Cam Newton set tongues wagging aback he stepped assimilate an aeroplane accustomed the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl 50 cutting zebra-striped Versace pants. He has become a aerial appearance figure for high-profile athletes but the affiche adolescent for dispatch it up aback he stepped out — and alike aback he was on the sidelines — was “Broadway
Joe Namath,” a University of Alabama and New York Jets quarterback legend. Namath still dazzles, antic a fur on the sidelines while accessory Super Bowl 50. Appearance admired him, and he admired appearance — admitting he admits his clay canicule were added backbreaking than some of his football practices.
So, in annual of “Runway Joe,” here’s a contempo buzz chat with the football — and appearance — legend, on how he came to be a brilliant on the appearance front.
Q: Aback you were a kid growing up in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, or a apprentice at the University of Alabama, was appearance or appearance alike on your radar?
A: It started at home, like best things in activity do. My dad was a accurate dresser. My mom was, too. I alike adopted some of my mother’s hats to comedy in. I’d go out in the backyard and comedy in them. The Korean War was appealing arresting then, and we acclimated to comedy action stuff. We were soldiers in the woods. We had dupe by the house. I’d borrow a appropriate hat my mother had. It was a nice atramentous one with a blind on the front. And it had bake-apple pieces on top cherries, bananas and a few added things on there.
Basically, I approved to actor my big brothers in a sense. It was the canicule of peg pants, like today. What goes about comes around, it seems. They were array of like beeline pants. They could accept been Levis or whatever affection pants you had. If you capital the cheers tight, you bankrupt them. We alleged them peg pants. Usually, aback you accede clothes from your bigger brother, the pants were best anyway, so there was affluence of allowance to cycle them up. So, yeah, you mimicked people, like Elvis Presley, for example, with his collar up and his slicked-back hair. He was cool, so we dressed as kids agnate to what our big brothers did and the stars that we had seen. And I started (dressing) as Elvis (did) because, of course, he was special.
Q: Did you anytime accommodated Elvis and acquaint him about that?
A: I didn’t acquaint him I dressed like him. I did accept the annual and amusement of visiting with him a brace of times, and it was wonderful. He was wonderful. What a gentleman. He was great. But, no, we didn’t altercate the accoutrements at the time. He was abutting to the acme of his career — one of the heights. I mean, he was consistently the acute one aback he became recognized. But we didn’t altercate the accouterment agency at the time. He was added interested, actually, in football.
Q: What was your go-to accouterments at Alabama?
A: It was agnate to aerial academy or inferior high. As a kid, you’re affective up. I’d say it was consistently neat. Again, that starts from home. But the fashions were appealing agnate from aerial academy into college. Into academy I followed
suit of the upperclassmen, you ability say. My acquaintance Butch Henry — he had some style. It was like accepted collars for the best allotment and bookish apparel that were clean. Action coats. I had to borrow a action coat, though, because aback I aboriginal got there, I didn’t accept one. The alone guys I knew were my adolescent athletes in the able-bodied dorm. Sometimes on a Saturday night or a Friday night, I acquainted like if you were arrive or could go to a fraternity party, a action covering was in fashion. I had to borrow one because I didn’t accept one.
Once I got through my apprentice year and I formed in the summertime, I was able to buy myself a allotment or two. But it was basically collegiate, aggravating to dress like Leroy Jordan or Butch Wilson or the upperclassmen or Butch Henry. We had some guys who were appealing acceptable bookish dressers.
I don’t anticipate we had the accoutrements that jumped out at anyone. We didn’t accept Adult Gaga-looking girls active about campus. The breadth of the skirts were a little altered than today, and there was no such affair as shortshorts or whatever (for women). For the guys, it was aloof approved affection pants or corduroy pants or whatever affectionate of material. Aback it got hot, there was shorts.
Q: What was your aboriginal big appearance acquirement aback you got in the NFL?
A: I was able to alpha a allegation annual afterwards I got drafted. I went city (Tuscaloosa) to Wiesel’s, Bucky Bernstein’s store, and he let me allegation some clothes. I had formed amid my apprentice and green year and sophomore-junior and junior-senior years. I formed at a few places, at the cardboard comminute and with the university demography affliction of the fields and the grasses, all kinds of stuff. So I had a little bit of change in my abridged that I could go and buy a brace of things. Once I got drafted, I went and talked to Mr. Bernstein and he let me allegation some clothes until I got my aboriginal analysis from the New York Jets.
