Kelly Wears $6k Suit To Met Gala

Fashion is a peculiar biz. Create garms based on unique inspiration (but also on-trend)… Or don’t, and shake things up altogether. It’s been said that the definition of luxury is wearing an army green jacket, while remaining innocent of the consequences of donning the genuine article.

So, if dressing like a solider is the definition of splendour, then what would it mean to dress a gent like Kelly Slater? And who is up to such a task? Uh, that’d be Mr John Moore.

Mr Moore has been a leading mind in the sartorial industry’s surf quarter. GQ’s Menswear Designer of The Year (2014), John helmed the heritage label M.Nii, was the creative director who launched Hollister and Modern Amusement, and more recently brought Kelly’s Outerknown to life. In short: While Kelly has been the battalion commander putting boots on the ground, making sure Outerknown’s aura get publicised, John has been the general working in the shadows, masterminding graphics, styles, fits and more.

Have you noticed Kelly’s transition from the baggy dad jeans and striped shirts of the early-2000s to threads plucked from the racks of Kering (the umbrella haus in which Outerknown shares company with Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, etc)? Yeah, we have too. It’s likely John helped gently push Kelly in such a direction.

$12,900 between John and Kelly, minimally, in this photo. 

So this year, when Kelly showed up to the 2017 Met Gala (a $175,000 table event), he was wearing a Brioni suit – an ensemble that looks every cent of the US$6,450 they can retail for. Taking style advice from John Moore, and taking advantage of a wardrobe like Kering’s, is exactly how a cultural treasure like Mr. Slater should dress.