10 CARDINALS MAGAZINE
When I was in elementary school, my
grandma bought me some Air Jordans and
Grant Hill basketball shoes that were so
cool, I’d color-coordinate my outfits to
make sure they were noticed.
You could say that jump-started my
interest in fashion.
Nowadays, you won’t get much
argument from my teammates – or you
shouldn’t, anyway – that I’m the best-
dressed on the club. I had been in the big
leagues only a short while when veteran
Jhonny Peralta told me I dressed like I’d
been there for 10 years. Because I thought
so highly of the way he dressed – very
professional – the compliment meant a lot.
Miles Mikolas will tell you we have a
sharply dressed team, but I’m not so sure.
I will say I really like Miles’ suit game. Very
professional, clean and simple. And the fact
he pulls out a fedora now and then is pretty
sweet. He knows how to accessorize, which
is key. I also admire Carlos Martinez’s style
because it’s unique – he’s just, well, swaggy
in his own way.
On the flip side, Jedd Gyorko could use
some of my advice when it comes to fashion.
The catch is he’s just not interested. Dexter
Fowler is another teammate who should
take notes from me. He thinks he’s the
expert, and I believe he has it in him –
I just haven’t seen it yet. In the meantime,
some of the younger players, including Paul
DeJong, Harrison Bader and Jordan Hicks,
have wised up and starting asking me
fashion-related questions.
My style is based on simplicity, but that
doesn’t mean plain. I still want something
that will make me stand out.
I gravitate toward a fitted look (I’m not
working out just for fun, you know). And
accessorizing is a must. Lapel pins, pocket
squares and tie bars can make your look pop
when done right. I even have some outfits
that go well with a headband, though that’s
a look I don’t usually pull out unless I need
a haircut.
Dress shoes are huge, too. I’m a big shoe
guy. I own dozens of pairs of dress shoes
and consider them as integral to my outfit as
any other item. My pants are tapered at the
bottoms and cut to right around the ankles
to make sure my shoes are visible. I actually
prefer brown dress shoes to black, even
with a black suit. On one of our recent roadtrips, I wore brown shoes with a black suit
and dressed it up for a nice European look.
When we travel, I choose to wear a
suit because I treat playing baseball like
a business and wearing a nice suit is the
professional thing to do. You look good,
you feel good, no doubt about it.
I didn’t get my first suit until I was
in pro ball, when I bought one for about
$300 from a department store. I didn’t
make a lot of money then, but I still madeSTYLE THAT’S
SWAGNIFICENT
From clubhouse to keyboard, Tommy tees up
hot takes on everything baseball and beyondPHAMGRAPHS¶