Q: How abundant did active in New York City access your style?
A: Appearance and appearance — aback you mentioned Cam (Newton), I anticipation of a array of apparel — but I was absolutely a hat guy to alpha with. I had my little derby affectionate of hat whenever I showed up on campus. I can see that aboriginal day — affectionate of powder-blue appearance hat with a fair in the side. Some of the varsity guys talked about that. They didn’t apperceive who the heck I was. They didn’t apperceive breadth I’d appear from or whatever. But I like hats. I like my blush berets. I brought those with me. They’ve backward with me to this day. I still accept blush berets. Added than hats in college, aback I was able to allow some clothes, aback I went to New York, I started accepting things fabricated for me. And I was tickled. Boy, I aloof admired it. I didn’t alike apperceive the name of the tailor. I chock-full in the clothier boutique that was abutting to my accommodation in New York, and I told him what I capital and I best out actual and all. I had aggregate made, from suits, sports coats to my runaround pants — man, the pants I wore to run aback and alternating to convenance or to comedy softball in Central Park or beneath the 59th Street Bridge. I’d accept my flowered pants. I was afflicted by the hippie appearance to some admeasurement with the colors. I consistently admired flowers anyway. I had some floral affectionate of pants and shirts that I had made.
Q: Were the added guys cutting flowered pants, too?
A: Not on the football aggregation or about the softball field. On the softball acreage it was rather unique. Basically, I anticipate we all appetite to feel acceptable with what we accept on. It expresses article about ourselves, our mind, our way of life, what we are. It should, anyway, if you can. In school, I wasn’t motivated abundant to angle out as a abundant student. I would try to do that today. But aback afresh acceptance came through sports, and maybe that was a ancillary of me through actuality a Gemini. I put some banal in the abstruse signs, the horoscopes. Actuality a Gemini, I could see myself absent to be hardly altered at times. But not a big reach. I’ve never apparent myself cutting things or accomplishing things that went over the line.
Q: Were there any designers you favored?
A: Because of and as a allotment of my profession, I absolutely had a band of shirts and apparel and action coats that were made, the Joe Namath line, Arrow shirts. I was the old Arrow Shirt Man. They brought that back. There was an Arrow Shirt Man aback in the ’30s and ’40s or earlier, and afresh they brought that back, and I was the Arrow Shirt Man. We fabricated a acceptable array of shirts, which, by God, some of them were appealing loud. I swear. And one day I absolved in Drillmaster (Paul) Bryant’s appointment in my offseason, and he was cutting one of those shirts. I admired it. And you’ve got to apperceive Drillmaster Bryant. He usually had a acumen for accomplishing everything. He was sharp. But I accepted that so much, for him to be able to abrasion that affectionate of shirt, affectionate of was saying, ‘Nice going, Joe.’ Or, ‘It’s all right, Joe.’ He was allotment of what was accident at the time. It was great.
Q: How complex were you with your appearance line?
A: With the shirts, added so than with the action coats and the apparel because the action coats and apparel curve — that had been established. Arrow’s shirt band had been established, too, but the times had afflicted appealing good, and we went forth with a lighter fashion, a added standout fashion. Abstracts had afflicted a little bit. They bent the eye more, shinier-fashioned shirts. The abstracts were different. I was consistently a affection guy. I had my sharkskin suits, too, but they were base on the body. I had a adamantine time with those. I alike had my pants lined so they wouldn’t crawling — aye, yi, yi.
Q: So, you suffered for fashion?
A: Yeah. I did for a bit until I accomplished it was added important to be comfortable. And I activate a way alike to be adequate with the affectionate of apparel that were base adjoin my skin. So I did cede for fashion. I capital to attending good.
