Last week, I declared Mark “Swaggy V” Vientos the best-dressed player in baseball. Then I immediately took out my red pen. Mark actually loves clothes. That’s why this is fun. Let’s see if we can make him the best-dressed man in sports.
The Everyday
We’re keeping his Carhartt jacket. The denim one took the crown last week, and there’s nothing wrong with having some reliable outerwear. We can spend that money elsewhere.
We’ll try to keep some of the brands playing for the home team, which brings us to 18 East. A casual striped tee—on chillier days, he can rock a thermal underneath. Keep the big silhouette and the comfort of a track pant, just make them less noisy. Olive linen cargos should do it.
An easy white shoe: Vans Authentics. And because you have to flex sometimes, a pair of Chrome sunnies. Loud enough for people to know without becoming a screen-printed billboard.
Gameday
Let’s stay in the Western world here, just dial it in for gameday. A poppy-red pearlsnap from Wythe cuts down on the bulk from an oversized leather jacket. Pair it with embroidered jeans from Kartik Research.
Now, this is not my style, but we’re not dressing me. From a lot of what I’ve seen, Mark loves a wacky pant. So we’ll give him one in dark denim with a straighter leg. The embroidery is doing enough; the shape can stay simple.
We’ll keep them up with a Todd Snyder belt—a little flash from the croc texture and metal tip. And on the feet, the upgrade I promised: The Row eel loafer. That long toe peeking out from the denim is doing it for me. A real footwear flex.
The Double-Breasted Promise
We’re staying in New York for the suit and tie, heading to J. Mueser. He’ll wear the charcoal pinstripe double-breasted suit I imagined him in and add a leopard tie to his rotation. Another fun tie without putting Looney Tunes on it.
Underneath, a white Beams Plus Oxford. I love a crisp Oxford shirt, and this one will work with plenty of what he already has. The Row eel loafers get another outing here.
Now, on to the bag. The Bottega Andiamo is a flex. A big flex. The softer shape and black weave feel less “look at me” than full-print Goyard. You can have all that luxury without a giant arrow pointing at it.
You can always be more dialed. Maybe that’s part of my sickness.
We’re still bringing the workwear to the vintage furniture store. The pants are still wacky; the fit’s just cleaner. And we finally got him into that double-breasted suit. I’m just giving him a few more things to chew on.
Mark, bang my line. Let’s take the crown. Bring the leather jacket.
-SP