Is it possible the last red carpet that is genuinely a place of self-expression rather than big brand fashion marketing belongs to the N.F.L. draft?
So it seemed, judging from the athletes’ entrances on Day 1 of the draft in Las Vegas. It was like a wake-up call: Remember when? Remember when celebrities dressed themselves, for themselves? Remember when they took risks and showed their personalities through their clothes? Remember when you never quite knew what you were going to get because it hadn’t all been preordained via contract months before?
Sure, there were some glossy, global names represented on the step and repeat by the Bellagio fountains — the kind of names that dominate shopping streets and award shows everywhere. But they faded into the background against the statement storytelling going on in the draft class outfits: the bright, Easter egg colors; the details; the giant chunks of bling.
As athletes increasingly dip into the world of personal branding for their post-sports or parallel-sports careers (hello, Tom Brady), self styling from head to foot has become practically an art form unto itself. And it starts at the draft.