Fifa World Cup: The fashion spot

There are now endless ways to get your fashion kicks, because, of course, the tournament comes on the back of the worst recession in years and having spotted an opportunity to boost bottom lines, however temporary, most canny business professionals have swooped right in for the kick.

For the next month, most of the world’s eyes will be on football, and the beefcakes running around sweating up a storm are the perfect models to push anything from cupcakes and cola to suits and soccer balls – to scents!

S Club 7 star Rachel Stevens is the face of a new football fragrance designed to replicate the smells of the football field and the tournament’s home turf, South Africa. Currently available only in London, the $19.99 Eau de Stade lets you smell like one of soccer’s hottest.

Young and hot
“Footballers represent our ideal of beauty,” Domenico Dolce, co-designer and co-founder of Dolce and Gabbana told reporters, in explaining the football fever we all seem to have contracted.

“It’s useless to deny it,” he continued. “They’re today’s true icons. Young, virile, sculpted men with athletic and healthy bodies.” The designers have dressed this year’s Italian squad.

Italy were winners of the 2006 tournament and this year will wear close-cut suits, sunglasses and briefs from Dolce & Gabbana. Other squads are also doing their best to ensure they aren’t handed a red card in the style stakes: Germany will be suited by Strenesse and Spain will wear Cortefiel’s Pedro del Hierro fashion line.

Marks & Spencer for Rooney
And for those looking to support 1966 winners England in the sartorial stakes, Marks and Spencer is where you want to head to. The classic British label have dressed Wayne Rooney and his teammates this year – and the England suit went on sale in the UK last month, but can also be purchased off the shelf should you find the Garuda Mall outlet doesn’t stock them!

That association is a major shift from last time, when the team wore Armani to Germany. The new two-button wool suits with their decadent red lining are chic but cheap at £200 for a two-piece set. It’s a new aesthetic that is perfectly in keeping with the credit-crunched mood we all seem to be in.

What the Wags are wearing
But also dialling down the glam quotient are the infamous Wives and Girlfriends, or Wags, best known for their stratospheric spending and chavtastic style choices.
In perfect chime with this lean mean post-credit-crunch season, the Wags have toned down their style this

season, aiming for recessionista chic rather than fashionista bling.
For those who’ve missed this vital sideshow in the football circus, football wives and girlfriends dominate the tabloids with stories of how they clean cars and give visiting Wags the tikki tour. A far cry from the days when a footballer’s partner was expected to be demure and discreet, these women have turned being partners into a lucrative business by launching their own fashion labels or running hot-to-trot PR agencies. Cases in point? Victoria Beckham, who is official Queen Wag; Sarah Brandner, girlfriend of German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger; and Abbi Clancy, partner of England striker Peter Crouch.

This year’s Wag look is a dressed-down version of last time, with peg-leg trousers (loose at the hip but tight at the ankle to show off your Manolos) taking the place of designer jeans and floaty dresses. Pair these with platforms or ankle boots and a tailored jacket to project a just-stepped-out-of-the-office look and you’ve embraced the tournament’s new power look. If these women, who occupy the key niche between trend-setting style leaders and mainstream fashion victims, are any indicator, power dressing is back, back, back.

Where you must shop
For those who want a look worthy of the World Cup, sporting apparel manu-facturers such as Adidas, Nike and Reebok are hawking new lines.
The most obvious outfit of choice for the most-viewed sports event is the classic football uniform or a commemorative T-shirt and the variety of souvenir shirts is endless.
The prettiest by far that we’ve seen so far, however, is Puma’s Unity Kit – which is truly in line with the lofty principles the beautiful game is founded on.
“In 2010, Africa will be at the centre of the footballing world,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO, Puma.

“The ‘Play for Life’ campaign and the release of the Africa Unity Kit is a powerful statement for Puma. Puma is creating a unique kit embracing the diversity of African Nations teams while valuing the unity of players and supporters towards a common goal.”

Inspired by the heat of the African sun, the vast skies and the continent’s rich soil, the Puma Africa Unity Replica Jersey is a take-down version of a revolutionary new football jersey and the world’s first ‘continental football kit’.

Designed for the continent’s national teams, it’s a lovely brown colour that was created by mixing actual soil samples from Ghana, Ivory Coast, South Africa and Cameroon.
The yellow numbers and Africa Unity Badge, which depicts two hands locked in a solidarity handshake, represent the sun shining down on the continent. Shirts are available in all their stand-alone outlets.

The inside story
And if you’re a quiet supporter, Calvin Klein is thrusting out its X Global Underwear line. Inspired by the love of sport and the passion for football, these low-rise trunks, priced at Rs 1099, represent different countries in their respective flag colors along with the graphic of the country name, written at the back in its native language.
The bold X waistband is coloured to match the body of the garment.
Or you could choose to increase your brand value with Louis Vuitton, which has created a new travel case for this year’s trophy, so it can travel in safety and style.
Its sexy football-inspired monogram duffel bag is made of soccer ball panels. A trophy bag all your own!