Fashion Insider: Grading Pavin's Ryder Cup selections
By Man in the Black Hat, PGATOUR.COM Fashion Insider
Now that the U.S. Ryder Cup uniform photos have been released for public consumption, one word comes to mind. Dapper. And then, class. Pure class. Think Arnold Palmer at the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills, sans the single pleats. Class on top of dapper.
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That's far more than one word, but you get the picture -- just as Lisa Pavin so obviously did.
From the minute perspective of a golf fashion writer, Lisa Pavin and her team went above and beyond the call of normal golf apparel duty. While no team apparel lineup could ever be deemed to be perfectly suited for each and every team member, the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup team collection is as close as anyone has ever come -- and likely as close as anyone ever will.
However, hanging samples on mannequins is one thing. Outfitting an eclectic group of team members is quite another, especially when we begin to consider the personalities involved.
The Man In The Black Hat is especially keen to see what kind of personal touch the likes of Rickie Fowler will add to the retro look. While Fowler won't have his trademark monoline hat to create the desired hairstyle affectation while in Wales, he'll somehow have to make do with the Imperial classic.
Some guys will button their shirts to the top (Bubba Watson), while others may fastidiously emulate the sample photos in an effort to create the exact prescribed by Lisa Pavin. Jim Furyk perhaps? Save for the cardigans and sweaters, Steve Stricker will be right at home in the Peter Millar polos.
A quick scan of the lineup reveals perfect fits wins for Pavin's classic retro throwbacks.
Perfect fits: Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Stewart Cink, Steve Stricker, Phil Mickelson. So comfortable will these gents look that you could transport any one of them back in time and you'd be hard pressed to pick them out of the crowd in a game of 'one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-other'. Each of these men would do well to adopt the 2010 Ryder Cup look full time.
Needs minor tailoring: Jeff Overton, Hunter Mahan, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler. Each of the men listed here have the potential to make this look work well, just as much as they may look completely out of sorts. It says here that Fowler will emerge as the week's apparel star, forcing Puma Golf to completely rethink their current sporty direction.
Back to the fitting room: Dustin Johnson, Tiger Woods. Soul patches and goatees just don't mix with this classic apparel lineup. Can Pavin (Corey or Lisa) convince both to go clean shaven for the event? If he can, send these players up a level.
What is particularly great about the US team apparel lineup is the amount of thought and consideration that has gone in to each and every piece, giving the uniforms a distinctly non-uniform look - a difficult feat to achieve.
With minimal effort, one could mix and match a piece designated for the Friday morning fourball matches and exchange it for something to be used during Saturday afternoon foursomes. Effectively, the entire collection works together as complimentary pieces.
The lineup assembled by Lisa Pavin and company is by all accounts, including this one, the best team golf event uniform effort of all time. Hyperbole? Perhaps, but keep in mind that there have been some pretty weak efforts over the years - the best, or worst of which (it all depends on how you look at it) will be reviewed for posterity in this space next week.
In the meantime, for team USA, the 2010 Ryder Cup sweaters are sumptuous, the trousers are terrific, and the accessories are amazing.
As wonderfully evocative as the rain gear from Sun Mountain is of American international sporting teams (vintage Team USA Olympic track suits come to mind), here's hoping the weather in Wales cooperates just a bit each day, so the players don't spend all their time covering up such a fine effort.
BLACK HAT TICKER
• With all the hoopla surrounding the unveiling of the U.S. Ryder Cup uniforms, the uniform plans for the European side has been somewhat more difficult to come by. What we do know is that the outfitter is once again Glenmuir, who has been the European outfitter of record since 1987 at Murfield Village, supplying shirts and knitwear for the past 12 Ryder Cups. While it's somewhat frustrating not to know what the Euros have in store for us on the fashion front, the bright side says that this could be a case of keeping the best of things as a surprise. Time will tell!
• The Twitterverse continues to be a gold mine for golf apparel related banter between Tour players. While together for the filming of 2011 Titleist commercials Bubba Watson, who wears Travis Mathew on TOUR, directed a tweet toward Ryder Cup teammate Rickie Fowler, "Do I look like @rickiefowlerpga? Fowler of Puma Golf took the brightly colored zing in stride, retweeting Watson's message to his followers preceded with "Hahahaha a must see". What's nice to see is that these two guys have everything in proper perspective, apparel included.
• The Ecco Golf Street Premier, the golf shoe that caused the most buzz in 2010, is finally starting to reappear in golf shops across North America. A scarce find due to its extreme popularity after Fred Couples brought this casual non-traditional alternative to our attention on the Champions Tour during the Hawaii swing and then later at the Masters, this sneaker-influenced shoe is finally starting to reappear in stores to the delight of many. As The Man In The Black Hat is wont to point out, Couples run at the 2010 Masters was scuttled when, during a second round 75, Fred opted out of the Golf Streets for another Ecco model. For his other three rounds while wearing the Golf Street, Couples carded no score higher than 70. The moral of the story? If the shoe fits, keep wearing it!
• Finally, with the cooler weather upon us like a demon, it's time to break out the sweaters, or as they say across the pond, 'jumpers'. Why do they call them jumpers anyway? Are they intended to be used for exclusively for the purposes of jumping, or does one jump into a jumper, or perhaps one is expected to jump for joy when presented with a long sleeved woolen garment? Like many words in British English, it's a conundrum, hopping on top of an enigma. Regardless, there's still lots of time left in the golf season despite the cooler temps, so get out there and rock the argyle!
The Man in the Black Hat is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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