I went over to Italy — we fabricated a cine over there, I’m not abiding if it was ’68, ’69 or ’70 — but there was a clothier over there. It was like a branch aback you went there. It was all handmade stuff. But there was a huge additional adventure of this architecture breadth there were guys and ladies sitting at these bed-making machines. They took your size. They adapted you. They adapted me. And I’m cogent you what, we went aback in three canicule or four days, and we anniversary had our bristles apparel or whatever we’d best out at the time. It was amazing. A acquaintance of abundance that was with me, Mr. Mike Bite from Birmingham, Alabama — he was one of the guys who got a few apparel there, too, boy, and we put some acceptable use to them. Mike was an accessories administrator for Alabama’s football aggregation and baseball team, aback Bart Starr was there (football). Red Drew was the (football) coach. Mike able in actuality a administrator in football and baseball. Mike represented me as my aboriginal abettor advocate with the New York Jets. He’s a advocate in Birmingham, Alabama, and he’s still practicing with his brothers today. Mike is 87 years old appropriate now, and he’s still out there arena golf and practicing (law). He’s my buddy, and he catholic with me, and we’re accompany to this day.
Q: Actuality the New York Jets’ quarterback, did you feel burden to footfall up your style?
A: No. No. There was abominable affectionate of stuff, absolute jeans, during those years, too. Traveling, it was all appropriate to abrasion absolute Levis in airports and sitting on the floor, accepting your beard bottomward to your amateur or whatever. I don’t anticipate it was a ability for any of us. I anticipate it was affectionate of a ‘Why not?’ Why should you beef to this? It was maybe a alienated attitude activity with the Vietnam era. I anticipate Woodstock may accept had article to do with it, absent to be hip. I didn’t get to Woodstock, but that army … Mid ’60s on, for me, was aback I affectionate of evolved, from ’65 on. Actuality up there in the New York breadth and the problems we were accepting in New York — problems with the military, Vietnam, problems with ancestral issues — it was a alienated affectionate of atmosphere. There was some blue bathrobe activity on.
Q: You lived a high-profile activity — anachronous celebrities, models. Anyone you stepped out with breadth you acquainted you bare to drag your appearance game?
A: Not necessarily footfall up because I was clean. My dad was clean. My mother was. We were accurate dressers. Not footfall up. I was adequate with my style, and the ladies absolutely afraid added about appearance than I did. Abundance aloof came artlessly with what was activity on. I watched what the appearance industry did, and I followed suit, so to speak.
I will acquaint you, white shoes — that was article appropriate to me. That was article that I consistently capital to do, and aback I aboriginal did that with tape, Drillmaster Bryant let me do it. To this day, I can see me sitting in the locker allowance with my teammates at Alabama, accepting accessible to go to practice, and I’m attractive bottomward at my shoe, and I went and I got some band from the training room. A chief could do that at the time. If you were a apprentice or a sophomore, you ability not be able to airing in the training allowance and booty a cycle of tape. A chief could possibly get abroad with it if he was accomplishing a acceptable job on the acreage and accepting forth with ‘Goose’ (Alabama’s football trainer, the backward Jim Goostree). Anyway, I did that, and I started taping my shoes. I started spatting down, taping about the shoelaces and all, aggregate except the advanced part. And as I’m accomplishing this, one of my teammates, and I affirm I don’t bethink who it was, but he said, ‘Dang, Joe. Drillmaster Bryant is activity to get you.’ I said, ‘Why is that?’ He said, ‘You can’t put that white band on your shoes. He’s activity to get you.’ I said, ‘Oh, man.’ But, I acquaint you what, I had to anticipate about it. Then, whenever we went out, Drillmaster Bryant never said a word. That’s Drillmaster Bryant. He knew — he knew me — he knows his players. He knew that meant article or I abiding as heck wouldn’t be accomplishing it. And he let me slide. The alone time that year I didn’t band my shoes, I didn’t abrasion the white, I got hurt. The fourth bold of the season, we’re arena North Carolina State. My apperception — I don’t apperceive what — I can bethink my thigh pads were backwards and I didn’t band my shoes. I had gotten myself in a aberration in a bustle somehow to go out and play, and I stepped in a aperture and my cleats stuck, and I pulled a bond in my knee. And from that time on, I consistently had the white shoes. I never messed up afresh with that. I’ve generally said I’m not superstitious, but I still applique my shoes appropriate over left. And my able-bodied shoes still accept to be white. Maybe I was extensive at something. I capital to be different. Again, I’m a Gemini.
Q: What was the better accident you dressed for? Was it the Oscars?
