Barneys creative ambassador Simon Doonan penned an ode to soccer’s most fashionable stars.
Your new book, “Soccer Style,” tackles the intersection of football and fashion — from David Beckham’s sartorial rebellion to Lionel Messi’s Dolce & Gabbana suits. Why are soccer stars so stylish?
They’re sample size — so they’re a perfect fit for a suit, while other sportsmen tend to be very bulky up top or too tall for sample size. Soccer players are clotheshorses. They’re wiry and slim, so their bodies look good in everything. And of course they have the dough. Many of them are label kings.
You talk about Manchester United legends George Best and David Beckham as transformative figures — why did they make such a mark?
It’s all about timing. George Best was an astonishingly good-looking guy who came along when the [soccer] wage cap was lifted, so suddenly players had money to spend. It was the swinging ’60s and he was known as the fifth Beatle. He opened up his own boutiques and became a full participant in pop culture. He’s a folk hero. Thirty years later, David Beckham came along when the Premier League was starting, while celebrity culture was going full throttle. Beckham had this wonderful self-confidence and was experimental. Remember, he wore a sarong. He was the first player to buck the authority of his manager by always changing his hair. He worked hard and wasn’t a bad boy, but this was an area where he liked to exert his creative independence.
An entire section of your book is devoted to beards, hair and tattoos. How have they become significant?
The players are told what to wear and when to show up and they lead fairly regimented lives, but hair and ink is something the manager can’t really control. Beckham had to shave off his mohawk as per [former Manchester United manager] Alex Ferguson. Managers comment on it all the time: “If he spent less time fiddling with his hair he would have scored more goals.” But I see it as very healthy. They need a creative outlet. And specifically in the instance of ink — which has exploded — it’s a way for players to maintain that ferocity and aggression they need to charge onto the pitch and feel like they can wipe the floor with the opposing team.
Soccer style isn’t just about the players, but also those fashionable WAGs (wives and girlfriends).
The world cup in Germany in 2006 was the really big WAG moment, when it entered the cultural vernacular. There was really a moment of youthful exuberance and hilarity. I think the WAG phenomenon as it was depicted in the media coincided with a huge explosion in designer accessories, so it was all about what bag you were carrying and the status. A lot of them were from working-class backgrounds so status was important.
