Fulham’s cosmic third kit, Hincapie’s smile (and Arsenal’s third kit), and a collar at Hull.

When a new kit drops for any club, it’s usually the subject of much debate amongst a fan base. Does it nod to a much-loved moment of lore? Is it the ‘right’ shade of red or blue? What cartoon character does it (inadvertently?) reference? Is it a new take on a kit that won something?

But, amongst the club-specific stuff, there are always trends. Here are three for kits across the Premier League this season. Plus - the best and worst, and the colour you’ll see off the pitch this season.

Everton’s Japan-adjacent away kit, SFW stripes at Brentford and horizontal for Leeds.

Skinny stripes are a thing

The Japan away kit for the World Cup is having quite the effect on club shirts this season. Both Brentford and Everton have away kits with skinny stripes, with Everton’s doing the best impression. I’m also into the executive realness of Brentford’s pinstripe kit, especially meta with job site Indeed as their sponsor. These stripes also work horizontal - as seen for Ipswich away and Leeds home.

Newcastle’s ultraviolet, the actual Little Twin Stars and clouds for Man City.

Little Twin Stars is the colour reference

You wouldn’t think people designing football kits were keen on deep cuts from Sanrio, the Japanese company who gave the world Hello Kitty. But then you look at the copious amount of dreamy pastels across clubs this season - from the pink and blue of Fulham’s third kit to the ultraviolet Newcastle one from Newcastle. Man City, meanwhile, have really lent into this trend. Their pre-match shirt is literally clouds. I rest my case.

Collars at Villa and Man United. I need a long read on the styling here.

Collars are so back

If collars are often spotted on Instagram accounts dedicated to kits worn in the nineties, they have been relatively rare on the pitch recently. Just looking at my collection of Arsenal kits, the most recent collared one I have dates to the dreaded Puma years. But they are very much back for 26/27 - featuring on home kits for Villa, Hull (unsurprisingly sold out) and Man United. Yet another example of how our knowledge and love for retro kits is effecting what new ones look like.

Sunderland x The King, Arsenal does butter yellow, and a crowd print from Cov.

The best kit(s) of 26/27

Arsenal third kit

Obviously I am going to go for Arsenal. The away kit, paying homage to the bruised banana, is a future classic (I was lucky enough to be in a short documentary talking about it. Still not quite over that) but - actually - I think the third is a classy choice. In butter yellow - the colour of now - with touches of red and blue on collar and cuffs, it’s as elegant as a Martin Odegaard pass.

(It goes without saying here I, like many Arsenal fans, do not like the fact the Deel logo is on the sleeve. It would be great to have a non-problematic sleeve sponsor soon.)

Sunderland away

Taking my fan hat off for a second, there’s another strong contender here - Sunderland’s away kit. Pink and black with a very 26/27 collar and a diamond pattern not a million miles away from the Louis Vuitton monogram, it’s a collaboration with Elvis’ estate, thanks to fans singing his 1961 hit ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’. A great colour combo, a collar and a IYKYK reference, I’m jealous of this one.

Cov home

Honourable mention goes to Cov’s home kit for their return to the Premier League after 25 years. Based on the one worn for their victorious 1987 FA Cup Final, fans are debating if the blue is actually sky blue but the print of the crowd in a blue-on-blue print is a lovely touch.

Gone big, go home - the Vitality logo on the Bournemouth shirt this season.

The worst kit of 26/27

Bournemouth home

Bournemouth (who I will forever thank for 19.05.26) have not had a great time with kits recently. They have had the indignity of featuring a sponsor that sounds like spam for the past two seasons - bj88. And now Vitality, the sponsor of the stadium, is on the shirt. There’s no missing the change - the logo for the insurance company is XXXL, like one of those giant birthday badges. The fact that the pink of the logo clashes with the black and red of the home kit only makes matters worse. Let’s hope for better design next time.

A colour trend coming for the new season.

Is khaki the off-pitch colour of 26/27?

When Como played a friendly at the Emirates this month, a heartwarming picture of manager Cesc Fabregas and Mikel Arteta went around the Arsenal corner of the internet, thanks to the two of them wearing what is essential the same outfit: black tops and khaki trousers. There’s almost no doubt that we’ll see Arteta’s again this season. He wore them for the Community Shield and, as any fan knows, this is a man who likes a uniform.

Others are on board too - commentating on the Community Shield, Laura Woods, Joleon Lescott and Martin Keown were a symphony of khaki. Expect to see more when everything kicks off on Friday.

Cesc and AW, the Beckhams and Spain’s best gal pals, Penelope Cruz and Rosalia.

It had to come to an end sometime. And if it’s not the end many people reading this would have wanted, Spain felt like worthy tournament winners, even if the Final was far from a classic.

I made loads of style notes while watching the knockout rounds. The pleasing pink and blue of the Belgian away kit. Senegalese goalkeeper Mory Diaw’s amazing asymmetric hair. Normcore touches on the touchline from Cape Verde manager Bubista (jeans!) and Morocco’s Mohamed Ouahbi (glasses!). The continued, slightly inexplicable ‘fancy work do’ style of Kelly Cates (that is another long read, I fear).

But, as I touched on this in the previous SoP, I have also been increasingly amused/fascinated by something that seems suited to the razzle dazzle nature of World Cup 2026 - the celebrity style in the stands.

Here are seven of my favourite cameos during this tournament - plus one from a guest, K’Andra Bennett. It’s been a wild ride. Roll on Brazil 2027.

Ronaldinho, star power in co-ords

Ronaldinho, Brazil vs Japan

If his cameo driving Madonna’s car with Brazilian Ronaldo in the halftime show was, erm, unforgettable, the Brazilian legend brought the fits throughout the Brazil games in the tournament. These brown co-ords plus Jordan bucket hat, glasses chain and rope chain was particularly choice. Let’s hope they aren’t just part of his questionable Boohoo collab. That would be sad.

Boss energy from Makelele

Claude Makelele, Paraguay vs France

A man so influential to modern football that he has his own position - the almost mythical ‘Makelele role’ - the France legend was easily spotted by commentators often stumped when the cameras pan to celeb celebs. His classic suit felt like a good take on standard, but the glasses - Michael Caine meets Curtis Mayfield - stood out to me. Tres (geek) chic.

The sports style prince, Timmy C

Timothee Chalamet, France vs Spain

Anyone who watched the Knicks win the NBA playoffs earlier this year would know of Timmy C’s passion for basketball. But those slightly deeper in the fandom would also know he likes football too - supporting Ligue 2’s St Etienne, thanks to spending summers in France will his grandparents. They might have inspired his support of France the team too - shown, as we are used to with Chalamet by now, through his clothes as well as his enthusiasm. If he was at the Final with Kylie, wearing a simple Adidas long sleeve, the classic vintage France zip-up for the semi is enviable, especially when paired with squaoval glasses.

Wow. No notes

Penelope Cruz and Rosalia, Spain vs Austria

What’s the opposite of Andre Leon Talley’s famine of beauty? This picture. Penelope and Rosalia could be the gal pals football never knew it needed. The fact that Rosalia ruffled traditionalists’ feathers with her scarf placement (on the head?! What?!) only added to the moment. As did the fact that Cruz wore a Corteiz cap. Honestly, the very definition of icons only.

I’d love to hear from a body language expert on this picture

The Beckhams, Norway vs England

It was Victoria’s ‘celebration’ of Bellingham’s first goal that gained the headlines here, but there’s a lot going on in this picture - namely David’s continual insistence of wearing what I would call a stockbroker’s suit, often to stadiums like the one in Miami, that were cloaked in nearly 40 degree heat. It was hugely noticeable when he said hello to Chalamet in his tracksuit, and it’s noticeable here when the buttoned-up suit is compared to his children in oversized sportswear. Time to loosen up a bit, Sir.

Terrible picture, but great outfit

Mick Jagger, England vs Argentina

Jagger’s reaction to Argentina going ahead was shared - both digitally and emotionally - in the days following England’s defeat. But his look is worth appreciating too: a Liberty print oversized shirt and slogan cap (I have spent a long time trying to read what it says and still can’t quite make it out). There’s a very famous octogenarian musician inside this outfit but, add a Fitzcarraldo tote, and it would not look out of place on a young creative commuting on London’s Windrush line.

