The Top Scorers of 2023
Some of the year's biggest sports and style storylines
Well, as everyone who subscribes to the Gregorian calendar is already acutely aware of, 2023 is over! It was certainly a year, and I’m not sure I can describe it as much more than that. In sports, the highs were high (the Texas Rangers won their first World Series) and the lows were low (Chelsea Football Club was a nightmare to watch on a consistent basis). In fashion, I had to update my wardrobe to include office-appropriate attire because I got my first full-time job. In my personal life, I remained going on silly little dates, officially entered my mid-twenties, and started this here Substack, Laced Up.
One theme that underscored this past year was the continuing convergence of sports and style in a way that felt impossible to ignore, which served as a major influence in my creation of Laced Up. Everyone wanted in on it, from internet favorite brands such as Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS and Marc Jacobs’ Heaven to luxury fashion labels such as Prada and Louis Vuitton. The importance of athletes to our culture, as well as the appreciation of the communal value of sports as a whole was represented in editorial campaigns, seasonal collections, and in the front row of Paris Fashion Week.
The overlap between sports and style should not be interpreted as a “trend;” This is the real deal, an overdue homage to the value of intersectionality and the significance of both fashion and sport around the globe. A reminder that none of us are confined to one field, one title, or one calling; we are a far cry from 2018’s infamous “shut up and dribble” comment.
So, without further ado, I present Laced Up’s “Top Scorers of 2023,” a collection of people, moments, and happenings that served as ambassadors to the ever-merging worlds of sports and style over the past year. A snapshot of the personas whose tunnel walks were as stylish as runway shows, whose box seat appearances resulted in a whole new demographic of fans (and likely DIY merch), and The Only Girl in the World who could flawlessly use the Super Bowl as a backdrop for a pregnancy announcement.
Rihanna’s Custom Super Bowl Performance
The most-watched Super Bowl Halftime Show did not fail to deliver big hits, big looks, and a big announcement—Rihanna used America’s biggest stage to announce that she and partner A$AP Rocky were expecting their second child. Styled by Jahleel Weaver, Ri Ri wore a custom Loewe jumpsuit, as well as scarlet MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon sneakers. During her finale, in which she performed “Diamonds,” she donned a dramatic red Alaïa coat with matching gloves; a tribute to the late André Leon Talley. While I continued watching a riveting battle between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles following the performance, there’s no doubt in my mind the NFL would rather not publicize how many of the program’s 118 million viewers turned off their televisions as soon as Rihanna’s set ended.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Hits the Met Gala Red Carpet
My Met Gala viewing experience was certainly atypical this past May—I was 13 hours ahead of fashion’s biggest night exploring Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market and shopping in Ginza, refreshing my socials minimally (everyone say yay Zoe for living in the moment). I was largely unimpressed by the red carpet happenings—Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty more like Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Boring. The Met Gala consistently suffers from monotonous men’s looks, and with a theme that encouraged monochromatic tailoring, 2023 was largely dull on the menswear front. While NBA phenom Shai Gilgeous-Alexander opted for an on-theme monochromatic Thom Browne ensemble, it was anything but trite. Every layer was pulled by Gilgeous-Alexander himself and custom-tailored to fit his 7-foot wingspan and “really skinny waist” in Thom Browne’s Garment District offices. On the first Monday in May, Gilgeous-Alexander graduated from being just the bonafide face of stylishness in the NBA, to among the fashion industry’s vanguard.
Jude Bellingham, Golden Boy on and Off the Pitch
Europe’s domestic football leagues might have concluded their on-field activities in the middle of May, but everyone knows the real drama always happens in the off-season transfer windows. In June, England international Jude Bellingham, who was coveted by top leagues across the continent, put pen to paper to sign a contract with the famed Real Madrid in a deal worth upwards of €100 million. Not even a week after his transfer announcement, the 2023 Golden Boy recipient took soccer style to Paris Fashion Week, sitting front row at Louis Vuitton’s Menswear Spring/Summer 2024 show. Donning a flocked jacket, matching monogrammed trousers, heavyweight loafers and accessorized with V 1.1 Millionaires Infinity Dots sunglasses, Bellingham certainly looked worth as much as his exorbitant transfer fee. The then 19-year-old was joined by fellow footballer Marcus Rashford, brother Jobe, Boston Celtic’s guard Jaylen Brown, alongside front row regulars such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Naomi Campbell.
Nike x Martine Rose for the USWNT
Despite already spending 1,264 words praising Martine Ali x Nike’s custom suiting collection for the United States Women’s National Team’s (extremely disappointing) World Cup run, it nonetheless deserves a spot in the 2023 highlight reel. The team might have had a dispirited performance Down Under, but this link-up was a clear winner.
