Summer Of Sporting Fashion

Space Jam Basketball Fashion

Iconic 90s cartoon Space Jam is set to be back on our screens this summer, and to mark the occasion ASOS DESIGN has launched a collection inspired by the classic visuals of the film.

The collection serves up a heavy dose of 90s nostalgia with a range of styles available, which include dungarees, varsity jackets and camp-collar shirts. These all come in bright hues which are central to the capsule, with pink, yellow and lime green.

The film, which originally released in 1996, gained legendary status for its use of Looney Tune cartoon characters such as Tweety Pie alongside basketball legend Michael Jordan. For 2021, the film sees LeBron James, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, trapped with his son by the Looney Tunes Gang.

The ASOS DESIGN X SPACE JAM Capsule Collection launches on the retailer’s website on July 5.

Beyoncé’s Ivy Park Plunges Into Swimwear Fashion

The uber-popular IVY PARK collection, created by Beyoncé in 2016 and a partnership with ADIDAS since 2020, is dropping a Flex Park swimwear capsule this July.

Flex Park, which marks the first foray into swimwear for the Adidas x Ivy Park collaboration, will boast a bright neon colour palette — solar orange and screaming orange — with contrasting white stripes and accents, including the Ivy Park monogram. Key items include one- and two-piece bathing suits and beach-ready cover-ups for women as well as a men’s matching shirt and shirt set, a slide, a unisex bucket hat and tote bag. Other accessories include a towel and water bottle. 

Sizing is inclusive, ranging from XS to 4X and the collection is designed to be mixed and matched. Prices range from £30 to £100. The Flex Park capsule will launch July 22 on the Adidas web site and will be available in select retail stores globally on July 23rd.

Tennis Fashion: TikTok sparks fashion trend for Centre Court retro-cool

Tennis style is usually all about heritage, tradition and perhaps a little stuffiness. But thanks to TikTok, a younger generation are finding credibility and cool in its fashion, regardless of whether they have ever picked up a racket or plan to watch Wimbledon at all.

The trend has been popular on the social media network for months, teaming traditional tennis skirts with Nirvana hoodies and crop tops. This abundance of TikTokers wearing court-friendly outfits – not just skirts but also SKORTS (my 16 year old daughter has one) and polo shirts.

A multitude of brands are producing tennis-inspired clothing, such as silk shorts and track tops. On the shopping platform Lyst, demand for tennis skirts has tripled this month compared with a year ago, searches for silk polo shirts have increased 21% and searches for vintage “tennis club” logo sweatshirts have gone up 12%.

Euros 2020: who is the best-dressed manager?

Some football managers have evolved into style icons, occasionally outshining the players. The boss class used to be divided into two types; the tracksuit tribe and the suited Arsène Wengers

Now there is thrilling variety — there are pop star style haircuts, and those waistcoats have been replaced by shackets (that’s shirt jackets), and surprised (older) fans are asking if it is okay to fancy the managers.

There has even been research into the effect of manager attire. A study found that, historically, tracksuit-wearing managers have narrowly beaten those teams run by men in suits. So what does that mean in a game where the tiniest tweaks can make the world of difference? Here is how the managers measure up…

Roberto Mancini

Italy

Trademark: The blazer of glory, by Armani

Vibe: Italy are the slickest team in the tournament so far and, if you want to know why, look no further than the style of their touchline team. They are dressed like top professionals, in matching powder blue-grey Armani suit jackets. It gives the impression of a unified front, paying the Euros the respect it deserves. Roberto Mancini, the perma-tanned manager, is an impressive figurehead, with a long bob (it has always been like this, it is not a pandemic grown-out hair look) and an expressive style — he has presence, authority and looks like he knows his way around a wine list. 

When the game starts, Mancini always takes his blazer off so he can gesticulate freely, sleeves rolled up to show off his Richard Mille watch (price on application). It features 18 karat white gold and he has said that it shows that he knows time is a strategic resource that must be managed.

Joachim Löw

Germany

Trademark: His Beatles-style bowl cut. There are rumours in Germany that it is a wig but Low denies this.

Vibe: The German manager’s style is deceptively simple. You may think he is just wearing T-shirts and therefore not making an effort but these are immaculately pressed, beautifully cut T-shirts that make him look like he is a model for a Scandinavian fashion brand, complete with white Stan Smith trainers. The whole look is fuss-free. If Jogi, as he is known, does get cold he goes for a cardigan or a jumper nonchalantly slung around his neck. It makes him look like a cool head boy, customising his school uniform. Once he wore a suit but with no tie — but he is too rock and roll for that. 

Roberto Martínez

Belgium

Trademark: Accidentally on trend eyebrows

Vibe: From Spain, via a stint helping Wigan avoid relegation, Roberto Martínez looks like the caricature of how you might draw a typical football manager. Yes, he has made the effort to wear a suit and tie but it is not a style statement. There is nothing flashy about his plain suit, white shirt and tie ensemble. His head is always neatly shaved and he exudes professional rigour. A flash of colour comes from a friendship bracelet in the colours of the Belgian flag — and his eyebrows give his face plenty of personality.

Luis Enrique

Spain

Trademark: A fashion trainer

Vibe: Fashion-wise, this silver fox has a very “off-duty boss on the golf course” vibe, in his Ralph Lauren polo shirts and chinos. Still, there are flashes of adventure from a man whose motto is “be braver than ever” and who runs the Marathon des Sables — 155-mile race over six days in the Saharan desert — for fun. For example, the chinos are cropped — when it comes to football coach attire, a flash of ankle is as extraordinary as it would have been in Victorian England — and he has a good line in the sort of fashion trainers that are more often seen catwalk-side than pitch-side: chunky-soled Nikes; simple monochrome adidas lace-ups; a Stan Smith. In fashion, as in life, he is his own man.

Gareth Southgate

England

Trademark: The waterproof

Vibe: In the frenzy of the 2018 World Cup, Gaz’s signature look caused a 35 per cent spike in waistcoat sales at M&S and sent “chap” style mainstream. He has abandoned the three-piece suit in favour of a very ‘upmarket pallbearer’ uniform mostly designed by his official outfitter for this tournament, London-based menswear brand, Percival. Southgate’s looks have included a fairweather suit — a lightweight grey number, worn with Percival’s £109 navy collared knit — and the £199 “waterproof Sherlock” jacket. Hmmm…