‘And another thing’. Mo Elneny and Arsene

Arsene and…

As an Arsenal fan, I find it deeply sad and embarrassing that Arsene Wenger - a hero of all heroes - works with the scum that is Gianni Infantino. However, the one upside is the occasional cameo of an Arsenal old boy next to The Boss. I have seen Elneny for Argentina vs Egypt, and Fabregas for the England game against Norway. The context might be deeply weird but - what can I say? - the heart wants what it wants.

Is it a Flat White? A cortado? I’d love to know Bey’s coffee order

Beyonce, World Cup Final

Are capris Beyonce’s new signature? After her performance with Jay-Z earlier in the month, wearing a design covered in crystals, she went with lace for the World Cup final. And, as Queen Bey since the noughties, she’s well within her rights to revive this Y2K staple - after all, 2026 is the new 2006. Here she wore a sheer custom LaQuan Smith white lace capri-length bodysuit saving her modesty with a cropped cream trench coat. The conclusion? Even on her day off - complete with a cup of joe, and hubby in a Yankees cap - she came to play. Who knew you could look so poised off the pitch? Beyonce sure did. K’Andra Bennett

A few sporty bits I have written recently

Nike’s football boots for Dazed

Dream commission - all about Saka, for the excellent Practice magazine

‘Walk on outfits’ at tennis for The Guardian

The glorious style of Megan Pickford for Vogue

Fun interview with Keely Hodgkinson also for Vogue

Have a fun summer refreshing the transfer rumours! I’ll be back with the Prem in August.

Sebastian Beccacece’s mane, Gary’s plaid and Ronaldinho doing Ronaldinho things.

The World Cup has eclipsed my every evening plan since it began on 11th June. Yes, there are too many teams, the hydration breaks are annoying and FIFA head honcho Gianni Infantino is repellent but…football every night is too much for me to resist. I’ve loved watching Cape Verde advance to the knockouts, I’ve fallen (footballistically) for Michael Olise, I enjoyed the second half of England vs Croatia and watched sadfacedly as Scotland tumbled down the third place table, sending the Tartan Army home.

Of course, as well as the football, there’s the fashion. As we move to round of 32, here are a few aesthetic observations I have made across the group stage games.

Shaffelburg’s glorious mullet, in profile.

The hockey mullet has come to the World Cup

Host nation Canada have reached the last 16 of a World Cup for the first time in their history. If watching their team isn’t exactly fireworks, there’s Jacob Shaffelburg, the man with the most perfect curly hockey mullet you’ll ever see, to keep you interested. Top marks.

Also worth noting is Panama’s José Luis Rodríguez - who dyed his hair red for the World Cup, bringing back a tradition I will always enjoy. See Phil Foden’s peroxide crop before Euro 2020.

Roy Keane, Ange Postecoglou and Gary Lineker are fans of the pundit polo.

Introducing the pundit polo - and laid-back Lineker

Whether ITV or BBC, those on the couch chatting about games haven’t always agreed - but they are aligned on the polo shirt as uniform. It might be Micah Richards or Gary Neville, Theo Walcott or Ange Postecoglou, the polos are always there. (Ian Wright, a man who has style flair, is obviously a different matter).

I wrote about the current vogue for this ubiquitous item in menswear, but there’s something especially interesting about its take-up by pundits, men who are wary of stepping outside of any sartorial lines for fear of online trolling when on live TV. Here, the polo’s unremarkable nature turns it into something more like armour.

But Gary Lineker? He’s reached zero fucks given kind of dressing, if his surprise cameo is anything to go by. The relaxed plaid shirt and seventies style glasses felt positively - fashion word incoming - insouciant in the ITV studio. More please.

Tuchel in actual M & S, Nagelsmann in might-as-well-be.

The M&Sification of manager style

Thomas Tuchel wore a M & S merino polo for England’s game against Croatia - but the look of the British retailer appears to have gone across other nation’s managers too. See Germany’s Julian Nagelsmann in a shacket and white tee for a press conference or the Netherlands’ Ronald Koeman in inky blue T-shirt and khaki slacks for their win vs Tunisia. Much like the pundit polo, this is about a ‘safe if still vaguely stylish’ uniform. Which makes sense even if it is a little boring.

There have been some dugout bright spots, however - Switzerland’s Murat Yakin’s seventies specs and bob are always a vibe, and Maurizio Pochettino is clearly living his best life as manager of USMNT if the sheen of his hair is anything to go by. But it’s Ecuador manager Sebastian Beccacece who really wins the prize - his long blonde mane and white knit at the Germany match looks more offduty surfer than a guy who gesticulates next to a field for a living. Excelente!

Alessia Russo, centre, and her brilliant bubble skirt.

Sideline scene stealers - and some on the pitch too

Increasingly, we see the people at football attending football games while watching them - whether goats like Robert Pires or actors like Jessica Alba. Scotland vs Brazil had some great ones, despite the result. See David Beckham and his goblet of wine in the stands, and Ronaldinho looking like an absolute style god in personalised basketball jersey, jorts and aviator shades. Swoon.

Alessia Russo, meanwhile, brought the bubble skirt to the World Cup when she was pitch side before the England game this weekend, something we can all get on board with.

On the pitch meanwhile, those who aren’t typically watching a lot of footy have been kept engaged watching a bunch of athletic young men run around. Cue a different competition - on which is the most handsome team at the World Cup. I enjoyed this on the Iran team and I am very pleased that Teen Vogue is doing vital work.

Enjoy the rest of the tournament. I know I will.

Championes’ caps, Pep’s slacks and Gordon a Barcelona

This is a tardy Style of Play, one meant to arrive in inboxes soon after the final whistle blew on the 25/26 season. However, as an Arsenal fan, my attention has been elsewhere - singing at the Emirates on a weekday night, glued to Sky Sports on Sunday 24th May to see the trophy lift (sob), with every player for every kick of the Champions League Final (sigh) and for the Party to end all parties On the Streets of North London this Sunday, a day that I, along with 1.5m other people, didn’t want to ever end.

So, with a World Cup waiting in the wings, I’m going to keep this one short with just a few style-related moments I noticed as 25/26 draws to a close. Do they give us clues to the style talking points for next season? Who knows, but they’re something to think about when there’s next a lull in the transfer rumours.

Enjoy the summer - I for one can’t wait for the weird haircuts, debatable kits and manager style moments that an international tournament brings.

One shade of grey for Arteta

A very Arteta glow up

Any football fan could probably draw Mikel Arteta at this point - prowling the touchline in a black quarter zip jumper, grey trousers, black smart shoes. But, since we won the League on that Tuesday night in Bournemouth, there’s been a change. A tasteful grey short-sleeved quarter zip has replaced the black one, and it’s been teamed with black trousers. Hardly a tactical tweak in line with putting Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield but - still - pretty radical for someone who takes ‘uniform’ to a secondary school levels.

Sidenote, but I was touched to see him back in red and white at both Selhurst Park and for the parade on Sunday. It almost felt like he might line up to blast in a free kick, like it was 2014 all over again.

Gordon in front of Gordon at his Barca press conference

Gordon’s grin

Anthony Gordon’s transfer to Barcelona is the biggest transfer so far this summer, and much has been made of his speech in Spanish (he also spoke a bit of Catalan to fans while signing shirts, surely the move that will really endear him).

But was anyone paying attention to his suit? Double-breasted, and worn with an open-necked shirt, and sunglasses in the top pocket, it looked pretty capital F Fashion, not that dissimilar to the one Callum Turner wore to marry Dua Lipa this weekend, or indeed Declan Rice’s for his Arsenal unveiling in 2023. His hair, meanwhile, was wet look, rather than in the headband Newcastle fans might have been familiar with.

Gordon is not usually one of football’s fashion plates so this is a surprise - albeit a pleasant one. The suit is a massive upgrade on the last time I remember seeing him in one - at Wimbledon last year, where he looked like a cricket umpire. Whatever the backstory, Gordon’s European makeover is molt bo in my book.

A beautiful sight: Saka in sunglasses and cap, with his trophy, at the parade on Sunday

The accessories of Champions

My Instagram is currently, as you might imagine, a fog of red flare smoke, and footage of Arsenal buses going down the streets of North London. Scenes.

Obviously, I can’t get enough of this content from a fan perspective but I also noticed a bit of a trend amongst the players - backwards caps and ski style sunglasses. Big Gabi, Ben White, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze all had versions of the same look. Part JFK Jr, part nineties Face shoot, it’s one I suspect we’re going to see all summer - whether on actual footballers or people having an ice cream in the park.

