FIVE HOURS BEFORE he walks the red carpet at the year's biggest night in fashion, Saquon Barkley looks at himself in the mirror as stylists from designer Thom Browne dress him for the evening. The windows in his suite showcase the cityscape, featuring older buildings that are flanked by even taller structures, but the entrance at the Upper East Side hotel is across the street from Central Park, where the majestic oval that surrounds Fifth Avenue can seem otherworldly to an out-of-towner.
As Rod Wave's crooning voice on the song "Bachelor" plays in the suite, the 28-year-old Barkley sings along, eager to put on his new threads, which are so dynamic that he is impressed when he looks at himself.