Esquire Best Dressed (?)

[otis]

I spent (or maybe wasted) last evening at the Esquire best dressed contest in Atlanta...I admit I was taken by surprise, I really expected to see a better turnout of people who dress well. There were a small handful who looked good whether with classic or individual looks, but mostly it was comical. I left dumbfounded that I didn't get selected for the top 10 in my Martin Greenfield suit, but after seeing the eventual winner in the paper this morning it was clear that a classic look is not exactly what they were going after. A few excerpts of the article in the Atlanta Journal are below - you'll have to log on to the site to the see the picture. Not sure if this speaks more to Atlanta's or Esquire's general lack of taste; will be interesting to see what comes out of the other cities. _ http://www.ajc.com/living/content/li...2esqubuzz.html The winner of the Atlanta phase of Esquire's 10-city quest to find "The Best-Dressed Real Man in America" doesn't live anywhere near here. Rashim Turner, a 26-year-old designer/hairstylist from Riverside, Calif., walked away from Wednesday night's preliminary contest at Lenox Square's Macy's with the honor of representing Atlanta, leaving many contestants and onlookers astonished at the judges' choice. Turner arrived dressed in a look that he termed, "thrift...obviously," in stark contrast to the majority of contestants who wore trendy designer suits, shirts, ties and shoes. The winner's outfit was composed of a brown-and-beige blazer, vest, shirt and slacks ensemble that could be charitably described as "vintage." The piece de resistance of his outfit: a two-toned pair of Reebok golf shoes with the spikes removed. The ultimate winner will be profiled in Esquire magazine and announced on NBC's "Today Show" in early autumn. The Atlanta stage's judges included Esquire senior fashion editor, Wendell Brown; Atlanta Hawks forward and menswear designer, Kevin Willis; Macy's menswear buyer, Stephen Rector; and the co-owners of the Bazzaar lounge in Midtown, Bill Kaelin and Lamia Maccarrone. ... more than a few nattily-attired gentlemen rushed the judges' table to exchange a few choice words afterwards. "This is a travesty," said the 46-year-old local custom clothiere, Leonard Gresham. He entered in a head-to-toe, country-clubby ensemble by Ralph Lauren. "To me, this was all about hip-hop and youth; not the best representation of Atlanta and the men who make the extra effort to dress well."

 

[Nick M]

Does this mean there's still time to sneak Cuffthis into the next heat?

 

[AlanC]

That's just a joke. Even more so that they awarded the Atlanta position to someone from California. It should have been confined to people either in Georgia or the southeast.

And, hey, I dress "thrift" quite a bit, but it ain't like that.

 

[aybojs]

Wow, that guy looks like a giant douche in a costume. Edit #1: look at the qualifications of the judges: a former pro athlete, a pair of nightclub owners, and a midlevel department store buyer. What a joke. Edit #2: It could be worse, but his silly hairstyle, popped collar, and pretentious "I'm an artiste..." expression are the nail in the coffin for me.

 

[Nick M]

Wow, that guy looks like a giant douche in a costume.

Could somebody Imageshack the picture and post it in here? It's tricky for non-US residents to register. EDIT: Thanks. Well, that's bad on any number of levels, and certainly not a unique look. I think maybe the judges were looking for an Andre 3000 copy. Shame there wasn't a better one. Popped collar.

 

[Andrew V.]

Even if the judges had picked someone with a classic look, the whole event would still seem rather comical to me.

 

[otis]

Sorry - didn't realize that Imageshack was so easy or I would have put it in earlier.

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

Perhaps the judges were looking for originality, which, after all, is an important part of style.  Mr. Gresham sounds like he went into the Polo store and bought what the mannequin was wearing.

 

[otis]

Leonard Gresham who is quoted is a longtime clothing salesman in Atlanta. He worked for Polo for a while, which explains his look. He was not in the final 10 btw.

 

[mack11211]

Does that winning look rank as "original" in Atlanta?

If so, ouch.

 

[JBZ]

One look, and all I can think to say is, "Wow - what a Dorcus."

I don't understand why they're letting some guy from California represent Atlanta. Seems kind of silly. How does that reflect the sartorial flavor of the area?

 

[whnay.]

He looks like a boob, if thats what passes for style in Atlanta I don't know if I want to be living here any longer.

 

[norcaltransplant]

Next year, at least 100 guys from Williamsburg and the East Village will fly into Atlanta to stiffen the competition...

 

[aybojs]

I think it'd be funny if each region chose a different current fashion victim stereotype as its respective representative. Atlanta has the Andre 3000 clone; New York could send an anemic Hedi Slimane wannabe with spiked up hair, a too tight black suit, and unfolded French cuffs over his fingers; L.A. could sport an 18 year old Nudie fanboy in soiled and unwashed-for-10-months jeans with a comical cuffs rolled up all the way past his shins look; and Boston could trot out a frat boy parody in madras pants, boat shoes, and two popped collar hot pink Lacoste polos. Wouldn't that be fun to watch?

 

[johnw86]

And this is why I don't read Esquire any more (and especially not for fashion advice)...