On Thursday, August 18, The Knockturnal previewed NFL Apparels Menβs, Women’s, and Juniors 2016-2017 collection. Held at the NFL Headquarters in New York City, the event introduced the 2016-2017 looks.Β I sat down with 3 big-name stylists behind the campaign to find out more about the collection.
Luis Rodriguez, NFL apparel stylist and contributing editor to Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE and GQ.
Luis Rodriguez styled the likes of Keke Palmer and Adrienne Bailon for the NFL Apparel campaign.
βI had never worked with the NFL Campaign but I worked on the womenβs campaign. Itβs so funny, I bought Vogue yesterday and I was flipping through it and I go βWait a minute, I did that!( chuckles.)β What weβre really trying to do, or what NFL is promoting this season is that your team Jersey or t-shirt or whatever is just not about wearing it for the game, itβs about mixing it in with fashion and wearing it everyday, year round. Iβm sure your aware of the strong athletic look in clothing, whether itβs in the materials or the actual look of the pieces. So thatβs what weβre trying to do (points to a mannequin dressed in Rag & Bone bomber with a sports jersey underneath and a pair of jeans.) We want to try and mix it up, you know, a T-Wang miniskirt, Helmut Lang jacket, and Dior sequence turtleneck, and put your big Jersey over it and then wear it out to a party. So itβs all about mixing it up and making it your own. The whole high-low thing in fashion thatβs been going on for a while. Its about incorporating your team and NFL gear into it. I mean you go to any store now and they have so many athletic inspired t-shirts or pieces that are sold as fashion, so why not get the real thing and wear it and let it be something that means something to you, because itβs your team.β
(Points to short sleeve heather grey NFL apparel t-shirt) βIf you were to wear this, I love layering and putting a shirt underneath like an all denim look, this look could be shopping on a fall Saturday or something. I also, love jerseys. What I love about the jerseys is buying them really big and wearing them oversized or wearing it with a narrow jean with flats or heels or wearing it as a dress with a choker to add that touch of femininity, thatβs another important element of mixing it up between all boyish, that little touch of femininity works. So thatβs what weβre suggesting with all this gear, you know this (point campaign add of Adriene Bailon sporting a tight blue football jersey and jeans.) This one you know she wore the style in her team I believe. Itβs a little more, obvious day time but you can always make it super glitzy. This is super cute too because you can loosen it and get it off the shoulderβ (points to red Arizona cardinals shirt with lace-up detail at the plunging open neckline.)
I grew up in Miami so the Miami Dolphins is my thing, but Iβm not a big go to football games everyday person. So Iβm seeing it more from a fashion perspective and less from a sports perspective, which I think is what itβs all about.β Sort of 70βs Ali Macgraw thing is big and here we go the knit cap with sort of the glitter, which I love.
One thing I love is the Levi stuff (displays Levi jacket with NFL team written on the back in a bold font, and flannel shirts with small team logos located on the pocket.) The Levi stuff with a skinny jean itβs very hipster letβs go to Brooklyn, the logos here but itβs a little more subtle. Β Β And again, I love these really oversized double XL shirts. What about love this stuff is in the past when people do sports wear targeted to women theyβll do the name of the team and add flowers around it or make the shirt in pink or lavender.Β For some reason, maybe because itβs men designing it they think βOh the girl will love a little flower, or baby pinkβ And most girls are like I wouldnβt be caught dead in that. Itβs like just make a boyβs shirt in a women size and just be cool. And thatβs what they did with NFL Apparel, so I think thatβs a plus too. β
What goes into your styling method?
βWhen styling someone I always go by personality, and try to push in a direction thatβs really fashion forward and of-the-moment now but still something they would relate to. I think thatβs what its really all about in fashion is personal style. Fashion is nice, itβs a reference point but itβs all about personal style. So thatβs really what I do. Another thing I like is itβs mixed. Personally, I really donβt like when people are head-to toe in anything. Whether it be designer or color, mix it up whether itβs high-low. I also love if youβre doing something super feminine add a bit of masculinity to it and vice versa.Β At the end of the day if you look comfortable you look well dressed. And just have fun with it. Basically in essence thatβs how I approach things.
Jace Lipstein,Β Founder CEO, and editor-in-chief of Grungy Gentleman; NFL Apparel Menβs Wear Stylist
βOur core messaging is to show that NFL apparel isnβt just for game day anymore, a lot of men wear their team on Sunday, on the coach, and we want to show that you can wear it every single day. Its transitional whether your going out with your friends or a loved one for dinner or just hanging out for the night, you can accomplish everything in NFL apparel.