A: Numerous occasions (he wore atramentous tie/high style). You mentioned the Oscars, and that was absolutely one of them with one of the best admirable ladies in the apple (Raquel Welch, 1971 Oscars), too, to this day. That was special. Events in New York City, in Washington, D.C., with the presidents of the United States. Dinners there. New York City with bodies who were affecting in allowance association on altered occasions. Television shows. They were all big and important to me, some bigger than others, certainly, but aback you allocution about the presidents and D.C., and you allocution about the Oscars, those were appropriate occasions. But, you know, I had to be apple-pie activity to some bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs and some confirmations, aboriginal communions. I advised those appropriate and capital to be spiffy with my attire.
Q: Aback did cutting fur appear into the picture?
A: That was apparently in ’65, ’66 or ’67. It was an abstraction that a furrier had in New York. They knew that this could possibly be an abstraction for the newspapers and the media. One of our owners, Mr. David A. “Sonny” Werblin, was a show-business man. He’d been with MCA (Music Corp. of America). He represented stars. And aback he came and bought the New York Titans in 1963 with the added four owners of the Jets, Mr. Werblin absolutely said, ‘We charge stars. We charge to actualize stars.’ You see, football at the time had a lot of outstanding players, but they didn’t baby to what the accessible appreciated. Mr. Werblin, actuality in the motion account industry and the ball industry, accustomed that the sports apple had outstanding players who did some big things — like Jackie Robinson and Joe DiMaggio — but the teams didn’t advance their players or try to get them added visual. Bodies affliction about people. He capital to accomplish that connection.
So, one day, I’m at training camp, out on the football field. It was apparently ’68, now that I anticipate about it. Our media administrator came up to me and said, ‘Joe, there’s a fella we accept out actuality with a abounding breadth cape coat. And it happens to be your size.’ He said, ‘Would you booty a account with them?’ I said, ‘Oh, man. I don’t apperceive about that. What do you mean? Why should I do that?’ He said, ‘Well, the guy said he’ll accord you the cape coat.’ I said, ‘If he will … ’ And that was my aboriginal cape coat. It was the furrier’s idea, and I accepted that. And afresh the others affectionate of fell into line. A associate of abundance brought me aback a lambskin covering with white fur about the collar and the sleeves and bottom. I got a argent fox that was aloof spectacular. I still accept a brace of those coats. The one that I absolutely purchased myself — I never accept counted the cardinal (I’ve had) — I’d say about seven — the one I had absolutely fabricated for myself, I was still a available active in Beverly Hills, California, and this had to be in about ’79 or ’80, and I had this backgammon cape coat, abounding length, made. The blush was like a black, dark, aphotic amber with a lighter adumbration of amber stripes activity up and down. I beggarly it was a amazing coat. But aback I started a family, I was at a alms accident in New Jersey, anniversary the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts of America, and it was an auction, so I let them accept that covering to bargain it off. I had additional thoughts. I’ve generally thought, ‘Man, I ambition I had that coat.’ It was beautiful. But I accept a bendable atom for them (the Scouts) and, at the time, it was a acceptable idea. But somebody out there has it, but I don’t apperceive who or where.
Q: Were you afraid this accomplished division aback the fur you wore to Super Bowl 50 showed up in the TV berth at the Alabama-Auburn bold you attended?
A: I was abutting to shocked. But that absolutely wasn’t my coat. I don’t apperceive breadth they got it. It was the network. It was the producer’s idea. He could acquaint you breadth they got it. But it worked. It was terrific. It was a lot of fun.
Q: Do you accept a admired shoe appearance you favor?
A: Comfortable. I’ll acquaint you what, my aboriginal job as a kid was as a shoeshine boy. I booty affliction of my shoes, and I booty affliction of my feet. And there are altered brands of shoes absolutely (that I’ve worn), and I’ve gone through a accomplished lot of them. They’ve got to feel acceptable on my feet. And they’ll be clean. They’ll be shining. I do wax them. I still to this day backpack a can of shoe brightness and a rag. It’s affectionate of weird, I guess, in this day and age, but they don’t accept a lot of shoeshine shops about except in airports, and I don’t consistently accept time to get them bankrupt and shined in airports. And sometimes I abatement abaft at home. There is a adolescent man at my golf club that does a abundant job. But, styles? Whatever goes with the attire, but, aboriginal of all, they do accept to be comfortable. I accept loafers. I accept laceups. I accept boots. But they accept to be comfortable. I do adore the admirable ladies, including my daughters, who sometimes ability abrasion shoes that aren’t as adequate as they’d like, to be styling, to be fashionable. But our legs and our backs and our bodies weren’t advised to abrasion some of those styles. But they attending abundant in them, so I’m not accusatory aback I see a adult cutting them.
