Life

10 tips from Don Cherry

‘When wearing a striped shirt, only a plain tie’ . . . and other tips from the Coach’s Corner

Photo By Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images

French cuffs, suit-appropriate ties and no coloured shirts in the evening. It’s a safe, understated dress code—but maybe not the one you’d expect from hockey commentator Don Cherry.

Cherry agreed to share the following sartorial wisdom for our Book of Lists, so long as it was reproduced verbatim. What follows are his top 10 fashion tips, in his own words:

 “When people think of me and my clothes, they think of the wild jackets that I wear on Coach’s Corner, and they are very disappointed when they see me in a sensible suit. I have one set of clothes for TV and another for ordinary use, and here are my 10 tips on clothes:”

1. “Suits and jackets always pressed.”

2. “Shoes always shined and shoe trees put in to keep their shape.”

3. “Long socks never to show flesh, pulled tight, no sag (the sock, that is ).”

4. “When hanging a suit or jacket, proper hangers a must to fit suit properly, and space between suits to breathe.”

5. “Appropriate ties. When I wear one of my wild jackets, always a plain tie. Don’t try to gild the lily, and always a single Windsor.”

6. “Shirts hand pressed, never to laundry to ruin, and heavily starched. Bleached occasionally and only worn once, and always French cuffs with monogrammed initials (in case I get lost).”

7.“Never wear a colored shirt at night, only daytime.”

8. “When wearing a striped shirt, only a plain tie.”

9. “Pants: a small break at the shoe, not sloppy or too short as if you have a flood in your basement, and always with braces that match.”

10. “Finally, Ron MacLean and I when travelling always wear a shirt and tie with our suits. Look around the airports next time, you seldom see anyone wearing a shirt and tie, you will see most men wear an open neck collar with their suits. That’s because it’s comfortable and feels good, but that’s not for me, because as my Dad and Fernando used to say, ‘It’s better to look good than feel good.’ ”

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