July 17, 2015 11:39 am

The Athletes of Men’s Fashion Week

By Stephanie Eckardt

Photo: Hunter Abrams.com/BFA

Not all of the tall men towering over the runways at New York Fashion Week: Men’s were models — there were plenty of dressed-up pro athletes making us crane our necks, too. Victor Cruz, wide receiver for the New York Giants and self-proclaimed fashion geek, started the week off strong at the CFDA’s kick-off party with Diane von Furstenberg, and kept turning up. To be fair, he’s a NYFWM ambassador — as is Dwyane Wade, who plays on the Miami Heat and brought Gabrielle Union to shows like Public School, with his teammate Amar’e Stoudemire, a long-time Anna Wintour favorite, not far behind. Though Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton was denied entry to Wimbledon for dressing too flashy just last week, he had no problem getting into the men’s shows, even managing to hang out with Joe Jonas and Gigi Hadid. Click through the slideshow to see basketball and baseball players mingling backstage and taking over the sometimes-empty front rows. (Be kind: They’re still learning that fashion shows don’t start on time.)