Guardiola in the shirt that changed football manager style forever

Pep’s style legacy is the one to beat

Guardiola’s departure of Man City not only marks the end of an era football-wise, but he leaves a gaping hole when it comes to style too. I have especially enjoyed his ‘the wheels have come off’ look this season, with that seismic slacker-style Our Legacy plaid shirt, and the forties dogtooth trousers (more on that here).

While a lot of managers look ok - occasionally even nice in the case of Arteta, Marco Silva and Michael Carrick - the League is now lacking someone with real fashion flair. Enzo Maresca is expected to replace Guardiola this summer, but he’s more of a tracksuit guy than the type to wear relatively obscure Scandi labels on a regular. As it stands, the vacancy remains open. Let’s see if it’s filled in August.

In other news, I’ve been writing loads about footy lately. A few pieces to check out:

Throw in coach Thomas Gronnemark for Practice

The story of women’s football for Circle Zero Eight

Alisha Lehmann for Players

Zohran Mamdani’s Arsenal kurta for The Guardian

Liam Rosenior as tech bro, Pep’s seismic shirt and a padded shacket on Vitor Matos

It’s happened a few times recently. There I’ll be, watching a game of football, focusing on the players on the pitch when they’ll be a distraction of a sartorial nature in the dugout. It happened watching Cov vanquish Swansea 3-0 and make another step towards automatic promotion. There was Swansea manager Vitor Matos - a man I was not aware of until this match - wearing what might be described as a padded shacket, the kind more likely seen on a mid-level ad exec than a football manager.

The Premier League’s new recruits also have points of interest. See Igor Tudor’s Bond villain style poloneck and King Henry VIII beard. Or Michael Carrick’s pea coat. Previously discussed here, it’s looking a little tired a couple of months in. Poor Liam Rosenior, meanwhile, has been much mocked for his tactics - whether respecting the ball or leaning into LinkedIn - and his blazer plus hoodie look also feels like it too has a somewhat doomed but expensive concept behind it. It’s very Lukas Matsson-coded. If, once upon a time, managers basically wore either a tracksuit or an actual suit, this is all part of the new normal in 2026.

Pep’s checked trousers at Sunday’s cup final

Of course, the biggest news in manager style recently is Pep’s plaid shirt. Worn for City’s defeat to Real Madrid last week, it set the menswear-meets-footy timelines on fire. Made by Swedish brand Our Legacy with a price tag of £270, this humble shirt - absolutely not smart like a suit or sporty like a tracksuit - has radically shifted the axis of what a football manager is ‘meant’ to look like. GQ dubbed it a ‘stoner’ shirt, Versus called “chill guy Pep in full effect.” He continued the run on Sunday. As much as I was in deep football pain watching Arsenal disappear in the second half of the Carabao Cup final, there was welcome distraction on the sidelines from Guardiola’s checked strides.

It makes sense that he sticks out here. When he joined City in 2016, he brought the skinny suiting and school boy jumpers of a 2010s indie band. It’s not like other managers hadn’t had fashion influence (see Jose Mourinho and, surely, Wenger, who basically invented the dugout puffer jacket) but as he brought the team success, Pep became the latest blueprint of what a manager should look like. Others started adopting the jumpers, and the suits. As he switched to different looks - hoodies, the quarter zip, the massive scarf in 2022 - others took them up too. Rosenoir’s tech bro look has as much to thank Guardiola for as Succession’s costume designer. And, of course, Arteta’s uniform - grey trousers, smart shoes, quarter zip - is straight out of the Pep school of style.

Look 32 of Rick Owens’ AW26 show - a top pick for David Moyes

To be clear, none of these choices are going to set the fashion world alight. It’s subtle stuff, mostly only noticed by fans and mostly in relation to results. But what no one ever really says about manager style is that it’s not like kits, clothing that is literally regulated to be part of the game. There’s no rules saying they have to wear a suit, a tracksuit or indeed a Scandi brand plaid shirt. They can - in theory - wear anything they want. But, as much as I love the idea of - say - David Moyes in look 32 Rick Owens AW26 show prowling the touch line at Hill Dickenson, these are men under pressure and scrutiny. The last thing the majority of them want is the internet losing its mind over what they wear - as can sometimes happen, as when a team is on a bad run, and a manager’s choice to wear a tracksuit is interpreted as a sign he’s given up.

The actually very chic Natalia Arroyo

(An aside but the few female managers in the WSL - Renee Slegers, Amadine Miquel - tend to stick to tracksuits. There are signs of a bit of change here a Villa’s manager Natalia Arroyo is chic, wearing skinny knits with Francesca Bellettini style hair - but corporate meeting is still the vibe if it isn’t trackies. See Serena Wiegman’s neat blazer, or Emma Hayes’ terribly tasteful cream sweaters.)

All of this speaks to the fact football managers exist in what is still an extremely conservative culture - one where fashion-curious players like Hector Bellerin or Dominic Calvert-Lewin were still subject to ‘stick’ from their more norm colleagues nearly 30 years after David Beckham wore his sarong. While this is finally changing for those on the pitch - Hugo Eketike went to the Balenciaga show, Eze is currently selling trenches for Burberry and these things only add to their clout - managers are meant to be the grown-ups. Therefore they still have to wear the clothes that match that idea.

Pep’s different. He walked in a fashion show in 1993 and literally did wear Rick Owens in the dugout. He currently seems to be in a zero fucks given kind of mood and that’s reflected in this new outfit. It might not really be on the radar of those who are more likely to be found moving magnets around on white boards while wearing a tracksuit but they could do well to pay attention. Like that scarf or that jumper all those year ago, it had the potential to have ripple effect on what they wear for years to come. While all of them won’t go for stoner chic, expect to see a little more of a chill guy vibe to come through. Eventually.

Future nostalgia - how looking back is part of football ‘moments’ now

England’s DVD shop

I went to the launch of the England kit this week. If it was nothing on the Adidas LA event covered by the always excellent Sportsverse, it did involve a full-on set of a nineties-style DVD shop, complete with copies of Pretty Woman, Enemy of the State and other ‘DVDs’ with images from the campaign around the kit featuring Cole Palmer and Reece James. The actual kits were found at the back. Although very much still the main event, of course, it’s interesting that this big reveal now has bells and whistles around it as standard, ones that play into nostalgic pop culture and look good on IG.

Fanbase-friendly ‘products’ at Arsenal’s corner shop

It was good, but not as good as the launch of the Arsenal website, which I attended a few weeks back - where an unassuming space in Brick Lane was transformed into a classic corner shop, the kind eventually seen in the video announcing the site on socials. This was 10/10 no notes territory because it took the references of fan culture and ran with it. Think the Chanel supermarket but for gooners - tins of Emmanuel Petit pois, Rice at half price and a ‘Let it all work out’ fitness video from Eberechi Eze. Whoever is doing the marketing for Arsenal, keep going. And keep the faith.

Oh and I wrote about tifos for exciting new sports’style outfit, Practice magazine. You can read it here.

The hyperlocal haircut as seen on at Newcastle, Arsenal and Fulham.

Hyperlocal is a phrase we hear a lot right now. In 2026, the so-called year of analogue, it’s a highly prized quality - one we want in everything from shops to message boards to election campaigns. It’s also - I think - found in footballers’ style. Enter the hyperlocal haircut.

This newsletter is about football and style in general but, as an Arsenal fan, I tend to mostly watch Arsenal games. If, sometimes, this might mean content unfairly skews to my team (sorry not sorry), this time around it’s part of the story - see a hair trend I have noticed that is hyperlocal, ie only found amongst a significant portion of our 24-man first team squad.

Bukayo Saka’s take on the Arsenal hyperlocal.

Ben White has it. So does Bukayo Saka. And William Saliba and Kai Havertz. And Gabriel Martinelli. The type of hair doesn’t matter, and it varies on the top of the head. Havertz’s is longer, Saka’s hair is full-ish, whereas Saliba’s is a close crop. They all, however, have the same detail at the back of their head - a tapered fade in a ‘v’ the nape of the neck.

While the haircut itself is pretty unremarkable, I find it interesting for a few reasons. Firstly, it does appear to be really hyperlocal to our first team - a quick scout through a few teams in the league shows me only a few other players that have taken it up (Morgan Rogers at Villa, Enzo Fernandez at Chelsea). It’s largely exclusive to those who play in red and white.

