The Group Chat: The F in NFL is for fashion

Our group chat is buzzing about this weekend’s NFL Divisional Round, but the girlies aren’t just talking about the on-field action — following the WNBA’s lead, NFL players are garnering more attention for their fashion than ever before, from Dallas Cowboy CeeDee Lamb’s Cartier stacks to Chicago Bear Caleb Williams’ manicures.

• It’s no coincidence that the rise of female fandom is happening alongside a deeper integration of fashion and football. While women are changing what it means to be a fan, players are shaking up the standard image of an NFLer…and the tunnel ’fits prove it.

• Today, we went behind the scenes with athlete stylist Sydney Bordonaro to learn how she dresses pro athletes to meet the moment. Time to eat.

Bordonaro didn’t set out to be a stylist. A hooper at heart with a deep love for her hometown of Pittsburgh, she played NCAA Division I basketball and was chasing a career as an NBA agent when an old friend, the Seattle Storm’s Jewell Loyd, asked for help putting together some looks. Soon after, the LA Sparks’ Kelsey Plum came calling, and the rest is history.

• Bordonaro is known primarily for styling some of the WNBA’s biggest names, but she also works with male athletes. Working with players like Skyy Moore of the San Francisco 49ers, Bordonaro’s becoming increasingly busy styling football’s best.

Think that being a stylist is just about finding cool clothes or following trends? Think again. Bordonaro understands that many athletes love fashion because it allows them to express themselves in a new way (and a way that team uniforms don’t allow for), so she refines her process based on players’ unique personalities.

• “I want to build an image and help create [their] brand,” she said. “We want to create an image that’s consistent…and to dress people for who they are. I don’t want to put them in something they’re not.”

• That takes a lot of time, energy, connection, and care. “[Fashion’s] a form of expression. They can express themselves on the court or field, but what’s more a form of expression than how you dress?”

“I also think about it from a marketing perspective. I’m trying to get [players] brand deals,” Bordonaro explained, mentioning how she helped USWNT star Jaedyn Shaw land a partnership with Coach.

• This reinforces how sports and fashion feed into each other. Athletes aren’t just borrowing style from brands; fashion labels are actively choosing athletes as partners because of their cultural influence.

When NFL players show their personal style, it also connects them with existing and new fans in a fresh, more authentic way. “People are drawn in because of the ’fits and the personalities, and then you watch a game, and you’re suddenly locked in,” Bordonaro said.

• Take high-fashion TikToker Jack Savoie’s series on men’s sports stars like the Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson, sprinkled in with analyses of celebrity red carpet looks. When an NFL player is featured in the same discussion as Jennifer Lawrence in Dior, you know that times are a’changing.