The Open Championship Fashion Dimes & Crimes: Day 1

Fashion Recap of The Open Championship Day 1

Justin Thomas’ autumn hues, Nike’s tartan kicks, Danny Willett’s long sleeve polo, and why high-contrast looks are not your friend. Who crushed it? Who shanked it? GolfThreads breaks down the best and worst looks from the first round of The Open Championship at Carnoustie.

See Also: 2018 Open Championship Apparel Scripts (Updated)


Fashion Dimes

Justin Thomas (Polo Ralph Lauren)

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I’m not sure about the beard, but the clothes are on point. The cut of the shirt is perfect and the 5-pocket chinos give JT a slightly more tapered look that we typically see from him. These dark, rich colors will be all the rage this Fall. While, you probably have plenty of navy blue in your closet, get on trend by grabbing a pair of dark green trousers when the cooler weather arrives.

Rory McIlroy (Nike)

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Nasty, nasty shoes. (said in Janet Jackson voice) Props to Nike for turning out very limited edition shoes for the Majors this year. (Remember, those magnolia print kicks at Augusta.) All the shoes captured the essence of the tournaments in a stylish way. For The Open, Nike athletes are sporting Car-NASTY version of the brand’s Tour Premiere, Lunar Control Vapor 2, and Lunar Command 2 models a this daring Rush Pink and Gunsmoke tartan design and “NASTY” printed on the outsoles. Unfortunately, only the Jet Black colorway of the Tour Premiere arrived at retail and was sold out before those of us on the west coast woke up.

Matthew Wallace (J.Lindeberg)

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When in doubt, go with a navy and white engineered striped polo. It’s bold, yet classic. Pairing it with great-fitting navy trousers and a matching belt is always a smart play.

Henrik Stenson (Hugo Boss)

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Hugo Boss is the official outfitter of The Open and I really like this Nightwatch and Yellow combo the brand has going on. Yellow is best used as an accent color and navy is the perfect backdrop for it. This unique stripe design really pops without being overpowering and it gives off the effect of being applied with a paint roller. Of course, there is no one better to model it than Henrik Stenson.

Rickie Fowler (Puma Golf)

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Jacquards all but disappeared from the fairways for several years, but they are a strong trend heading into fall. The raised patterns are actually woven into the fabric as opposed to being printed on the material. The result is a richer, more refined aesthetic. Rickie’s diamond jacquard polo is one of my favorites for the season and it offers a subtle tip of the cap to a classic argyle pattern, which is perfect for a round in Scotland.

Danny Willett (Descente)

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The long sleeve polo is totally underutilized in the game of golf. It offers a more polished and professional look compared to layering a polo over a skin tight base layer. This Fall, do yourself a favor and pick up a long sleeve polo. (I bet you can’t buy just one.) If you want to know the proper way to wear one on the course, just check out Danny Willett. Keep the sleeves slim and pull them up to the middle of your forearm.

Thomas Curtis (Under Armour)

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I can’t tell you much about Thomas Curtis, but anyone who shows up at The Open Championship in a high crown Bay Hill visor is a friend of GolfThreads. The army green pants are pretty sweet, too.

Anirban Lahiri (Greg Norman Collection)

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With autumn colors beginning to creep onto the fairways at Carnoustie, Anirban Lahiri’s vibrant green trousers were a not so gentle reminder that there is plenty of summer to be had. Lahiri is one of the best at dialing up colorful looks. The secret to his success is balancing brights with dark colors and neutral tones, as he did here with the navy shirt, hat, and saddle shoes.

Dustin Johnson (Adidas Golf)

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I wasn’t sure about this polo when I saw it in DJ’s scripting, but he made it look good. Why do we always preach finding the proper fit here at GolfThreads? Well, this is an example of how razor-sharp fits can take your outfits to new heights on the course.

Ryan Moore (Bonobos)

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If The Open has taught us anything from a fashion standpoint, it’s that navy is the new black (or maybe it’s the new grey, or maybe it’s the new khaki). No matter how you slice it, navy is the color with which every other color is being paired with right now. If you are looking for something slightly different, but still carries the same sophistication as navy, go with indigo, as Ryan Moore did.


Fashion Crimes

Jens Dantorp

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A black belt on an all-white outfit has the same effect as a white belt on a monochromatic black kit. It creates a high level of contrast, calls attention to your midsection, and disrupts the flow of the outfit.

Rafa Cabrera-Bello

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Rafa typically appears in the Dimes section of this list, but he had contrast issues of his own. The black shoes created a harsh look with the light bone colored trousers.

Todd Hamilton

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Remember the ‘90s when everyone rolled into the pro shop, grabbed an XL shirt, and walked to the register. Yeah, Todd Hamilton still does that.

Sandy Lyle

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Speaking of the ‘90s, this picture isn’t from the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie, but that shirt looks like it made an appearance then. Vintage, but not in a good way.

Bernhard Langer

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How you doin’? Unless you are auditioning for Jersey Shore, maybe you could close at least one of those buttons, Bernhard.

Jazz Janewattananond

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I don’t understand the slip-on sleeves. If you are cold, wear a nice pullover or sweater. If they are for sun protection, then we need more stylish options for combating the sun.

2 comments

  1. I love Thomas Curtis’s belt! Even though Jen’s look is bad, I prefer it over the white belt on a monochromatic navy kit. Both bad but Jen’s was better. Rafa really messed that one up, just flat looks bad.

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