Nick Woltemade’s hair metal hyperlocal for Newcastle.

The observation lead me to look at other teams to see if the theory holds. If I previously had linked different styles together as moshpit hair, I think barnets are noticeably different across teams. Newcastle’s hyperlocal is hair metal worthy hair - courtesy of Anthony Gordon and Nick Woltemade. Or look at Fulham’s players - from Antonee Robinson to ESR - who tend to have a close crop to the middle of the head, topped off with more volume. I’m sure fans of other teams also notice their own hyperlocals (lmk!).

Whatever the hyperlocal haircut looks like, its existence proves the influence of those around us. These young men play together, train together, eat together. Being a professional footballer is maybe a bit like being a school. And, much like school, isolated trends grow. It reminds me of that thing at school when the popular kids decided, say, purple shoe laces were the height of fashion but wear them to a party with students at other schools, and you’d get a quizzical expression.

The lack of trickle down effect is also interesting - these haircuts largely stay hyperlocal, even if they are worn by men we watch every week. If once, the likes of David Beckham caused a nation to grow a man bun, those days are over (perhaps especially post-Beckxit lol). Since I first clocked Arsenal’s v-shaped cut a month or so ago, I have been on the lookout for it on men beyond the football pitch and have yet to spot one. Sadly, takes on Woltemade’s mane have also been in short supply. (Side bar: the man bun inexplicably remains a favoured haircut of footballers.)

The inexplicably popular man bun, on Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland.

What this says about football style, I’m not sure. But I think the hyperlocal haircut says quite a bit about style in general. Because - ultimately - footballers might be paid extortionate sums and be one in a billion unicorns, but they are also humans. It tells us that even if we see trends all around us all the time, from social media to celebrity, it’s actually fitting into our immediate, real, tangible social group - in this case, team mates - that makes a real difference to our daily lives. That’s why the hyperlocal - whether it manifests in a haircut or the bag from a certain neighbourhood shop - remains highly prized.

Also, something is going on with manager’s coats

Carrick’s peacoat, an ecstatic Mourinho in a maket (?), and Dennis Schmitt’s blouson.

It’s fair to say I didn’t enjoy Arsenal’s match against Man United last week. But, even in the midst of my football despair, I couldn’t help but notice Michael Carrick’s coat, a take on a peacoat which I don’t think I have seen in a dugout before. Intriguing.

Coatwatch continued in midweek with Jose Mourinho’s choice to watch a couldn’t-make-it-up moment - when Benfica’s goalkeeper scored at the death to knock Real Madrid out of the Champions League. A sort of shacket meets mac, it stood out from the usual puffers. Maybe here is a man who is so back when it comes to fashion statements on the sidelines.

An honourable mention here should go to Dennis Schmitt at Eintracht Frankfurt, who wore a black zip-up blouson over a poloneck for their game agains Sp*rs. Part tech bro, part off-duty MI6 agent, it’s a strong look for someone only appointed care taker manager for the German side nine days ago.

Will the peacoat become a thing? How will managers’ coats develop as the season goes on? We’ll keep watching to find out.

And which footballer will be the first to wear these Willy Chavarrias? <3

Interviewed cricketer Davina Perrin - by vn! - for the new issue of CircleZeroEight. Buy it here.

Sports-adjacent but I wrote about the rise of the choreo look for Vogue. You can read it here.

Follow me on Instagram here.

As someone who likes fashion, one of the bonuses of watching football is looking at what people - well, men mostly - actually wear. Whether going to games or going to the pub, it’s a snapshot of trends that actually take, that are seen in the wild. Basically, it’s a great excuse to be a style spy nosy. Here’s my report of what men who like football are wearing for winter 2025.

A lot of jeans, on the walk to Highbury after a match.

Big jeans are quite literally massive. Whether worn with puffers (see above) at matches or hoodies at the bar, there’s a go voluminous or go home attitude. Skinnies who?

A beer and some Sambas on route to the ground.

So are Adidas, Stussy and Carhartt. The Carhartt barn jacket is only second to the ubiquitous puffer when it comes to outerwear favourites. However, trainers-wise, I see a lot of Nike Air Max Plus - the ones with the gloopy lines, and Nike’s website says they are bestsellers. Could they finally take the Samba’s crown in 2026?

Yours for £5 on Vinted.

Proper jumpers are back. The kind that look itchy, and that your mum would approve of. Also the kind that probably comes from a charity shop or in the ‘satisfactory’ listings on Vinted, and might have been worn by a student studying English Lit. In a world where sweatshirts and hoodies have become our mood music, I find this interesting. Is secondhand now an aesthetic?

A Goat and a Carhartt jeans at the Athletico game.

Retro merch is still the flex. At games I have been to at the Emirates this season, anything with the gothic font (as used on shirts in the 90/91 season) was highly prized. And, of course, original shirts with heroes of the game will always get a nod, especially when worn in a way that brings in other trends, like XXXXL jeans.

Ps. I took some of these pics surruptiously at matches, always trying to keep people anonymous, hence the reportage (?) blur.

And here’s a few thoughts on on and off pitch style moments recently

Unexpected baroque detailing on Olly Watkins’ sleeve on Saturday.

I’m still processing the result of the Villa game on Saturday, but I did enjoy the ornate detailing on the sleeve of their shirts. Cogsworth and Lumiere would approve.

Moshpit hair courtesy of Nick Wolfemade, Ben White and Anthony Gordon.

Hair in football is worthy of a long read. My most recent observation is that it’s all turning a bit nineties moshpit. Newcastle are leading the charge here - with Anthony Gordon’s wide hairband (just add hemp hoodie) and surfer dude Nick Wolfemade with his mullet-adjacent cut. Arsenal aren’t far behind. Seen from the side, Ben White’s style is more than a little like an undercut. Just add sweat and cider.

A MOTD debut for the pussybow, courtesy of Gabby Logan.

As a female host of Match of the Day, Gabby Logan is - sadly - always going to scrutinised for what she wears. Nearly halfway through the season, I have enjoyed her outfits, which never resort to anonymity. The sight of her in a pussybow of all things, with two male guests in sensible jumpers, was a pleasant surprise last week.

Daniel Sturridge bringing style to Sky.

Elsewhere in pundit watch: Daniel Sturridge on Sky is taking menswear beyond those endless sensible jumpers. Loved his Prada sweater recently, and the leather panelled shirts. More please.

I wrote about Art of Football in new issue of the amazing Season magazine. You can buy it here.

Follow me on Instagram here.

Eze in a snood, Dychecore in action with Forest and Rooney in a Palace ‘training’ top.

Sean Dyche is, it’s fair to say, not a manager who thinks too much about style. Dycheball focuses on defensive football, and seizing that chance that falls to you in a game. It’s not pretty, but it is - generally - effective. They might have lost their first league game with him in charge, but Forest will be hoping it will start to make its impact soon. Four managers in a single season is probably not the kind of league record they would want to hold.

But, if style is not Dyche’s territory, Dychecore is coming to the training ground: the manager has banned snoods and hats at training sessions, meaning an accessory-free minimal look. While this is, he says, a way to ‘train how you play’ - ie you’re not lining up on Saturday at 3pm wearing a hat along with your kit, so why would you at training? - the subtext is about not being soft. No-one in football ever wants to be soft. Dyche’s diktats come straight out of the dinosaur playbook, a footnote to the anti-soft narrative that saw Alex Ferguson have a meltdown when Beckham wore a sarong all those years ago.

Haarland all wrapped up for training, in non-Dyche-approved items.

If that’s old, eye roll-worthy news, Dychecore did also make me think about cold weather training as a part of football style. Beyond Forest, players differ subtly in what they wear. Van Dyke wears white socks (another of Dyche’s pet peeves), shorts and a training top. Haarland wears a snood, gloves and massive beanie over his head. Eze wears training trackies, top and snood. Pau Torres wears a training hoodie and shorts.

This will be noted by the footballing world and the fans. Because, if these are professional athletes basically wearing whatever they feel they need to in order to do their job, the increased visibility of them doing so on social media means there’s a ripple effect - to what all men wear to not look soft, whether they are training or not. Likely not.