Sporting Events, featuring Some Notable Hard Launches…
No matter what your opinion is of Taylor Swift, the reality is that all she touches turns to gold. In 2023, that location was Kansas City, Missouri, the venue was Arrowhead Stadium, and the man was Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. While I don’t find her to be particularly fashion-forward (and I firmly believe that we can’t all be fashion-forward, and that’s okay), her various Kansas City-themed outfits were…cute? In a very I just got into college and now I’m going to custom order a sweatshirt with my school’s mascot and collegiate lettering on it kind of way. The appearances, as well as her outfits, were discussed at length by not just Vogue but also FOX Sports, as was every single detail of her life throughout the entire year. But who cares if Dads, Brads, and Chads are pissed at the pop star’s surprising foray into the politics of the gridiron; she just wants to watch Travis rock Arrowhead after he watched her rock Arrowhead! And her supportive girlfriend efforts have paid off in dividends for the NFL—her newfound football fandom resulted in a huge boost in ratings this past fall. October 1st’s matchup between the Chiefs and the New York Jets—Swift was in attendance—drew 27 million viewers, making it the most-watched Sunday TV show since the last Super Bowl, according to NBC Sports. For whatever it’s worth, I loved watching Swifties scramble to learn the rules and who’s who of the game with the same frightening obsession that they infamously bring to everything they do (pictured below):
One of the worst takes of the year was that Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet’s hard launch at the US Open was…fashionable? It was setting appropriate, sure, as the environs can best be described as a WASP heaven. Wealth is the name of the game on the tournament grounds, often more so than tennis itself. This brings me to the concept of “stealth wealth,” which is described by writer Amanda Mull as a “particular mode of dressing said to be favored not by the rich, but by the genuinely, generationally wealthy…The textiles and cuts are impeccable, the colors are neutral, and the finishes are subtle and logo-free…These, supposedly, are clothes for people without anything to prove.” I will never forgive this trend—which I thought was a joke centered around the final season of Succession but turned out was taken seriously by some—for several 2023 crimes, but especially the one of convincing us that what these two were wearing is aspirational and worthy of conversation. 2023 was the year we were brainwashed into thinking that no matter how basic a garment or accessory is, if it’s designed by the likes of Bottega Veneta or Celine, we should hold it in high regard. I’m hoping that 2024 is when we remember that having money does not necessarily equate to having style.
…But Coco Gauff is the Main Event
The only positive about the aforementioned hard launch was that it took place at the Men’s Singles Final match, not the Women’s. On Saturday, September 9th, it was all about Coco Gauff, the 19-year-old American who took home her first Major singles title on home clay. She won in dominant fashion in head-to-toe New Balance—the sportswear company that signed her when she turned pro at 14. In 2022, Gauff extended her New Balance contract after becoming the only active player in pro women’s tennis to have a signature sneaker. And, at this year’s US Open, she laced up those shoes—her shoes, the New Balance CG1—en route to winning her first career Grand Slam title.
Everyone’s October Obsession: Young David Beckham
In early October, Netflix’s Beckham reintroduced the world to a young, floppy-haired David Beckham, and I was made acutely aware of the fact that if someone as good-looking as him was still playing for Manchester United, I would likely be a Manchester United fan. I received a few “I now understand what you see in soccer guys” from my friends, who, like Victoria Beckham, were willing to watch the sport because of Becks, and not for anything else. The four-part series is a testament to David’s mentality and personality on and off the pitch, from the effects of effigies to a move to the MLS. I watched Man United’s 1999 Champions League campaign on the edge of my seat as if I didn’t already know what happened. 2001 buzzcut Becks is my phone screensaver, because if you have a buzzcut and are still hot that is the surest proof of being hot. And in the late 90s and early 2000s, he knew it. He and Victoria were known for their impeccable, and often carefully coordinated style on both red carpets and day-to-day life, gracing Old Trafford with Y2K drip that was meticulously documented in tabloids and by the paparazzi. What’s the difference between a young Posh and Becks and the two other couples in this article, you might ask. The difference is that those outfits deserved discourse (as evidenced by this Pinterest board). In the last episode of the series, viewers are allowed a glimpse inside a now 48-year-old David Beckham’s dressing room; described by GQ as an organized, “ivory-hued oak mecca of his menswear finds.” And get this—he’s an outfit prepper, laying out outfits for an entire week. “His style may not be as experimental as it once was—there are no sarongs or baggy cargos in sight—but he's no less deeply involved with his wardrobe, the desire to look good undimmed. If Beckham is about the most written-about athlete in British history looking back with maturity on a storied career—the highs and the lows—then this shows how his wardrobe has evolved to match that.”
Sir Lewis Hamilton at the Brazilian Grand Prix
I would be hard-pressed to find an athlete more stylish than Formula One driver Sir Lewis Hamilton, who can accurately be described as a true legend who is laps ahead of his peers when it comes to personal style. Forget the fast cars, Hamilton’s Instagram is your dream menswear mood board. He started this year’s F1 season in Bahrain in a Dior kilt and ended it in a brown and orange jumpsuit in Abu Dhabi. He’s skirting FIA dress code rules in the classiest way possible—by donning Tiffany & Co. diamonds. This year, Hamilton was selected for the Business of Fashion 500, cited as “a record-breaking British racing driver in Formula One. Beyond his success on the track, where he remains the sport’s first and only Black driver, he has been instrumental in raising his sport’s global profile and deepening its ties to fashion.” In early November, he demonstrated his ability to dress to theme when he arrived at the Brazilian Grand Prix in a green, black, and blue co-ord that served as an homage to both Brazil and Sao Paulo racing icon Ayrton Senna.
NBA Tunnel Fashion
As I said early on in this piece, professional basketball players are thankfully not just “shut[ting] up and dribbl[ing].” In fact, the league has become all the more personal due to the nascent tunnel walk, a pregame moment—about 15 seconds, to be exact—that has evolved into the opportunity to showcase a player’s style identity. @leaguefits, an Instagram account dedicated to showcasing the best fits in the NBA, has amassed 1,000,000 followers, all looking forward to what not just their favorite baller, but maybe their style inspiration, will be wearing next. “Style icon is the perfect way to describe these guys,” vintage specialist Tom DeCeglie told Business of Fashion. “It’s crazy how the tunnel walk has gotten to this level because I remember guys used to just come in wearing sweats, and that was it.” Watch creative director and tunnel fit stylist Allen Onyia break down some of 2023’s best tunnel fits here.
And that’s a wrap on 2023, which was just practice, NOT the game that we go out there and die for. Here’s to hoping your sports team wins a championship and your favorite designer doesn’t become the creative director of Givenchy in 2024.
