Does Michael Jordan dress well or badly?

"The Last Dance" has just ended and all people, whether or not passionate about basketball, have noticed that Michael Jordan was not only the best player of an era, he was not just a man obsessed with victory and perfection, but it was also an icon that influenced almost all sectors in the 90s, above all that of fashion. Being a fashion icon, however, does not mean being a model to be followed in all respects, also because MJ has often launched trends and styles, but just as many times has made stylistic errors that have cracked and not just its influence on the world of fashion. To the same extent that there are those who consider GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) in the basketball field and those who prefer to take sides with the various LeBron James, Kobe Bryant et similia, the same reasoning is automatically translated on the fashion side. The question is very simple: does Michael Jordan dress well or badly? Can he be considered a true fashion icon?

The opposing factions are clear: there are those who consider Jordan a true fashion icon, a figure who has changed the way of conceiving the fashion issue off the field; there are those who believe, however, that MJ is closer to an icon of bad taste, closer to the classic stereotype of an American with rather confused and often inappropriate stylistic tastes.

Fashion icon

The theses of those who believe that Jordan has not only changed basketball but also fashion - at the turn of the late 80s and the entire decade of the 90s - are very interesting. Off-the-court elegance was not something that was seen so often in the late eighties and seeing a player arrive at the arena in a suit and tie, with sunglasses and maybe hats that nobody had ever thought of combining in that way speaks volumes about the style of "His Airness". The classic "oversized suits" are a must in American culture of the nineties, but there is a big difference in terms of fashion from the way MJ and the rest of the world wore them.

The Jordan accessories are another weapon not indifferent to those who considers Jordan a fashion icon. From the sunglasses to the beret, watches the colorful neckties, suspenders to "Michael designer ties" are all elements that make the # 23, an example to follow even when you are away from the parquet. Not to mention the outfits that Jordan wore on his beloved green and on the passion for leather jackets, both in his youth and in his older age. Its influence, therefore, has led thousands of people to transfer the concept of "Be like Mike" also in a fashion perspective.

The most important workhorses of the Jordan style are the dress with a mandarin collar and the combination gray suit (a great Jordan classic) and black turtleneck, a novelty for those times. If then we combine all of this with two earrings - not so small - which stand out on one of the most photogenic and telegenic faces in the history of sport, that's it. Peculiarities, details, new trends that enhance the faction of those who believe that Jordan is both an icon of basketball and an icon of fashion.

Bad taste icon

Like any medal, there is one side that should not be forgotten. Not everyone considers Michael Jordan a fashion icon, but indeed there are those who believe that the 6-time NBA champion has never been able to transform his greatness on the pitch into as much greatness off the pitch. Jordan's "The dark side of the fashion" is very often linked to an excessive style, which goes beyond oversized (both jackets and trousers) and the choice of shoes that do not have their logo imprinted on them.

From leather jackets - which in all respects seem to have come out of the Matrix of the Wachowski brothers - to outfits often unthinkable, passing through subliminal messages not too veiled and decidedly in bad taste up to total jeans look. If on the one hand, therefore, Jordan is the author of trends and new styles, on the other he has shown during his career and subsequently that he is not in step with the times, conveying a typical style of the 80-90s in an era in whose boots and wide pants are no longer seen with the same eyes of the past.

The shiny dresses belong to a Michael Jordan of the second half of the 90s and do not always have a passion for fun. Although the shiny component has been considered chic for years, the combinations that Mike offered during awards and gala evenings were often démodé. Another workhorse, the same negative, of Jordan were the broken ones. Light jacket over dark trousers is a bold choice and often pays excellent dividends; not in the case of Michael, however, who achieves the almost inverse result.

Choosing one or the other faction is not so difficult, but it naturally depends on the stylistic tastes of each individual person. There is no right part and one wrong part, there is no style in and style out, there is only one legend that divides the world, even that of fashion, into two exactly equal halves. It is always a matter of taste.