All of this reminds me of Articles of Interest, the podcast about the clothes we wear. The latest one looks at outdoor clothing or, as host Avery Trufelman puts it, “why we wear Arc’teryx to the grocery store.” Ultimately, the impulse here is the same. It’s about what we want to be when we grow up - the gorpcore-inclined want to be outdoorsmen, the people wearing training gear want to play football as a job. It’s not a million miles away from kids dressing up as fire fighters really.

A Nike football snood.

There’s another factor too - football shirts are now so fashionable that they’re not even a trend any more, they’re a category. That means, for fans to show they’re next level, they need something else, something just a little bit more niche. Training gear could fit that role. Just think of how goalkeepers’ trackies - those ones that are tapered to the ankle - are now worn by young men far from the sight of any goal, or the take up of Dyche’s detested snoods. I see both of these items all the time - on the bus, on Lime bikes, at the pub.

Clubs are well aware of this - and they’re monetising it. If shirts are an established stream of revenue, training wear is another. Google’s AI overview tells me “the football club training kit industry is a large market” so it must be. That’s why, when clubs post the images of training sessions on Instagram, there are links to take you to the exact item your favourite player is wearing. Arsenal’s items are even called ‘pro training’ to really make the connection between you waiting in the post office queue and Viktor Gyökeres at London Colney.

Leah Williamson in a Palace x Nike top that looks more than a little like a training bib.

The next step of training wear as in-the-know fashion statement for fans is training wear that isn’t training wear at all. Enter the new collab between Palace (the brand, not the club) and Nike, as modelled by Wayne Rooney, Reece James and Leah Williamson. These clothes have not been worn by any footballers corralled by a man with a whistle. But they look like they have. There’s a grey zip-up top with yellow panels. There’s a yellow top that looks quite a lot like a training bib. There’s a great sweatshirt that, with almost any team crest, could easily pass for a training top (see Rooney above). The P90 shoes might be getting all the love for their nostalgia hit but, for me, it’s the ode to training wear that makes this a collab to pay attention to. Because it’s another sign that, in a few years, the training top will soon be the new football shirt, a bona fide fashion item. I wonder what Sean Dyche will make of that.

A couple of sporty bits I have written recently.

I went to the actual World Athletics Championships in Tokyo to report on On for Somethingcurated. Turns out watching people running fast is really really fun.

Reported on the rise of chess clubs that are far from boring, for British Vogue.

Follow me on Instagram for more.

Fabien Hürzeler and Keith Andrews in M & S olive, a fake Goyard and Eze’s £20 watch

Watching Premier League football regularly is like watching 22 unicorns for 90 minutes - even if sometimes you’re shouting at the telly about misplaced passes. These men are exceptional beings, the 0.00001% of people that are able to play at a level that sees sell-out stadiums and furious debates on social media every weekend.

As such, they are paid a lot of money. The average Premier League player is on a salary of £67,000 a week, according to the surely very accurate William Hill. So, as well as watching unicorns, you are watching billionaires, the kind of people who live lives very different to most of ours, one of sports cars, personal chefs and Louis Vuitton washbags. This 1% lifestyle goes beyond players to those around them. Much has been made in the Arsenal fanbase of Andrea Berta’s Hermes belt, visible in those pictures of him with a player poised over paperwork with a pen, an accessory which cost £830.

Mikel Arteta, Gabriel, a pen, paper, and Andrea Berta’s Hermes belt.

So, with that as the backdrop, we as fans greet even a whisper of ordinariness with sheer delight. I was on cloud nine when Arsenal signed Eberichi Eze, but I was even happier when I found out he wore a £20 watch to greet the fans at the Emirates in August (I already knew that he was married to a nurse that works in the ICU, and therefore wins any competition for ordinariness, not to mention heart-warming stories). These moments cut through the feed of designer tracksuits, those houses that look fancy but oddly empty that footballers all seem to live in, and the classic markers of the elite like golfing as a hobby.

Ordinariness can increasingly be found in the dugout - where a slow style shift is occurring, with managers moving away from the Pep mandate of spy-meets-Italian-businessman look to something more casual. Sure, there’s always the Eddie Howes and the David Moyes(es?) in the club-issued big coats and trackies, but now there’s what Bearded Genius calls the “M&S-ification of football”, referring to the shackets and shirts worn by Brighton’s Fabien Hürzeler and Brentford’s Keith Andrews in an almost identical shade of olive this weekend. Moyes even wore a zip-up cardigan that could easily be Blue Harbour for Everton’s draw against West Ham on Monday.

If Mr Genius is calling time on the look, I’m here for it. Frankly it’s novel to see people on six figure salaries looking like they spend their Sunday at a carvery. Wolves’ Vitor Pereira is a pioneer in the slubification of manager style - and had another style mic drop this weekend. He wore a purple Wolves-branded hoodie that looked like a club shop deep cut for their fixture against Sp*rs.

Vitor Pereira in club shop purple on Saturday

I know this yearning for the ordinary is ridiculous and those bank balances remain flush but I still can’t help looking for it. It’s a childish way to find something that allows me to say “look! They’re just like us!” even if they are anything but. The ultimate example, of course, was Kieran Tierney’s Tesco bag, a joy that I have talked about here before, so I found it amusing to read about Jansen Miller. The defender who plays for MLS side Sporting Kansas City told ESPN that he bought a fake Goyard bag for $25 in New York’s China Town rather than fork out $3000 that his teammates paid. Buying cheap to fit in? Now that really is ordinary.

Dry humour

Towelgate at St James Park on Saturday

I loved Calafiori nicking Nick Pope’s towel to dry the ball before a throw against Newcastle, and being told off by the ref. With Calafiori a favourite of the Arsenal internet thanks to that undeniable aura, this is a meme in the making. It’s already been on Men In Blazers.

Hot button topic

I watched Match of the Day for the first time this season on Sunday, and was keen to see the style of the new line-up.

A sartorial curiosity came in the shape of buttons - covering the front of Gabby Logan’s waistcoat as well as the double collar on Joe Hart’s shirt. Those suffering from koumpounophobia, this is a PSA. I’d avoid catching up on iPlayer this week.

Front row favourite

Lauren James arriving at Bottega Veneta

Lauren James in archive Bottega Veneta for Louise Trotter’s debut show was a vibe. Not bad as a first frow.

A couple of sporty bits I wrote since the last Style of Play

Loved interviewing Marcia Lewis, Myles Lewis-Skelly’s mum, about No1 Fan Club, her organisation dedicated to helping parents in football, for Vogue

Asked if golf could become cool for Mr Porter

Three third kits: Man City’s leaked rainy day design, Arsenal’s irresistible nostalgia trip, and Everton’s Comic Sans style squiggles, also leaked

r/MCFC is not somewhere that I find myself very often. But, in late July, after a tip-off from a City-supporting friend (hi Gwilym!), there I was to study a leak of the 25/26 kits - including the third, a design that appears to replicate the rain drops and grey sky of a Mancunian autumn day.

It’s fair to say fans were not on board. One called it “the worst of all time” while another described it as the physical embodiment of Pep’s anxiety. The more optimistic saw it as all part of the manager’s strategy: “City going for the 4D chess maneuver by having the stadium and opponent laughing at us too much to be able to play the game,” they wrote.

Liverpool’s wonderfully weird green-armed third kit for 06/07

Whatever the reasoning behind this particular design (the club also seem to have a thing about the weather - last season’s third kit featured a lightening-like pattern) it does fit into the peculiar tradition of the third kit. It’s the home of the more out-there designs. Liverpool in particular go hard here - see the 2006/07 white third kit with one green arm, or 2013/14, a collage of three different kits in one.

This experimentation is perhaps partly due to the third kit’s original purpose - as a back up to ensure players stood out from each other if the colours of their home and away were deemed too similar. Just a cursory look at the history (ie a scan of the Wikipedia page) tells me they have existed for longer than I thought. The FA Cups in 1948 and 1950 both had teams in third kits. Arsenal’s, in 1950, was a dark orange. Unusual at the time, it’s a collector’s item now. An original sold at auction in 2018 for £10,000.

If this is an extreme example of a third kit becoming more cult as time goes on, there’s lots of others where it doesn’t take decades, and they seem to only get more love if they are hated when released. This could be the fate of City’s rain-inspired design.

