Charlotte At Center Of Summer Man Romper Clothing Craze

CHARLOTTE, NC -- When one thinks of male rompers -- you know, those one-piece ensembles stirring controversy across the land -- most would never associate it with a city known for buttoned-up bankers and NASCAR. Thanks to Carolina Panther quarterback Cam Newton, however, Charlotte has become the unwitting fashion epicenter for the clothing craze taking over the summer, whether we like it or not.

Newton was spotted wearing a now infamous floral outfit in April at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., where he proved that the onesie look wasn’t just for toddlers.

Newton bought the outfit at boutique SCORE Retail Lounge and Sweets Bar in uptown Charlotte. The “flower-power” outfit, which was actually two pieces, was a modern take on Woodstock, SCORE owner Jay Knox told the Charlotte Observer last month. SCORE is the only store that sold the outfit, Knox said.

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Most of the customers who bought the look took home either the shirt or the shorts, not both, Knox said at the time.

The romper stomped back into view Wednesday when actress and model Brooklyn Decker took to Twitter to try to find the retail source of Newton’s outfit, setting the internet ablaze:

Her tweet falls on the heels of the RompHim campaign selling the onesies for men featuring front shirt pockets, adjustable waist, zippered back pocket, deep front pockets and a zippered fly. “Turn heads and break hearts when you take your RompHim for a spin,” the Kickstarter campaign said. “[I]t may just be the start of a fashion revolution.”

Reaction to this week’s fashion craze is much like the garment itself: revealing and colorful. “The Male Romper Has Come to Claim Your Masculinity. Enjoy It,” The Daily Beast said Wednesday. “RompHims aren't appropriate anywhere. They're ridiculous and unflattering. (The waist can be cinched, but it can not be adjusted to fit the length of individual torsos. Can you say, wedgie?),” the Detroit Free Press said May 17.

And then there were the reactions on Twitter:

What do you think about the male romper look? Sound off in the comment section below.

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