So this is leisure meets city type of guy. Right over here we have our modern prep guy itβs sort of like New England for the winter and thatβs why you see a chunky cardigan with colored Chinos and that type of vibe with the headley and trainers. Over here with the camo hoodie this is for a guy whoβs probably going out for a night with the homies maybe, going out Friday night type of vibe. This is more of our office type of idea. This guy is wearing this to work and this might be a casual Friday look or what have you. The jets jean jacket is a collaboration with Levis it has their patch embroidered on the front and then it also has something on the back, so its pretty cool that they worked with Leviβs on it. Varsity destroyer jacket over here, which is pretty cool and you can dress that a bunch of different ways. And whatβs really cool (showcases the back of the varsity jacket, that is decorated with 50 black stars and one gold star at the end.) is that last year was our 50th super bowl so the gold one is the 50th star.
We have a bunch of different items with Levis, Broncos,Β Seahawks. (Showcases long sleeve menβs black shirt with a faded grey football team logo on it.) This is the shirt you saw paired with the shirt and tie and a couple different teams. This is cool this is a t-shirt that I believe was bought in Khols and it goes to show NFL apparel doesnβt have to be 100% loud and proud anymore this shirt is more monotone and you can wear it a bunch of different ways whether under a bomber or a blazer and it doesnβt scream Iβm going to a game or Iβm an enormous fan boy.Β You donβt have to be 100% fan boy all the time. There are times for that too, but sometimes you want to be a little bit more understated and these clothes allow it.
Then you have your pieces that are just really casual and easy, that if you just put a white button down over it, it can be dressed up. We did that with Eric Decker with the jets and then with Charles Woodson whoβs with the Raiders we put a black blazer over his t-shirt and then for Eric Decker we put a black bomber over it, so you can wear it a bunch of different ways and then of course alone as a tee, again itβs all about versatility and showing how it could be worn 7 days a week, thatβs the primary focus.
The gentlemen Iβve worked with have been full of personality we worked with Von Miller from the Broncos Todd Gurley from the Rams and Eric Decker from the Jets and Charles Woodson who just retired he was on the raiders and packers. And each one of them were so different but yet so awesome. Von was full of personality, Todd really enjoyed the shoot he was a little younger and got to experience something on a high level it was new and it was awesome, Eric was the quintessential professional him and I were friends so it made it easier as far as being passionate about what we do and trying to get the best result and Charles was just class. You canβt teach fashion, so when your dressing gentlemen who are passionate about the same things you are, and thatβs making an unbelievable product you get a great result . So it was pretty easy to be honest.
So you dress for different personalities?
βAbsolutely you hit it right on the head, so Von Miller was our city meets Western gentlemen. Then you had Todd whoβs more of a young guy, hip rock star, La market, but still understatement at the same time not too crazy but heβs still pretty cool and fly, still could pull off that little fedora feature. And then you have Eric whoβs more classic all American, masculine. And then Charles, Charles just retired heβs moving to the next stage of his life and heβs dressing a little bit more professional heβs going to be an announcer for a football game and heβs also doing NFL primetime and countdown. They all have different styles and personalities but one common theme is they all were so excited about about NFL apparel and so willing to teach people that this is a lifestyle brand now not just only NFL apparel, so yeah it was a really great experience.β
Whatβs next?
βOur seasons kicking off so a lot of our assets that we shot with those for gentlemen that I spoke about right now, right now weβre currently in Menβs health magazine we have a two-page spread, we also have ESPN magazine, GQ coming out and then thereβs a plethora of other assets that are going to roll out once the season starts. So this is all in preparation for kickoff we create the assets for this season while the gentlemen have time and now its time for them to focus on football and weβll take care of the clothes (chuckles.)β
Tali- NFL Junior’s Collection stylist
What goes into styling the NFL junior collection?
βBasically I follow social media a lot because I want to get into the mind of a junior girl, since Iβm a little bit over that age (chuckles.) I just see how much theyβre influenced by the different fashionistas. We just try to show the different girls that there are, the one thatβs more tomboy, one thatβs more feminine and one thatβs kind of both. They can wear these outfits when theyβre out with their friends and at school and thatβs really how we style it as a lifestyle thatβs not specifically game based.
So this is my third company with the NFL Juniors. Weβre always evolving, going out into the market and talking to the girls just to see who theyβre idols are, because New York itβs like all of the older supermodels from the 90βs and in middle America they were giving us basketball players. So itβs so interesting to see and we have to keep that open mind because weβre New Yorkers but weβre delivering to the whole country. Β I feel like theres really a piece for every type of girl.
I think the biggest challenge would be Iβll style something and Iβll be like βOh I would wear thisβ, but Iβm a woman, or I might say βOh this is a juniorβs piece.β I think our generation today; age is determined so much by style. So thatβs a challenging thing is where do we draw that line. the positive is that fashion never has an age.”
[slideshow]#NFLFanStyle
Photo credit:Β NFL
