Banquet Preview/Review

Ok, I am so excited about the awards ceremony this Friday because VEGAS, BABY! And I can't wait to see Chad up there on the stage looking smug as hell about being at the champ's table for four years in a row, and rocking the sexy James Bond vibe in that suit and tie. In honor of that, I'd like to present a fashion rewind of Chad at the last three awards ceremonies and see how he's done.

2008 Awards Ceremony

Lookin' good! I like the shiny lapel (which you can't see very good in this picture, but in the other one I found, I think he's a little dazed by the camera flash and unintentionally looks depressed/bored as heck, so work with me here); it makes the suit look very sleek and appropriately dressy. Carl had a similar jacket, and it looked quite nice, too.

Now, is this supposed to be a black tie event? I was about to make fun of Kyle Busch's bow tie (I don't care how formal it is; he still looks like he should have a pocket protector with it), but if it is black tie, then technically, he was doing it right, and nobody should be wearing a regular tie at all. However, since everybody's breaking the rules, I prefer a slightly off-black (is that a word?) tie, like the very nice one Mr. Knaus is wearing here. Not too rebellious, but more than just plain ol' black. Jimmie and Tony both wore black ties last year, and it made them look like Agents Johnson and Stewart, F.B.I. Part of the problem is they were too wide (especially Jimmie's), but it's just kinda blah, ya know? Kudos to Chad for kicking it up a notch and looking great like a 3-time champ should.

2008 Champion's Celebration at Marquee

Not the actual banquet, but there's just so much to talk about here that I had to include it. First, I love the plum shirt - great color on him! It's always a "wow" moment when you seen him in something besides Lowe's blue, and this gets an extra "wow" out of me! Second - OMG, Converse!!! Some fashionistas would probably frown upon his choice of shoe, but I have been wearing Chuck Taylors since 5th grade, and I highly approve. This is how I know Chad is rad: he likes Pink Floyd, creamy peanut butter, and Converse shoes. Seriously, can you get any cooler than that?

Now, let's take a detour here and talk about that velvet jacket. I'm not sure I love the jacket in general, and paired with the purple shirt? Eh, I think I would have picked one or the other (preferably the shirt!). And frankly, if I'd heard that Chad was going somewhere in purple and velvet without having seen a picture first, my first thought as to where he was going would've totally been "NASCAR pimp and ho party."

Thankfully it's nowhere near that bad in reality, but let's not go putting that thought in anybody's head again, because you just KNOW if one of those jokers had that idea they'd want to go for it, and I do NOT want to see pictures of Scott Speed or Robby Gordon in huge purple hats and sporting canes, trying to look "fly." Oh, who am I kidding, Ron Hornaday has probably already hosted like a ton of those parties over the years...that'd actually be pretty tame for him, considering his little get-togethers usually include things like indoor garden hose fights.

2007 Awards Ceremony

Aha, I see what's going on here - the jacket was left over from the '07 banquet! I must say, this wasn't exactly the high point for The Chad, fashion-wise. Even without the purple shirt, I just can't really say I'm a fan of the velvet jacket. At least it's not double-breasted, though...that just never works out, unless you're like Prince Charles or something. The gray pants don't do anything for me, either, although they look a lot darker in this pic, for example. If they are actually darker, though, then it all just looks a little too plain with the black tie and the X-Files Agent problem rears its head. It seems he got the message, though, since he stepped it up for '08 and relegated the velvet jacket to the after party. Good job on that, Chad. (And WTF is he doing to Bruna? He's all like, "Hmm, interesting...is this feathers or fur?")

2006 Awards Ceremony

Aww, Chad's vewwy first trophy! Hmm, okay, this is totally the same jacket he wore again in '08, isn't it? Sorry Chad, but we've got your number, now! I approve in this case, though...it's a nice jacket. And if it's a choice between the velvet one and this one - definitely this one. Dig the champagne-colored tie; very appropriate, considering the occasion! THAT is how you break the rules and look good doing it. Very nice first showing! This year, please consider a new suit, though, before someone besides me notices this isn't the first rodeo that jacket's been in.


And this next one I just wanted to throw in here because LEATHER JACKET ALERT!!!

I don't really need to explain, do I? All I'll add is that this needs to happen on a much more frequent basis.