Samara, Russia
The hottest fashion item in England is old-fashioned. It hadn’t been particularly chic until recently. It was more dominant a century ago.
These same things that describe the garment taking over London could also describe the history of the English soccer team. So it’s only logical that the article of clothing belongs to the manager of the English soccer team. It’s Gareth Southgate’s waistcoat.
England’s unlikely run to this World Cup semifinal, after decades of gaffes, disappointment and misery, has the country buzzing about the possibility that this team could win its first World Cup in more than 50 years. The sartorial icon of this renaissance is just as improbable.
Southgate concedes he doesn’t have Hollywood good looks. Just like nobody in their right minds imagined England would still be playing at this stage of this tournament, Southgate never imagined he would ever end up a inspiring a nationwide fad.
“I’m slightly concerned,” Southgate said. “As a center-half who took a lot of knocks to the head, I’m not normally synonymous with fashion icon.”
In case you’re confused, to translate from English: a waistcoat is commonly known in the U.S. as a vest. In other words, England is finally playing like the team that invented soccer led by a guy who dressed like men did when England invented soccer.
Southgate has worn his signature waistcoat throughout this tournament. And fans have started doing the same. The national team is outfitted by Marks & Spencer , which has seen a run on the item since England started making its run—to the tune of a 35% increase in sales on the item. Andrew Marr, the prominent British political commentator, recently wore one on air in a tribute to Southgate. Fans have tweeted pictures of themselves doing the same.
But Southgate didn’t always look like a snooker player on the sidelines. His stylings throughout his managerial career have pretty much reflected the recent history of the national team. It was ugly. It stayed fairly ugly. Then, out of nowhere, came brilliance.
When Southgate got his first managerial gig, for Middlesbrough in 2006, his sideline choices weren’t exactly endearing. He favored a shirt and tie that was almost exclusively red, the team’s color. Frequently, the tie was egregiously short.
Over the years, he mixed it up a bit. He tried sweaters, cardigans and sweater vests. Once he even appeared to wear his team’s kit on the sidelines. But waistcoats weren’t part of the rotation. He was fired from Middlesbrough in 2009, and became manager of the England under-21 team in 2013. During his time there, he didn’t go for the waistcoats, either.
Then, in 2016, Southgate was given an opportunity. Amid a scandal, Sam Allardyce resigned after only in game in charge of the national team. Suddenly, England needed to scramble for a manager. It looked to the man leading its top youth team.
Southgate was given a crack, but he was only the interim manager. He still needed to prove himself. His first game came in a World Cup qualifier against Malta.
Southgate needed to mix it up. To many England fans, he was just the guy who had missed a crucial penalty kick in the semifinal of the 1996 Euro. So in his first bid to give England a makeover, he gave himself one, too.
England didn’t only win that game against Malta. It did so with its manager wearing a waistcoat.
“It says, ‘I’m serious, I’m here to make this happen,’” said Simon Doonan, creative ambassador of Barney’s and an England fan. “Without it, he’s just another guy in a shirt and tie.”
Since then, the waistcoat has been a regular fixture on England’s sidelines. Doonan, author of “Soccer Style: The Magic and Madness,” noted that in some respects, this was a bold choice. Skinny suits have been more popular. The three-piece suit could be seen as pompous. And, in some circles, waistcoats were associated with the likes of pawnbrokers or card sharks.
Besides, most English coaches dressed to not be noticed. For the most part, they have just wanted to look professional. If Alex Ferguson had never set foot into Old Trafford, he probably could have been confused for a bank manager.
Southgate hasn’t just worn the waistcoat, though. He has put his own spin on it. Usually, he has the bottom button undone—a trick to make a typically stiff accessory look a little more casual. Also, he bucks the norm by frequently wearing it on the sidelines without a jacket.
“It’s a traditional thing that he’s flipping in a new way,” said Will Welch, creative director of GQ. “It’s a little bit of the old and new at the same time.”
But for a couple of years, nobody paid much attention to the fact that at news conferences Southgate looked like a guy giving a best-man toast. The reason was simple. England had yet to do anything remarkable under his lead. Nobody cared about what Gareth Southgate was wearing. They only cared about how England would do at the World Cup.
Then, to the surprise of the soccer playing world, England started winning. And, also to the surprise of the soccer world, they saw a manger making a bold fashion choice. They started to notice Gareth Southgate’s waistcoats.
“It definitely has become part of the repackaging of the England team,” Doonan said. “But make no mistake about it: If they were doing horribly and a national embarrassment, the vest would be held up as the culprit.”
Write to Andrew Beaton at andrew.beaton@wsj.com
