Andrew Wiggins drew attention on Thursday night before the Cavaliers took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft for the suit he was wearing at Barclays Center, as he “enlisted help from stylist Brandon Williams and L.A.-based bespoke tailor, Waraire Boswell, to create a statement-making outfit,” according to David Yi of WOMEN'S WEAR DAILY. Boswell custom-created an ensemble for Wiggins that “includes a white rose printed blazer with a black satin shawl lapel and black wool trousers.” The white-rose print is “usually only for European royalty.” Boswell: “It’s superexclusive and we were told it was for when royals vacation or go to a country club. It’s a European bird’s-eye fabric." Yi reported Boswell previously “dressed a handful of the NBA’s finest,” including Heat F LeBron James, Clippers F Blake Griffin and Heat F Chris Bosh. But Boswell said he wanted to set Wiggins "apart from the past and other drafts” (WWD.com, 6/25). Cavaliers GM David Griffin jokingly said of Wiggins' jacket, "I almost changed my mind (in drafting him) when I saw it." ESPN's Rece Davis: "If I were David Griffin I would say, 'That thing looks great on you'" ("NBA Draft," ESPN, 6/26).
NOTHING LIKE A FIRST IMPRESSION: ABC's "Extreme Makeover" host Sam Saboura reviewed Wiggins' jacket and said, "Talk about making a statement." Saboura: "You think about guys like Kanye, you think about all the people in the music industry, you think about Pharrell, these are what these guys are emulating. A beautiful tuxedo that is clearly custom, he's got the diamond lapel pin going on, hand-tied bow tie, very slick, very sharp. He's got the cropped, slim tailored pants. The guy looks fantastic" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 6/27). In Cincinnati, Lisa Benson writes the "real highlight" of Thursday night was Wiggins' jacket. Benson: "I love that jacket. ... I would seriously like to buy that jacket for myself and wear it with a stylish pair of women's pants" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 6/27). But in L.A., Ben Bolch writes Wiggins' jacket "looked as if it had been stenciled by a 3-year-old" (L.A. TIMES, 6/27). FS1's Jay Onrait: "It was very Don Cherry" ("Fox Sports Live," FS1, 6/27).
CALLING THE FASHION POLICE: Twitter users were not kind in their thoughts of Wiggins' jacket, with Slate.com’s Josh Levin writing, “Andrew Wiggins is wearing perhaps the greatest suit in NBA draft history, and I don't say that lightly.” ESPN.com’s Dana O’Neil wrote, “Props for the lapel pin on Andrew Wiggins but don't get the spider man jacket.” Newsday’s Barbara Barker: “I am dizzy looking at Andrew Wiggins suit. I want to take a red pen and trace the flowers.” ESPN.com’s Kevin Van Valkenburg: “I love Andrew Wiggins suit almost as much as I did 20 years ago when Steve Martin wore it in The Three Amigos.” The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Jones: “Apparently Russell Westbrook dressed Wiggins tonight.” The Orlando Sentinel’s George Diaz: “Cavs select Andrew Wiggins then trade his suit to Cirque du Soleil for future considerations.” Deadspin’s Drew Magary: “You're supposed to color in Wiggins' suit with a glaze pencil. Bake for eight hours.” ESPN’s Marty Smith: “Love to know what my man Craig Sager thinks of Wiggins' get up.” The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen: “Hopefully, when Silver retires in 30 years, Wiggins will come back wearing that jacket the way Hakeem did for Stern last year.”
CRAZY 'BOUT A SHARP DRESSED MAN: Saboura reviewed the sartorial choices of not just Wiggins, but also several other first-round picks. He said, "These gentlemen pulled out all the stops. They look absolutely fantastic. They definitely put a lot of thought into what they're wearing." ESPN's Stan Verrett noted Kings draftee Nik Stauskas "went windowpane" with his suit. Saboura called it a "very bold suit," though the former Michigan G went a "little bit conservative and classic." He said of Stauskas, "He's got the pink shirt on, a little bit preppy. That windowpane is like British sartorial tailoring. He looks sharp. Still statement making, but a little on the conservative side." Saboura noted Hawks pick Adreian Payne "really thought about this look." Payne was wearing "really bright, violet-colored pants," and he had an "exaggerated pocket square, the lapel, corsage, the hand-tied bow tie." Saboura: "He looks sharp. This is not a guy who does not want to get attention and get noticed. He's making a bold statement." Verrett said Australia PF Dante Exum had a "somewhat conservative look but it's bold on the inside." Jazz pick Dante Exum wore a "beautiful three-piece suit," and when he "pops it open, he's got the Australian flag in there, a nod to the motherland here." Saboura said of Exum, "He looks crisp, he looks well-tailored, he looks his age. These are young guys who are really setting the tone for future draftees. They're kind of the Hollywood of the sports world." Saboura noted navy blue "is a trend for all the guys in Hollywood on the red carpet," and Celtics pick Marcus Smart wore a "beautiful Navy blue tuxedo" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 6/27).
GETTING IN THE WAY-BACK MACHINE: Wiggins' jacket prompted FS1's "Fox Sports Live" on Thursday to take a look at the worst outfits worn by past NBA draftees. FS1's Bill Reiter noted Tim Thomas wore a white suit during the '97 Draft and said, "I'm not sure it fits him. ... He kind of looks like an undertaker." That was the worst draft-day suit because Thomas "looks just a little bit creepy." Reiter said the red suit Jalen Rose wore when he was drafted in '94 was "pretty awful, pretty rancid," but he gave Rose a small pass because "it was the early '90s." FS1's Charissa Thompson said of Rose's suit, "I think Michael Irvin still wears that" ("Fox Sports Live," FS1, 6/26). Rose was part of ESPN's coverage of the event, and it was mentioned on-air that Thursday was the 20th anniversary of him wearing the red suit. Rose said, "You're lucky I didn’t wear the one (suit) I wore to my draft party. That was lime green." ESPN's Jay Bilas: "I think you're lucky you didn’t wear it" ("NBA Draft," ESPN, 6/26).
