Plus basketball’s well-known association with the hip-hop scene has made ballers partial to bling-accessorized baggy urban wear, which can be a bit disconcerting for dressier occasions and perplexing for fashion stylists who believe there are wardrobe possibilities beyond oversized jerseys (think Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade coming for an interview with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show in basketball shorts and an oversized T-shirt. But hey, he had just won an NBA championship when he was interviewed so he probably didn’t care. After all, he would certainly have had the means to buy at least one nice shirt, even pants to go along with it.) The point is, bling and baggy is good if you’re "dawgin’ around" in your early twenties, but not if you’re wanting to suit up to impress – even P. Diddy and Marc Ecko have moved on to more tailored lines, and LL Cool J did don a sharp coat in his last video.
PBA All-Star players Jimmy Alapag and Ali Peek, though not of the mold that thinks wearing a collar makes them eligible for a black tie event, are comfortable cruising around in plain white shirts or tank tops, loose jeans, and white sneakers. A lot of it has to do with the humidity in Manila: Jimmy and Ali are willing to dress up, but find it too uncomfortable, not to mention embarrassing, to always have to sweat through nice clothes (both players grew up in the US and haven’t been acclimatized to the almost year-round humid climate of the Philippines). Time-consuming training sessions and packed game schedules also don’t give them much time for jaunting about in the mall.
Jimmy Alapag, star point guard of the Talk ‘n’ Text Phone Pals and the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2003, expresses interest in clothes available at style havens such as Zara. "They really have nice clothes. I just haven’t been there in a while, though. I’ve just been too busy."
Ali Peek, on the other hand, incessantly laments the lack of clothing choices for men his size here. At 6 feet and 4 inches, with biceps the size of a girl’s thighs, and a shoulder width that was once compared to a two-door Kelvinator, the five-time All Star considers himself extremely lucky if he finds anything that fits him in any of the RTW stores. Ali is not one to dawdle over price tags if he finds shirts that fit him well, and he usually stocks up on jeans each time he goes back home to LA. Suits and dress shirts, however, have to be tailor-made. "I’ll just rip those tiny suit jackets if I even dare try fit them. It can be frustrating."
To help give these basketball hotshots a different off-court look, Kikay Eye for the Straight Guy enlisted beauty brand Shu Uemura’s brand manager Tina Tinio and makeup artist Xeng Zulueta as accomplices. Though Tina and Xeng’s combined knowledge of the local basketball scene could be stuffed into a tube of lipstick (not quite the match made in heaven), their know-how of style is almost as extensive as their knowledge of the beauty products they easily market.
This week’s Kikay eyes chose Bench, Celio, and Zara to dress up Jimmy and Ali. Jimmy took a liking to the preppy sweaters of Celio and Zara’s tailored jackets. Ali found denim absolution with Bench’s Walk Tall jeans line. The collection’s biggest size – size 42 waist and 34 inseam – were the first pair of locally-found jeans that fit Ali decently enough (without being too tight around his booty). When it comes to casual shirts, Celio is one of the few retail stores that offer Ali’s XXL requirement.
Tina Tinio also gave out Shu Uemura starter kits, an athlete’s must-have containing cleansing oil, Depsea moisturizer and toner, pore perfecting solution, and SPF 50 XTR protector.
Fitted sweaters and tailored jackets may not make much sense on the basketball court, but Jimmy Alapag and Ali Peek, finely suited up and made over, are sure to score points elsewhere. We’re sure enough to bet on it.
What do you usually wear on a date?
Ali Peek: I just usually wear jeans, a nice long-sleeved, button-down shirt, and nice shoes (depending on where we go, but usually sneakers).
Jimmy Alapag: It really depends on what we’d be doing. If we were having dinner, I’d probably try to wear something like a nice dress shirt and jeans.
What do you like seeing a girl wear?
Ali: I’d like to see her in jeans and heels, or a dress or skirt and heels – I have to see how those legs look!
Jimmy: It’s nice to see a woman who wears jeans because these can be used for something nice or just for something casual (and it can show her curves).
What do hate seeing on a girl?
Ali: Too much makeup!
Jimmy: Women are lucky because there aren’t too many things that they can’t wear. And besides, each woman has her own sense of style.
What’s the best fashion advice you’ve received? The worst?
Ali: To always dress to impress and to wear shirts and jeans that complement my body. The worst? To stop wearing baggy jeans with throwback jerseys – I don’t know if age has anything to do with it, but I can’t even picture myself going back to that kind of clothing style. I’m in my 30s now and I enjoy dressing my age.
Jimmy: The best fashion advice I’ve probably ever gotten was, "Don’t wear your pants too tight."
Describe your fashion sense when you were an adolescent.
Ali: Oh, man! You’re taking me way back to when my parents bought my clothes and I had no say as to what I could wear. Let’s just say that I’d sometimes be pissed off in school because my friends would be wearing nice stuff and they’d give me a hard time because I’d be wearing something my parents chose for me. My father would say that it doesn’t matter what I wear, as long as they’re clean and big enough to fit me.
Jimmy: I started playing basketball at a young age so shorts and T-shirts were normal outfits for me in my adolescent years.
What’s one article of clothing that best represents your personality?
Ali: Definitely jeans.
Jimmy: I think my shoes represent my personality well. They’re simple, yet fun. I have a well-rounded collection: I have one for any occasion.
What’s the first thing that attracts you to a woman?
Ali: A nice butt and hips, and then the legs.
Jimmy: The first thing that attracts me to a woman would have to be her smile.
What’s the cheesiest pickup line you’ve ever used on a girl?
Ali: Honestly, I’ve never used pickup lines.
Jimmy: I may have tried a few cheesy lines back in junior high, but they didn’t work so I gave up on them.
How do you spend Saturday nights?
Ali: Well, when I was single, I would always be out clubbing on Saturday nights. Now…
Jimmy: On a Saturday night, I may go out for dinner, or maybe just catch a movie. If not, you’d probably just find me at home.
What is the most-played song on your iPod?
Ali: I don’t have one, an iPod.
Jimmy: The most-played song on my iPod right now would probably be a song by Ne-Yo called Sexy Love.
Whose biography would you like to read?
Ali: I love reading about people and I’m slowly building a biography collection, although I’ve yet have to read something on Ron Jeremy. He’s this famous fat porn star who’s only about five-foot-six-inches tall, but his, uh, instrument is pretty impressive.
Jimmy: I actually just read the (autobiographical) book I Should Be Dead By Now by Dennis Rodman, the former NBA player (who played) with the Bulls and Pistons.
What are you saving up for?
Ali: To travel and, maybe, to buy a nice house out here in Manila.
Jimmy: Right now I’m saving so I can invest some more in the future.
What do you collect?
Ali: I have a huge athletic shoe fetish.
Jimmy: I don’t really collect too many things, but I love downloading new music. I’m a big music fan. (I like) all types, except country.
What makes you nervous?
Ali: Going to the hospital.
Jimmy: I’d probably say my small fear of heights makes me nervous.
Who or what keeps you grounded?
Ali: My family and close friends.
Jimmy: My family and my girlfriend definitely help keep me grounded. It feels special to have people in your life that never let you forget where you came from and who are always there to support you.