The holiday season may be over, but that doesn’t mean the fun has ended. Before we can get into what I know you’re all here for (pompoms and satin pants), we have to talk about something else: tigers. Or, a tiger.

Leaving aside how great this picture is on its own merits—everyone in it is clearly having a fucking blast—that denim jacket Mitch is wearing is somehow more interesting than his shoes (side question: what in God’s name is up with his shoes? And Auston’s—are those studded?). It’s so interesting, in fact, that when I saw them from the back I mistook him for Auston at first, because it’s just such an Auston thing to wear.

It was pretty easy to track down the jacket in question on the Gucci website, where it is modelled by a man who appears to be wearing plaid pajama pants and a set of brass knuckles. At some point, I’d like to sit down the Maple Leafs as a team and introduce them to fashion houses that are not Gucci, but until the day comes that I can present my carefully curated PowerPoint selling them on Junya Watanabe and Tom Ford this is, I suppose, better than some alternatives. It’s a $1,950 jacket embroidered with a tiger, a butterfly, and some dubiously translated French, but for Gucci, this is restrained and tasteful. Snaps to Mitchy for wearing it with a plain white shirt and black pants, not trying for the Canadian tuxedo look. Weird shoelaces aside, it’s a fun outfit.

Now, on to the thing I know you’re all here for: those costumes. Those amazing, amazing costumes.

Wow.

The Cannon Doll costumes don’t appear to have changed much since Mats Sundin wore one—loose, long-sleeved tunics belted at the waist with cord, with what looks like a blue cropped jacket-style overlay at the top and an attached collar, and then billowing pants that are gathered at the ankles and worn with soft shoes that won’t scuff the stage. If you look closely, you’ll note that the two costumes are inversions of each other—orange fabric is used on Auston’s pants but Mitch’s tunic, and vice versa, down to the trim. The orange and red pompoms are even in an inverse order on the two costumes, which is just a great level of detail to make the two of them seem like a matched set. Stick taps to the National Ballet costume designer.

The up-close look at the wigs reveals they’re yarn, which is a cute touch for costumes that are supposed to be of dolls. Matthews told the media that the costume was extremely comfortable—if it wouldn’t have made some costumer’s job immensely harder on short notice, I’d like to imagine him sneaking off with it and wearing it as a very splashy loungewear set. He could make it a trend. Cannon Doll Chic.

Quick Hits:

In November’s report, I said that Willie should wear this suit with a contrasting shirt and a tie, and lo and behold he listened to me. This obviously means that William Nylander reads this column and I will hear no other explanation. (We’ll work on the beanie later).

I’d like to talk to the Reebok stylist about this ad, in which he is wearing what appears to be a velour zip sweatshirt, like a sorority girl from 2006. The man is lucky he’s that handsome.

Mitch’s shirt in that first photo is nice enough—I do like the contrasting trim around the inner collar and the black buttons—but the winner in this picture is Bonnie Marner’s chain belt and possible (probable?) formal jumpsuit. A+ Mom’s Trip style.

I’m a nitpicker by nature, so when I say that this jacket is absolutely perfect and one of the best things Matthews has ever worn, I mean it. This is an amazing piece. It’s the classic moto cut done in blue suede instead of the standard black leather, which transforms it from a punk staple into something more sophisticated, the kind of thing he could wear with plaid trousers as in the photo or with one of his eleventy million pairs of skintight black jeans with ripped knees. The tailoring of that jacket, and the way it emphasizes his proportions, is masterfully done. Five out of five stars.

We are not discussing anything happening on his head.

If one is going to wear a plaid suit—and I would like to make it clear that if you try, that is a risk you take on your own, I am not responsible for the outcome—this is a good way to do it. It’s got complementary, not contrasting colors (blue and green as opposed to, say, red and green), and the proportion of the check is neither too big or too small. It also fits immaculately; an ill-fitting patterned suit is a visual disaster.

We are not discussing anything happening on his face.

Frederik Andersen has quietly been establishing himself as a fantastic dresser this season. He’s got a much less flashy, more mature style than a lot of his teammates, but this outfit is a great example of what he does well. The subtle pattern mixing of the tie and shirt is perfect, the stripes of the red tie picking up the blue check of the shirt so they coordinate but don’t compete. The blue palette is very flattering with his coloring (he wears a lot of blue generally, which is a great choice for a redhead), and the brown suede boots are simple but look good.

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Lifestyle Tailoring / Frederick Andersen. Over the years we have worked with many different athletes and peak performance individuals. Through this work, we've had to push deeper, testing and experimenting with innovative fabrics outside of traditional tailoring components. Our recent work with the Maple Leafs Frederick Andersen is a testament to this. Together, we've worked to develop a complete wardrobe, one that matches a high performance lifestyle. A lifestyle where everything needs to work: fit, fabrics and versatility. The three components that make up lifestyle tailoring. The goal is always to bring together pieces cohesively, a complete look, that enhance your day to day.

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Also, sometimes he cosplays as a Bond villain, and that is a lot of fun for everyone, but especially me.

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💎✨🍉

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The 1990s are back, and Markham Thunder forward Ailish Forfar has turned a black turtleneck, cream knit knee-length cardigan, and wide-brimmed fedora (three relatively tricky pieces to make work) into a great outfit. She also definitely knows how to compose a photograph—look at the shadow on the wall!

I love this hot-pink cropped sweater on Natalie Spooner—the scalloped hem is an especially adorable touch, and the color is beautiful on her. It’s great paired with dark-wash jeans and what looks like a tucked-in undershirt to make it work in December. I covet this sweater.

This wraps up our 2018 Fashion Recaps; let’s all hope that the Maple Leafs, collectively, made a New Year’s resolution to wear more animal print. Or florals. Or sequins. Or maybe, just maybe, if we’re really lucky, Marner and Matthews have now developed a taste for pompoms. Whatever happens in January, if the season so far is any indication, it’ll be a delight.

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