deep green long-sleeved shirts underneath and a matching yellow and green baseball cap), making for an exceptionally attractive jersey that would easily look just as attractive off the field as it did on the field.

Away Jersey
It’s important to also take a look at the Athletics’ away jersey, which happened to be one of the most attractive in the league. Deep green in color, the shirt itself stood out instantly on the field. With “athletics” written in bright yellow across the chest in Oakland’s signature font, however, the piece stood out even more. A subtle amount of contrast was created by players wearing green long-sleeved shirts underneath; not as much as with the home jerseys, but equally effective. The real contrast in this ensemble, however, came from pairing this piece with grey pants and a deep green belt. The result was truly one of the most effective ensembles on the field this season, which is a rarity for road jerseys.

What You Can Learn
You can learn quite a bit from how the Oakland Athletics approached fashion and style. For one, forest green is one of the most attractive colors in modern fashion, and can look especially good when paired with a bright yellow. Creating subtle contrast by combining similar shades of a specific color can also be effective, even if the chances of clashing are relatively high. The name of the game here is to ensure that you pay close attention to each ensemble you put together, as this is the only way to ensure that nothing clashes in the end. Want to show your support for the A’s when dressing for the office? Then check out our entire assortment of green and yellow ties.

Other Stylish Baseball Jerseys in 2012:
3rd Most Stylish Jersey: Detroit Tigers
5th Most Stylish MLB Jersey: SF Giants

Voted 3rd Most Stylish MLB Uniform: The Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are one of the most loved teams in baseball. This being said, they aren’t necessarily known as being the best team in the league, having not won a championship since 1984. While many thought that this year was going to be their chance to take things to the next level, the San Francisco Giants proved to be the better team, taking the series in just 4 games. But where the Tigers have the Giants beat is with their uniform – ranking #3 on our Most Stylish MLB Jersey list, just ahead of the SF Giants. Here is what made the Tiger’s 2012 jersey so stylish.

Home Jersey
The Tigers’ home jersey proved to be one of the most attractive in the league during the 2012 season. This jersey featured the team’s trademark “D” emblem displayed prominently on the left chest in a gothic font; instantly recognizable, and rather attractive. In addition a symmetrical thin black stripe served as to border the middle of the shirt, tracing down the buttons and around the collar as well. The rest of the piece remained stark white, adding the perfect degree of contrast to the outfit and cementing the team as one of the most attractive on the field. Paired with white pants, the Tigers’ home jersey was clean, sophisticated and practically beaming confidence during the 2012 season.

Away Jersey
As with many other teams in the MLB, the Tigers’ away jersey differed quite a bit from their home ensemble during the 2012 season. This is not to say that it was any less attractive, however, as each of the two jerseys served similar, yet different purposes and were attractive in their own right. Grey in color and featuring the “Detroit” emblem in script across the chest, the jersey’s highlights were black and orange in color. The front of the jersey also featured each player’s number underneath the left breast for a touch that differs from a lot of the other away jerseys worn by MLB players. There’s no getting around the fact that this was one of the most attractive away jerseys in the league, even if it didn’t quite help the Tigers reach the victory they’d hoped for.

What You Can Learn
There are a few style takeaways we can learn from the Tiger’s uniform. After all, they were one of the best-looking teams in the league this season, and for good reason. A single letter emblem such as the team’s trademark “D” can be quite effective when properly worn, even if you’ve never tried to take this route before. You might even try to incorporate this into a polo shirt, which can be a great look. Also always classy is the navy and white color combination. Be it the navy suit, white shirt, and blue striped tie for your office attire, or the blue denim and white polo shirt for a casual weekend outfit, blue and white always looks great together.

Some Other Stylish Jerseys Making Our List:
5th Most Stylish Jersey: SF Giants
4th Most Stylish Jersey: Boston Red Sox

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Voted 4th Most Stylish MLB Uniform: The Boston Red Sox

The 2012 season will go down as being one of the worst in years for the Boston Red Sox. Fans of the team had a very difficult time getting through the season, especially given the amount of devotion these individuals typically show towards their favorite team. While the team may not have reached expectations throughout the 2012 season, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Red Sox fans will continue to support them, and that 2013 could simply be an entirely different situation. Even if the team wasn’t all that great on the field this year, it’s tough to argue with the fact that they have some of the most attractive Baseball jerseys in the league. As with Yankees jerseys, Red Sox jerseys sell exceptionally well, and for good reason. They’re sleek, well-designed and loaded with history. Consider all the following elements of Red Sox fashion, each of which is more than worth thinking about if you have an interest in fashion.

