This year’s NCAA championship game had everything–two teams with a lot of tournament history, giant and rabid fanbases, great shooting, tenacious D, a tremendous buzzer beater finish–and Jay Wright’s suits. The man has been known for years for the care he takes in his appearance, nearly everything written about him makes at least an offhand reference to his suits. Wright’s a longtime customer of suburban Philadelphia semi-custom tailor Gabriele D’Annunzio, and the most recent count I could find said he has 30+ suits in his closet. His suits even have a twitter account.
Now, were I in Jay Wright’s shoes–and if I weren’t a dedicated desk jockey I’d almost certainly be a big time college basketball coach–I may not make all the same sartorial choices Jay makes. He prefers finer fabrics than I do in both his suits and shirts, wears more structured shoulders, and likes stripes a lot. I’ve never seen him wear a buttondown collar.
But more importantly than getting everything “right,” he knows what works for him. And in a coaching world where sloppiness and performance fabrics dominate, Wright’s flatteringly cut and clearly coordinated looks stand out. Yeah, I know basketball coaches consistently outclass their counterparts in other sports, but even so Wright’s suits look uncommonly well-fit. His lapels, shirt collars and ties are evenly proportioned. There’s not a lot of collar gap, extra fabric, or puckering to indicate tightness, which is saying something because coaches like Wright do more angry gesturing (and glaring) than I do in DC traffic.
So congrats to Villanova and the NCAA’s best dressed coach.