Palace x Umbro x England 1990 third kit, 2012

See the Norwich City 1993/94 third kit which was controversial for its blue colour (as opposed to the classic yellow and green), it’s now up to £300 on eBay. Man United’s zebra kit for 20/21 was, according to the Daily Mail, “panned by fans” but someone on Depop is selling the “modern day classic” for £105.70.

Perhaps the best examples of this is England’s 1990 third kit - long seen as garish, and imbued with the bad memories of going out on penalties once again, the blue patterned design was given a new life in 2012, when Palace collaborated with Umbro on a version, with their signature Triferg instead of the three lions crest. A genius move taking a design from the dustbin of history and giving it a glow-up that celebrated 1990 and Gazza’s tears, that really is a modern day classic.

As for this season, City’s rain shirt isn’t the only design set to be derided now and sold for loads of money in five years time. The leaked Everton one, with Comic Sans-style squiggles, has been dubbed “funky” by fans and also likened to a bus seat. Villa’s marbled number, also leaked, has a duvet cover feel, and prompted words like “woeful".

The third kit isn’t always the out-there one. A couple of seasons ago, The Athletic reported that Mikel Arteta disliked Arsenal’s pink third kit, preferring the black away thanks to “the intimidating image it helped create”. Maybe he started a trend - teams ranging from Chelsea to Bournemouth have gone with intimidating black for their third kits this season.

Norwich City’s 2016/17 third kit, inspired by a 1993 classic

Nostalgia is baked into kit design - referencing an auspicious period in a club’s past is almost guaranteed to get fans putting down the increasingly extortionate money - and the third kit is not immune. Arsenal have leaned into the past for 2025/206, with a third kit that celebrates the 20th anniversary of our last season at Highbury. It’s too classy to fit into the weird third kit mold but I can’t help but like it. With the retro collar and cuffs of an older shirt, plus the old Arsenal crest stamped into the cream jersey, the nostalgia is balanced with voices from right now. Kai Isaiah Jamal and Freddie Ljungberg are in the same campaign (see above), an image warms my heart in exactly the way the content creators intended. This approach isn’t a first, of course. Norwich’s 2016/17 third kit was a homage to the club’s ‘egg and cress’ kit, worn in 1993 when they finished third in the League. Man City’s And the Man United third kit this season is a nod the away kit also of 1993, as worn by Eric Cantona.

Because as well as their function as a back-up kit for players, third kits have become a cash cow, like the rest of the stuff in the shop. Available to buy since the nineties, they have grown in prominence alongside the wider interest in football shirts - the market was valued at a whopping $6.49b in 2024. (Of course, the churn of the football season also means many of these are discarded when the new one comes out. It’s estimated that 100,000 tonnes of sports kit is part of landfill each year).

Roma’s fashion-approved third kit for 2025/26

This is only set to grow, with football shirts increasingly worn by people way beyond those who actually follow the sport. This lot love an unusual design, a quirk, or anything with a good story behind it for added authenticity. See the Ajax 2021/22 third shirt, which collaborated with Bob Marley’s family, on a shirt with red, gold and green accents, nodding to Marley’s ‘Three Little Birds’ which has become an Ajax anthem. Roma, who collaborated with Aries on a kit in 2022, remain on the radar of that fashion-meets-football axis. Men in Blazers pronounced their third kit - white with green collar and cuffs - as “entering the hall of fame” recently. It’s even styled, like Arsenal’s, in a fashion-adjacent nineties style. The fact that Arsenal’s third kit is available in a cropped version is also a concession to this demographic, and has been applauded by the likes of Tolami Benson. If the Man City rainy kit has not enjoyed quite the same positive reception on r/MCFC, maybe they just need to show it to a different crowd.

An OG Gyökeres shirt, the perfect brown shirt and Cov feat. Lampard in the sunshine

A day out with the boys in blue and the boys in brown

Arsenal are my endless love, but I also have room in my heart for other teams - including Cov, the team that my Dad and brother support. I finally got the chance to visit the mighty (if Mike Ashley-owned) CBS Arena this month to see the Sky Blues in a friendly with St Pauli, the club that every politically aware football fan admires.

The game ended 2-2. I came away with a newfound appreciation for Ephron Mason-Clark (I already loved Tatsuhiro Sakamoto for his heroics in the play-offs last year), bemusement as to how an Enemy song, ‘We’ll Live and Die In These Towns’ became the club anthem, a sighting of Frank Lampard and more of a connection to former Cov boy, Gyökeres.

I also had a deep desire for a brown kit. St Pauli - sometimes known as the boys in brown - wore their signature colour on the pitch, while some of their fans had the checkerboard brown design. Cov have a brown connection too. Their 1978-81 kit, derided at the time, is a chocolate brown, with go-faster stripes down the sides. Available in the club shop, the temptation was real. My fan’s rule - merch from other clubs is fine, but I’ll only wear Arsenal shirts - won out, for now. But if I was a Brentford fan, I would snap up their brown away kit this season. In fact, could brown become the new intimidating black? Only time will tell.

Also

Chloe Kelly’s shinpads 5ever

My thoughts on Thomas Partey and Arsenal

Fashion-friendly kits for Denmark, Wales and Finland

Women’s kits are full on fashion now

We all know the discussion points - football kits are on the catwalk, designers are working with clubs and there’s that thing called Blokecore. The football x fashion romance has now reached the marketing departments of women’s International teams, if the publicity photos are anything to go by. See the uber-nineties look for Denmark and Finland - where kits are paired with jeans - and what can only be described as an Emily In Paris-adjacent look for Spain’s away kit. The prize goes to Wales’ away kit - which is worn with a lace blouse underneath and a neckerchief, a look that would not be out of place in the halls of Central Saint Martins. It’s also inspired by a Welsh spoon. Into it.

The pony persists - but plaits are on its tail

Obviously no shade to those who happen to be blonde, but the blonde ponytail - as worn by Barbie - could be seen as peak white feminism. The amount of them spotted on the pitch has certainly meant the lack of diversity in the women’s game was plain to see. But, for Euro 2025, that’s changing. There are still lots of blonde ponytails, of course, but they are also joined by plaits, braids and textured hair worn in lots of different styles by players of colour. The France team, in particular, is notably diverse - a fact that should be applauded way beyond the hair styles, of course.

There’s also hair worth noting in the dugout: Spain manager Montse Tomé, above, boasts one of the best top knots in the business.

No Southgate but lots of waistcoats

The ex-England manager’s choice of a waistcoat for 2018’s World Cup might be more remembered than the run to get England’s men to the semi-final of the competition. It seems like the waistcoat is now part of the England look - Marks & Spencer’s collection with the team for this tournament sees the item central to a collection of tailoring modelled by the likes of Jess Park, Alessio Russo, Michelle Agyemang and Alex Greenwood. Unlike Southgate, these are worn without a shirt underneath.

The England squad and, by my count, at least 12 M & S waistcoats

It’s not an item exclusive to England either - for her announcement to join Lyon for Barcelona last month, highly rated Norwegian midfielder Ingrid Engen wore a knitted waistcoat. What does it signal? A formality but also a chance to show off toned arms. Though I can’t be the only one who gets the ick with the thought of armpits meeting that fabric.

Germany’s fashionable forward line

Ranked third in the world, commentators say this could be Germany’s year. Supporters will also be pleased to know they are already highly-placed to win ‘most fashionable team’. Forwards Lea Schüller and Klara Bühl appeared on the cover of German GQ Hype in June, with midfielder Sydney Lohmann. Bühl is something of an Ella Emhoff: she crochets in her spare time. Laura Freigang is the Declan Rice of the group, as a keen amateur photographer. She shares her images on @pictogangg. Cora Zicai and Selina Cerci, meanwhile, provide backup - looking great in Nike promos on social media.

And ICYMI, some football fashion footnotes.

MLS winning at the catwalk

Paris Fashion Week was a (very hot) vibe. I saw Myles Lewis-Skelly excel in his catwalk debut, much like his first team one. Also met Emile Smith-Rowe (lovely, obviously) in a patchwork Louis Vuitton jacket, but managed to miss the world’s most fashionable footballer, Jules Kounde, and also Mario Balotelli on the Kid Super catwalk. Dw, SportsVerse has the intel on that.

Jorts, white singlets and Birkenstock Bostons - requisite items if you’re hanging out in London Fields rn - have reached football. See Declan Rice backstage at Glastonbury, or Bukayo Saka in New York in the Bostons. <3

@esquireukEsquire talks to #DeleAlli at @Louis Vuitton’s SS’26 show in Paris

Tiktok failed to load.

Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser

Dele Alli is a Labubu king, including two hanging off his bag at the Louis Vuitton show. Interviewed by Esquire, he says he started collecting two weeks ago but has 25 now. That sentence is probably hard to stomach for anyone struggling to get their hands on even one of the in-demand critters.

The whiter than white veneers that Brazilian players tend to have has a name - the Máximo. Thanks to NSS Sports for sterling reporting here.

Not fashion but New York democratic mayoral nominee and all-round good guy Zohran Mamdani is an Arsenal fan - even more reason to celebrate his victory.

Cold Palmer, Salah before and after and a very well-styled model in PSG’s fourth kit

The season is over. We’ve all seen the memes about no football for three months - even if they neglect to mention a little thing called the Women’s Euros.

But, before that kicks off, and before we all get distracted refreshing time lines for transfer news (hi!), here’s a few style curios to remember from 24/25.

The biggest style omen: Salah’s summer haircut

Dramatic football haircuts are the stuff of superstition - when Fernando Torres cut his trademark blonde locks to a buzz cut in 2010, it was dubbed a symbol of his slump by the Daily Mail. Salah’s transformation last summer was the opposite - going from his recognisable frizzy afro to a shaved head, it signalled a new era, one that saw Salah have the highest ever goal involvement record and lift that trophy.

Calafiori in a shirt Prince would approve of

The winner of the aura league: Riccardo Calafiori

When Arsenal signed Riccardo Calafiori in the summer, I had messages way beyond my Arsenal WhatsApp. Six foot two with wavy locks and proper cheekbones, this was a guy who could walk the Armani catwalk with ease.

What was not evident yet was another factor: the aura. With injuries meaning he only appeared 19 times in the league, that wasn’t an issue when it came to impact beyond the pitch. Whether talking about an Adidas collab, bringing his star power to a little Italian deli in Clerkenwell or becoming the subject of memes, the words ‘Calafiori’ and ‘aura’ are never far away from each other on the internet.

With content like the above - I for one am obsessed with the choice of a chiffon shirt. A chiffon shirt! - you can expect him to retain the aura title next season.

The status symbol: a signature celebration

Trademark goals are great, but what you do immediately after is becoming more of a thing too. If it dates back to 2023 - and came via Morgan Rogers and NBA player Trae Young - Cole Palmer’s ‘cold’ celebration was deemed so valuable that he trademarked it this year. Elsewhere, Erling Haarland’s post-goal crossed-leg yoga pose became the subject of on-field bantz when Myles Lewis-Skelly mimicked it after scoring against City in a 5-1 win at the Emirates. It’s a moment that’s become so legendary amongst the fanbase that merch gods eighteen86 produced a T-shirt featuring MLS in the pose. Who knows what post-goal choreo we’ll see come August.

Morgan Gibbs-White looking almost like a regular Broadway Market bro - complete with coffee cup accessory - on the way to training

The fashion parade: the training ground video

Tunnel fits are a standard in basketball. But if, in the Premier League, players arrive for games in pre-prescribed training kits (never let it be said that a commercial opportunity be wasted), the content on social media shows what they wear outside of school (I wrote about this here). In January, Hypebeast profiled the players at Nottingham Forest in labels like Drama Cell, Aime Leon Dore and Supreme. I find this fascinating - as a microcosm of what rich young men want to dress like in 2025, and an insight into athletes beyond the train-playFIFA-eat-sleep-repeat schedule.

The best kit: PSG Jordan fourth kit

There’s a lot wrong about this kit. It’s a fourth kit, for a start. That seems excessive - both in terms of fans’ bank balances, and that pile of football shirt-based landfill currently growing as we turn to the shiny new kits here for 25/26. There’s also the fact that it’s the shirt PSG wore to beat Arsenal back in April. : (

But, other than that, it’s a beast of a design, one that really takes advantage of the football team’s slightly odd collaboration with Air Jordan, a basketball arm of Nike. By putting the trademark wings on the sleeves, it turned Hakimi, Doué and Kvaratskhelia into veritable football angels and - IYKYK - brings back the original Jordan logo, one that dates back to 1985.

Runners up: Arsenal away as designed by Labrum London, Crystal Palace home for that eighties zigzag and Barcelona’s collab with Cactus Jack.

Pep in his politician’s wife scarf

The u ok hun style shift: Pep Guardiola

When Guardiola signed on as Man City manager in 2016, GQ declared him “a fucking style god”. And there’s no doubt - much like the team he oversaw - Guardiola dominated dug out style for close to a decade. It’s thanks (thanks?) to him that other managers and pundits wear those trainers with the white soles, and lots of tasteful knitwear. Over that time he’s gone through phases like all of us - I enjoyed the Stone Island version, less so the club shop hoodies - but this season’s Pep didn’t quite hit. See the gigantic scarf that looked like something worn by an ITV drama politician’s wife, tapered combat trousers and baseball boots. An outfit of quiet chaos, and one that speaks volumes.

A postcard from a very happy Napoli

Let’s go scugnizzi, grazie ragazzi, forza Napoli etc

I love Naples for the vibes. And the fact you see an image of Diego Maradona approximately every 2.5 seconds.

I particularly love it when Napoli have just won Serie A. I visited in 2023, after they won it for the first time in 33 years. And they had just won it again when I visited in May. Scenes! I arrived the day of the celebration to flags, shirted fans everywhere and buses that proclaimed ‘campioni’ on the front.

The streets were a sea of blue and white, with curios like Scotland flags for the team’s two Scottish players, Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour. McTominay even has his own shrine, and his own nickname - McFratm, a play on the word for ‘bro’. The merch was outstanding.

If it’s always nice to get immersed in football joy - but particularly so when that football joy means more. I was staying in an AirBnB that, over the days I was there, was decorated with flags and banners by those running it. My favourite was an image of a mucky little kid in a Napoli shirt stealing the crest from an immaculate kid wearing an Inter shirt. Titled ‘avanti scugnizzi’, which translates to ‘let’s go, street kids’, it speaks to how Naples still has the rep as the poor cousin of the rest of Italy and how winning that title from the capital Milan on the final day of the season is the best kind of football ‘fuck you’ there is.

The Ice Man in blue, Coventry’s 1997 kit, and motors at West Ham

It’s around this time of year that we get to see what teams will be wearing next season. Arsenal have launched their new shiny away kit this week - and the move from canon to crest, plus the backdrop of the gothic script ‘As’ has been the talk of the fanbase (I’m into it, love that pure red and white). We’ll get a closer look this Sunday, for the game against Newcastle, and it there will no doubt be a flurry of fans at the Armoury to get the look, and - as some have joked - make their contribution to the summer transfer kitty.

If this is the style narrative that the club tells us, my last visit to the Emirates, for the Bournemouth game, tells something of a different story. Keeping up with each season’s kit is one thing but - for the match day fan - it’s the retro kits that dominate.

In some ways, this isn’t that new. The bruised banana kit from the early nineties has been so popular amongst Arsenal fans in recent years that you can get it on phone cases and tea tins. I used to wear the away shirt from 1997 so much that a guy who also sits on the North Bank dubbed me ‘Overmars’. Other popular kits range from the home kit from a similar era, or the 20/21 kit, sometimes called the ‘raspberry ripple’ or - perhaps more questionably - the Patrick Bateman.

Me in my Overmars at the NLD with North Bank legends, Glenn, Diarmid and Jeremy.

While, of course, the Arsenal fanbase is superior to all in my eyes, we are not unique. Retro kits are everywhere in football. Watching the Championship Playoffs last week, the commentator even mentioned a “sea” of them amongst the Sunderland fans. A quick straw poll of friends who are fans of other clubs revealed similar situations. At Sp*rs, the Pony kit from 1997 is the winner, with Ginola and Bale on the back. For Coventry, it’s the Peugeot kit from the same era. At West Ham, the sixties shirt worn by Bobby Moore is loved by all, or the 1995 away kit. At Man United, one friend described retro shirts as an “omnipresence”, with Cantona, Beckham and Keane popular.