A Rarity in MLB: Boston’s Rex Sox Home and Away Jersey Are Almost Equally Stylish

Home Jersey
As with the Yankees home jersey, the Red Sox have perhaps one of the most recognizable home jerseys in the MLB. Featured arched “Red Sox” text in red across the chest, the shirt itself is stark white and extremely clean in appearance. Symmetrical thin red stripes go down the middle of the jersey, tracing the collar as well. The beauty of the Red Sox’ home jersey lays in its simplicity, as it is both clean and effective without having too much going on. The contrast between the red and the white is also a huge part of this look, as it helps to dry the eye towards the team’s logo in ways that many other MLB jerseys simply do not. If you live in New England, chances are you’ll see a Red Sox jersey walking down a business city street at any given time, and for good reason.

Away Jersey
While the Boston Red Sox certainly have one of the most attractive home jerseys in the MLB, their away jersey is no slouch either. Grey in color, the jersey features “Boston” embroidered in blue arched text across the chest, with no outlining down the middle. The left sleeve also features the team’s trademark red sock logo, which helps to add a great deal of contrast to the overall ensemble as a whole. The Red Sox certainly have a strong handle on how to assert themselves at away games, and a lot of this likely comes down to how they look while they’re on the field.

What You Can Learn
You’ll find that there are a variety of things that you can learn from how the Red Sox approach their look on the field. For one, the contrast between the red and white in their home jerseys shows just how effective this tool can be in fashion, while the lesser contrast in their away jerseys is proof that subtlety is of the utmost importance in certain scenarios. The away jerseys are especially effective because of how the blue of their embroidered is paired with the grey jersey itself, as it stays extremely subtle yet is still enough to turn heads.

Other Well Dressed Teams in MLB:
The Most Stylish Baseball Jersey in 2012: NY Yankees
2nd Most Stylish Jersey: Oakland A’s

Word Champ SF Giants Know How to Dress on the Field

For fans of the San Francisco Giants, the 2012 MLB season was one of the most exciting in years. With the Giants taking the world series over the Tigers 4-0, it’s difficult to be a Giants fan and not harbor a bit of excitement at the moment. One thing that many people failed to realize throughout the entire season, however, was just how stylish the Giants uniforms were this year. Jersey design can make a rather large difference when it comes to a team’s visual impact, and the MLB knows this quite well. It’s fair to say that the Giants were among the best-dressed teams in the league throughout 2012, as their jerseys served their purpose perfectly without sacrificing even an ounce of style. Here are the reasons why the Giants jersey is a must-have on our best MLB jersey list for 2012. We placed the team’s style on the fifth spot on our list.

Home Jersey
There was a lot to love about the Giants’ home jersey this season. It’s off-orange hue served as being almost somewhat of an optical illusion, drawing the eyes in ways that are difficult to ignore. With orange and black highlights on the collar and sleeves, as well as a black “Giants” emblem outlined in orange along the chest, the jersey certainly had its very own look and feel; one that perhaps even helped the Giants rise to the top. The back of the jersey consisted of a relatively large black number, outlined in the same orange featured on the front of the piece. Paired with white pants that featured a single thin stripe down the sides, this made for an excellent ensemble that was both clean and intriguing all at once.

Away Jersey
The away jersey of the Giants differed a bit from the home jersey, but certainly not to the point that some other jerseys tend to differ. Featuring a more grayish shade than the home jersey, this piece also had an emblem of “San Francisco” across the chest rather than “Giants.” A symmetrical black thin line border went straight down the middle of the shirt, framing the collar as well. The result was a jersey that helped to cement the Giants as a confident away team, even if it wasn’t quite as clean as their home jersey.

What You Can Learn
Orange and black are two colors that many people find difficult to pair with one another. After all, the chances that a “Halloween” effect might occur are indeed rather high. When care is taken in putting together ensembles that feature these two colors, however, this issue can be avoided quite easily. If you plan to combine black and orange, be sure that black is dominant, and that the orange is not overly bright, and is only used as an accent. If you feel the contrast of black suit and bright orange tie is too much, then lighten it up with a charcoal suit and dark orange tie instead. Give it a try!

Your Cheap-Neckties.com Team