Q: Any accessories you favor?
A: I’ve had a few watches over the years that I’ve had the bands fabricated for me. They’re admirable pieces of craftsmanship. One of my admired watches was accustomed to me by Sports Illustrated. Their 40th year, they gave anybody a watch that was anytime on the awning of their magazine. The aboriginal allotment of adornment I got, that I could afford, that was appropriate to me, was an ID bracelet. A gold ID bracelet. That was fancy. That was special. That was alike afore I had a wristwatch.
Q: What name did you put on it?
A: Joe Willie. Aback I got my aboriginal Social Security card, I was 16 years old at Beaver Falls Aerial School. I active it Joe Willie Namath. I had apparent movies and apprehend some books about the South and apparent characters. I aloof admired the fire, the atom of it, whatever. That was about a ability for me to put on a gold bracelet. It took some nerve. I had that for years. I don’t apperceive breadth it went or what happened to it. I got it afterwards I active my arrangement with the Jets and had a little money. I got it in Tuscaloosa.
Q: You did some modeling. Did you adore it?
A: Live and learn. Experience. They don’t advise acquaintance in school, and I had no accomplishments in clay to activate with. I abstruse what it was about. I apperceive added about it today and how to adapt myself for it, but aback I aboriginal started, clay the accouterment line, I struggled. My face would be shaking, I’d be so tired. I didn’t apperceive how to accord altered attitudes, looks. I didn’t apperceive how to abatement aback on them because I had never accomplished that. I had never accomplished that. I had never accomplished for it. In New York aback I anachronous some ladies who were models, that’s aback I aboriginal started acquainted how accomplished they were and started talking with them and abstruse how abundant training they’d had in actuality able to accord altered looks for altered feelings, altered occasions and altered attitudes on call. Whether it’s an afraid look, an affronted look, a superstar attending whatever — to be able to change them. What I ultimately did afterwards on, aback it came to adequate and artlessly smiling, I’d anticipate of my children. And you’re talking hours, not aloof one or two pictures, an all day shoot. Morning shoot, breach for cafeteria afresh appropriate aback at it. It was somewhat tedious. And it’s physical. You’re on the date performing, so to speak.
Q: Your daughters, Jessica and Olivia. Do they anytime aggravate you about some of the things you wore?
A: They don’t aggravate me. They get a bang out of it. It’s good. It’s not a tease, it’s a laugh. “Oh, attending out!’ ‘Look at this; attending at that.’ Those things accept been blithesome over the years.
Q: Did they anytime arrest your closet?
A: Maybe a cashmere bandage or two. I acclimated to adore the cottony and cashmere scarves.
Q: How would you call your appearance now?
A: Apple-pie and comfortable. I don’t like bound jackets. The jackets that I see, the way they fit today, I don’t anticipate that’s for comfort. I anticipate that’s basically to appearance what anatomy they have, to appearance it off. That’s terrific. It’s acceptable looking. But that’s not my style. I don’t like bonds in clothes. I like accouterment to fit added aqueous and softer than bedfast and tight. Everybody I see on television, from Michael Strahan and guys with the account or whatever, it’s terrific. I see guys dressed able-bodied on all the sports shows or whatever, they attending terrific. But some of these fashions, the binding of the apparel — I don’t know. I never had anatomy like those guys. Maybe that’s why.
Q: Last question. What do you anticipate of Cam Newton and the things he wears, his aftertaste in haute couture? Would the two of you accept competed on the appearance front?
A: He is out there. Wonderfully out there. He has amused me. Every time I’ve apparent him dressed, it’s been special. Best of the time it’s special. Whenever he’s collapsed afterwards a boxy bold or bottomward a little bit, there were times that he didn’t put on a advanced that was outstanding. But best of the time, from top to bottom, the fronts he shows, the fronts he wears, man, they are to be appreciated. At atomic they are by me. I anticipate he does a abundant account to himself and to the blow of us. He wouldn’t be cutting it if he didn’t feel acceptable about it.
