Threads: One Sharp Patriot

Richard Seymour is the best dressed player on the NFL's best team

By Lisa Altobelli 

Richard Seymour Jason Grow

At 6'6" and 310 pounds, Patriots defensive tackle Richard Seymour often has trouble finding clothes to fit his frame. So he calls on Jonathan Smith, a Myrtle Beach, S.C., designer, to custom-make the bulk of his wardrobe. "He'll fly in with a bunch of swatches and we'll collaborate on different looks," says Seymour of Smith, whom he met in 2001. "Plus, he has all my suits on file so he'll never make me something similar to what I already have."

Smith, 46, whose company is called Bespoke Carolina, has had more than 120 NFL clients for his suits, which range from $800 to $1,800. "Deion [Sanders] told me once, 'If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good,'" says Smith. Seymour, 25, a two-time All-Pro out of Georgia, has done both. "Richard is not flashy, but he doesn't want to look like he just walked out of Wall Street," says Smith. "He likes his clothes to have a little flavor."

[ SUIT ]

Charcoal brown with pink pinstripes over a custom-made dusty rose cotton shirt with a white Euro-spread collar. "I like classic clean lines with a little bit of edge," says Seymour. "I like to make a statement in a suit, rather than have the suit make the statement."

[ JEWELRY ]

"I have two wedding bands," says Seymour, who married wife Tanya in May. "One with diamonds, one everyday platinum band. I also have a dog tag with my number between my little sister's name [CeCe] and my son's [R.J.]."

[ ACCESSORIES ]

Pink tie, pink cufflinks, pink pocket square. Says Smith, "I add all the accessories so it's completely a turnkey. He won't have to think about what he needs to complete the look. He just needs to add shoes and go."

[ SHOES ]

Brown Mezlan Alligator/Ostrich loafers ($650). "My favorite is a square-toe black shoe, but for a dressier look, I'll wear gators," Seymour says. "The bigger the shoes, the more expensive they get. Unfortunately, I'm a size 17."

[ MR. CASUAL ]

For a more relaxed look, Seymour wears a French cuff shirt ($295) with a slipknot cufflink, over a plain white T-shirt and a pair of Sean John jeans ($70-$80). He also favors $165 brown Bacco Bucci shoes. ("The most comfortable shoes I've ever worn," he says) and a Breitling watch. "Richard is the first NFL client I made this shirt for, and now I have guys asking for 15 or 20 at a time," says Smith. "It has just enough flair with the coordinating design on the cuff and inside collar to not be boring, but it's casual enough to wear with jeans."

Issue date: December 6, 2004