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Be honest.
Were you actually paying attention to what quarterback Kirk Cousins was saying at the podium following the game-winning drive of his life to lead the Redskins to victory over the Eagles?
Or were you just lost gazing at his beautiful burgundy suit?
If you were like me, which is to say if you appreciated the finely tailored, crisp look Cousins presented to the media Sunday evening, there should be no shame in admitting the latter. His burgundy jacket, gold herringbone pants and matching wool tie made an impression, and it would be naïve to believe it didn't mirror his feeling coming off the field.
"Style reflects your personality," said Sim Khan, president of Brimble and Clark, the Washington, D.C.-based clothing company behind Cousins' custom-made suit.
"Kirk is all about football and he's all about the Redskins and the team," he said. "In order to make him comfortable enough to get him to wear something fitted, I kind of needed to put something together for him that had a functionality outside of just style."
If that isn't particularly clear, don't worry. Cousins probably wasn't sure either, at least according to his wife, Julie.
Last year, she approached Khan and told him that her husband wasn't exactly "up to snuff" when it came to fashion and style. When Khan initially met Cousins, then a backup, he was impressed with his work ethic and dedication to the team.
"Kirk is probably one of the most genuine, down to earth people I've met in the league, and I've met a lot of NFL players and a good number of Redskins," Khan said. "I don't have a shortage of good things to say about Kirk."
So Khan gathered that information and his own impressions ("he's a salt of the earth guy") and somehow began determining how to dress the quarterback, who he believed would have a natural affinity for his team's colors. He made sure the fit was comfortable because Kirk is a "guy's guy" and would have enjoyed a baggy suit over something tighter.
"We made him a ring pocket on the outside as well, which is uncommon but maybe a future ambition to bring a rung to Washington," Khan added.
Cousins wears Brimble and Clark's attire a lot now – the press conference was actually the fourth time he wore the suit since it was designed – and it's rubbed off on his teammate, and simultaneous hero in the Redskins' game-winning drive Sunday, wide receiver Pierre Garçon.
"Garçon has a totally different vibe but [is] equally impressive," Khan said. "The guy is super smart as an intellect…a master negotiator…He likes to have a little more presence in the room. He knows what he wants. When he walks into a room, he wants you to know Pierre Garçon has arrived. Pierre is a man of his word. When he says he's going to do something, he does it."
That impression was formulated on Garçon's first order: a custom sky blue windowpane jacket.
"His was the last piece of this particular fabric ever produced by the wool mill," Khan said. "He liked that. He knew he wanted it right away. On that first order, I got the sense of a guy who wanted to be noteworthy and do noteworthy things."
In some ways, Khan is peddling his first idea, that style reflects personality, that it says something about your genetic makeup, your ambition and how you want others to see you. It makes sense then that Khan was previously a lawyer before he jumped into fashion.
To be clear, the suits, which are tailored at a fitting store and then shipped to customers directly, are not exactly available for cheap. His clientele includes lawyers, doctors and financiers. He has movie stars and music artists for clients, but isn't actively pursuing them.
"If it comes, it comes and so far it has," he said.
And even though Khan doesn't watch much football, Cousins' decision to wear the suit seems in harmony with his progression as a quarterback – more poised, more confident, more mature.
On Sunday, you could say it was a perfect fit.
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