The shift to older kits is a way for fans to celebrate past glories, of course, but it also mirrors a wider fashion trend for nostalgia and how that once-new couple Fashion and Football are settling in to married life. Retro kits are now longer something just fans wear - they’re now trending, meaning they are just tops to some people. Searches for ‘vintage football shirts’ grew over 100% on google between April 23rd and May 3rd. It helps that brands ranging from Acne to Balenciaga to Martine Rose do their own version of the ‘football shirt’ which abstract the whole idea, replacing a team sponsor with the brand name. In these items, you can get the look without any pressure to know the form of an actual team.

As it says here, a striped football jersey. By Acne

Still, it’s probably football fans that are buying the real collectors’ items. Sites like Cult Kits and Classic Football Shirts sell shirts for big money - an actual bruised banana will set you back around £400, while a 93/94 Barcelona away shirt is a cool £999.99. This part of shirt culture is a big money game - Classic Football Shirts received $38.5m in investment in 2023. It’s estimated that they would have made $50m in 2024. Rob McElhenney, a man who has already proven astute at football and finance with Wrexham, co-invested in the company last year.

It’s not just McElhenny, of course. Football clubs see an opportunity in the popularity of old kits, they make it their business to make money out of their fans’ nostalgia. A lot of them have been reissued - and also referenced in new kits. Arsenal have just launched a ‘Heritage Collection’ very much inspired by the early noughties moment loved by the twentysomethings in the fanbase (actual Invincible Jérémie Aliadière is even modelling it, for extra authenticity). Meanwhile, City’s away kit this season was a homage to a fan favourite - the 1999 playoff final shirt. (It’s also similar to the one worn by the Gallagher brothers in 1994, which probably only adds to its appeal).

The Gallaghers in City shirts, in 1994.

But as much as we all lap up this merch, what I love is the community bantz that the clubs can’t quite keep up with. This is where the magic happens. At City, a club that has - until recently - rarely not known total domination of all competitions, fans hark back to less auspicious times, with Kinkladze, Rosler and Goater on the backs of shirts. For West Ham, meanwhile, the Dagenham Motors shirt from the early nineties is an ironic favourite (you can of course buy this on the West Ham website).

This tallies with what I saw at the Emirates. Along with the indisputable goats of the game - Henry, Bergkamp - it was nice to see Ray Parlour getting his flowers on the back of someone’s shirt, a bit more perplexing to see Giroud. Meanwhile, the most prized shirt seems to be the blue O2 away shirt from 04/05, a season where we won the FA Cup but failed to retain our Invincible title. What it symbolises? Not only a IYKYK knowledge of the more obscure shirt designs, and the fact that the wearer knows their history beyond the highlights, but also that they’re really good at eBay alerts.

With Premier League clubs are increasingly putting the match day fan at the bottom of the pile in terms of ‘the product’ (barf emoji), and the concept of shirts as fashion items only becoming very real, I love to see it. This is fan-to-fan signalling, the kind of items that shows not only the good times but also the scars on your heart. These shirts make me smile when walking to the game. And the idea to put Squillaci on the back of my shirt for next season.

With thanks to Adam Coghlan, Gwilym Mumford, Martin Nash, Michael Walters for being spies at their clubs.

A terrible snap of Lucy Bronze wearing the New England home shirt

Oh, while we’re on the subject, I spoke to real life actual footballers this week - in the shape of Lucy Bronze and Lola Brown, who patiently talked to me about their new England shirts. What a thrill! The article is on Vogue now.

Unremarkable haircuts on, from left to right, Kobbie Mainoo, Jamie Vardy and Antonee Robinson

In praise of the unremarkable

In football, there’s almost as much chat around haircuts as there is around var. High profile trims include Erling Haarland’s ponytail held back by a Bon Dep hairtie (he has a minority stake in the company), James Maddison’s shaggy cut shaved at the sides and compared to a Lord of the Rings character by the Sp*rs fanbase, Grealish’s pineapple, Phil Foden’s set-square precise micro-fringe and Jude Bellingham’s perfect fade, one requested across hair texture at barbers nationwide.

But it’s struck me recently how many non-haircuts there are along with these showstoppers, how many players have what I am calling the unremarkable haircut. This isn’t a style as such. Instead, it’s the kind of haircut is as likely to be found on a teacher, a bike mechanic, a bartender - anyone, basically. It doesn’t want attention. Its default is to blend in, to become part of the mood music of a football match rather than something to jolt you out of your fan-state. But once you see it - on Jarrod Bowen, on Jamie Vardy, on Antonee Robinson, on Leandro Trossard - it’s all you see. Because, there may be the Maddisons and the Harlaands but with 900-odd men across the Premier League, the majority of them - no matter what they do on a pitch on Saturday - prefer their hair not to be a talking point.

Most elite footballers have their haircut before every match, a fact I only learnt earlier this year when writing about barber-to-the-Prem, Kings Cuts. There’s a concern about looking fresh, something that’s understandable considering the amount of cameras in their face when they’re playing, not mention the number of people watching on TV. The unremarkable - which, by its very intent is not to be remarked upon - is a response to this. It’s playing it safe, flying under the radar, in haircut form.

But it’s not just about avoiding stick, from team mates or trolls on social media. It can also spell focus, and it projects a quiet desire for respectability. Robinson’s hair gives this vibe to me, as does Andy Robertson’s. Meanwhile, Bowen’s and Vardy’s unremarkables feel more pointed - the hair of the kind a player that home fans love, and everyone else loves to hate. The unremarkable can also be slightly endearing - as with Myles Lewis-Skelly (who loves his Grandma), Kaoru Mitoma, and Pedro Neto, who pairs his with a musketeers style beard, for a boy band-adjacent clean-cut look. It can be transformational too - Kobbie Mainoo, previously known for his short locks, went for an unremarkable in April, and scored the equiliser in that 5-4 thriller against Lyon not long after.

The Sacred Tierney and his perfect unremarkable

Perhaps the ultimate unremarkable is on the head of Kieran Tierney, or the Sacred Tierney, as my Dad’s Celtic-mad friend calls him. A football player who has taken a Tesco carrier to training rather than the usual Goyard washbag, and tucks his shirt into his shorts, Tierney’s unremarkable is, like the Tesco bag, so normal that it’s jarring. It goes full circle and becomes a talking point. Widely believed to be (sad face) returning to Celtic from Arsenal this summer, I will miss Tierney’s remarkable unremarkable, along with his wicked crossing of the ball.

Is Vitor Periera a slept-on style god?

Menswear loves a normcore fashion hero. See Adam Sandler, or Larry David. Vitor Pereira could fit in here. Granted, he is rarely pictured out of a Wolves tracksuit with the tapered training trouser fit and a puffer jacket with the club crest, but this in itself is a move.

Vitor Pereira getting involved

In a post-Guardiola Prem, the dugout has become home to looks that wouldn’t look out of place on a Succession extra - quarter zip tops, expensive hoodies, nice white shirts, tech bro directional scarves. So to go full kit like Pereira stands out - it says ‘I’ve only got one thing on my mind, and that is Wolverhampton Wanderers football club'. The fact that he combines this with a European take on an unremarkable (see above), penchant for beers at a Spoons after the game and five wins in a row, means he’s no doubt a hero and style reference for the fanbase, and beyond.

Eighties tracksuit fits are back

For their walk out on Sunday to play Arsenal, I noticed - and admired - the jacket worn by Ipswich Town, a XL-fitted design with an oversized Umbro diamond across the body and arms. In contrast to the usual straight-cut designs of most walk out jackets, this looked straight out the eighties, when shorts were short, mullets were long and fouls were very painful.

A terrible screenshot from MOTD2 featuring Ipswich Town’s walkout tops

Another suggestion this era is back is the hoodie with retro stripes that Ruben Amorim seems to - slightly oddly? - be wearing on repeat, the one that looks a bit like goalkeeper gear from 1987. He had it on again on Sunday, for Man United’s defeat to Wolves. With rollercoaster form and his tenure increasingly in the spotlight, it could be called an emotional support hoodie, a very 2025 concept even if the aesthetic is anything but.

Protecting the dolls, on the pitch

Some things, as Kerstin Casparji wrote on her Instagram, are “bigger than football”. The Man City defender wore a wristband with the trans colours for their match against Everton, a statement of support in the days following the Supreme Court decision to define a woman based on biological sex, and a protest against the ruling in London numbering 20,000 people.

Casparji is to be applauded and held up as an example across football - how powerful it would be to see a player in the Premier League make a similar sartorial stand.

Subscribe now