Melina Kemph can still remember when it all started to turn, when she first saw the sports world and the fashion world begin to merge.
Now an established stylist — who’s created looks for the likes of three-time Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce, NBA star Terry Rozier, and generational midfielder Andrea Pirlo — Kemph was still honing her craft, learning the finer details of menswear styling, when she noticed the shift.
“I started paying attention to what was happening in GQ, and at that time was when the NBA and Rachel Johnson were blowing up in Miami, with LeBron [James] and Dwyane Wade,” she remembers. For Kemph, the fascination with that merger, with James and Wade entering the world of high fashion, was grounded in the navigation of those details.
“I was like, ‘Whoa, there’s this niche starting where it’s not only menswear, but, how do you translate that to an athletic body?’ That just wasn’t happening really outside of GQ and Rachel and some other stylists. And I just became obsessed.
“After I saw that, with Rachel and LeBron, I was like, ‘I have to do that.’ I love the challenge of the athletic body, and showing someone that there’s more out there than just sweatpants and athleticwear.”
Kemph and Johnson — a stylist who became a central figure in the early days of the NBA’s embrace of fashion — crossed paths in 2013, collaborating on a project for one of Johnson’s clients, Amare Stoudemire.
A half-decade later, Kemph was building a roster of big-league clients herself.
“Rihanna’s Diamond Ball was my first experience with an NBA athlete, dressing for a red carpet,” Kemph says. “And I think I loved it even more because it was a suit, it was a gala — bow ties and patent leather shoes.
“That was my entry into this world.”
In Part V of our series, we asked Kemph to turn her expertise to the hockey world.
Each month until the end of the 2023-24 campaign, we’re breaking down the best style from around the game, through the eyes of professionals who’ve crafted looks for elite athletes across the sports world. And for Kemph, it’s because of that bow-tie-and-leather-shoes entry into athlete styling, and her affinity for the elevated sartorial approach, that she appreciates the NHL’s foray into the fashion landscape.
“Everyone is in a suit,” she said. “I was so surprised at how tailored everything is. But you also see their own personalities come across. … Yes, it’s all suits and formal, but everyone is putting in their own personality and interpretation.
“Everyone’s doing it really well. The colours, the patterns, the textures. And the accessories — there’s a lot of jewelry, pocket squares. Everything feels intentional.”
With that in mind, here’s how Kemph ranked the best looks from around the league over the past month.
10. Oliver Kylington, Calgary Flames
KEMPH: “I thought his pairing with the hat was done well compared to some of the others. Just the cleanliness of his colours that he put together — I love navy and black together, and with the hat as the accessory, I thought he did it best.
“It was simple, it doesn’t stand out, it didn’t distract from the suit. It was just fashion and function enough.”
9. Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings
KEMPH: “I love that it’s not a traditional suit. I love the topcoat as a blazer. The pants have a great fit and tailor on them. I love a clean, white sneaker. I didn’t think he needed the hat — I love everything else. I think the outfit’s so clean. I love the colours in the coat, and I think everything fits amazing.”
8. K’Andre Miller, New York Rangers
KEMPH: “I love the pattern of the suit. I love the white shirt and grey tie, I think the styling of that is perfect. I love the bucket hat — I was so excited to see the bucket hat and not another beanie. I think his bracelet, his jewelry, is great. I loved everything.
“It’s super clean. I totally see his personality, and the bucket hat made me smile.”
7. Nikita Zadorov, Vancouver Canucks
KEMPH: “The colour of the suit and the turtleneck — I just thought the brown was beautiful. I love that the brown of the turtleneck isn’t totally identical. I love that you see a peek of his watch. His glasses are great. The brown, I just could not get enough of.”
6. Cam Talbot, Los Angeles Kings
KEMPH: “Again, love the coat, and that it’s not a blazer, but I love the pairing underneath it — the polo shirt with the cardigan. The layering is so on point to me. The colour combinations I think are perfect. The fit is incredible. This is just done so well — it’s so clean. It feels personal and individual.”
5. J.J. Moser, Arizona Coyotes
KEMPH: “I love the layering here. The colour combinations are so spot on — I love the grey pant with the white stripe, I love that he pulls that white into the turtleneck. The layering of the flannel button-down over the turtleneck is amazing — I love that the button-down is more cream than just white. I love the length of the pant, love that he’s showing sock. The shoe feels so authentic to him.
“Comfortable and casual, but still so tailored and so put-together.”
4. Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
KEMPH: “I love the three-piece suit. I love the print of the suit, I love the black and white — I just think it’s so refreshing compared to a traditional navy or grey. The tailoring is perfect, and the print, the colour — it’s so clean. So clean.”
3. JJ Peterka, Buffalo Sabres
KEMPH: “The colour stands out to me. I love that khaki brown with black — I love black and brown together, so that felt like a really fresh combination and interpretation. The tailoring and the fit is so nice. I love the bee on the tie. I love the peek of the watch, and the cuff of the shirt coming out of the jacket — there’s just enough that you see it, you’re not searching for his shirt.
“I loved this — I was just not expecting this, and it made me so happy.”
2. Matt Duchene, Dallas Stars
KEMPH: “The pinstripes, the colour of the pinstripes — it looks like maybe a little cream, maybe it has a bit of brownish-red undertones. I love the cream tie and white shirt. At first I was searching for the tie, and then I loved that he went neutral — it made the rest of the suit pop.
“I thought the sneaker was a great choice to make it not feel so corporate-business. It feels like, ‘I’m an athlete. I’m just dressed well.’”
1. Vincent Trocheck, New York Rangers
KEMPH: “The colour definitely stood out. I love the brown with that almost copper-red tie and pocket square. And even the undertone in the pattern of the jacket, the whole suit. I love the three-piece suit — I’m always a sucker for a three-piece suit. Again, there’s enough of the shirt cuff coming out of the jacket — I think it’s perfectly tailored there. I love the bracelet that he has on, I’m pretty sure he has a watch on the other side. And the moustache — even down to his grooming, it’s so perfect.
“It’s personality, it’s fun, it’s beautifully tailored. It’s thoughtful, intentional, but you see his personality as well.”
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