MAGIC & MADNESS
Author explores how famous footballers develop their unique and distinctive styles
Simon Doonan is a bona fide bon vivant so it makes total sense that the creative ambassador for Barneys New York would do a colourful, cheeky celebration of the style of the beautiful game.
In Soccer Style: The Magic and the Madness, Doonan breaks dow n the get-ups of famous players, from the legendary 1960s Manchester United forward George Best to today’s pitchperfect Gucci-loving Cristiano Ronaldo, the former Real Madrid star w ho played for Portugal in this year’s World Cup.
The book is a fun and a completely unapologetic, full-on fawning by a true English football fan.
Doonan grew up in a working class neighbourhood in Reading, England, and through the footballer days of his youth he started to understand sartorial sense and just plain living it up.
Doonan chatted with Post media about his book and who he considers to be fashionable footballers.
Q Why did you want to do Soccer Style: The Magic and The Madness?
AI grew up with soccer in England w here it’s a huge part of the culture. I was always fascinated by the style and flash of the high-profile players: their dramas, their cars and haircuts and their ink. The culture which has evolved around soccer is rich and frequently hilarious.
Q Are you experiencing World Cup fever? A I am completely obsessed.
Q At the beginning of the book, you say the lens you view football through is “less Fever Pitch and more Saturday Night Fever Pitch .” What is it about the sartorial side of football that so intrigue s you?
A I relate to the lads. I grew up in a factory tow n after the War in austerity Britain. I w as obsessed w ith the ’60s generation of players like George Best and Mike Summerbee. And I shared their passion for style and E-type Jaguars.
Q You highlight the great George Best as a turning point for you. What kind of influence did the Man United star have on you as a kid?
A Best was a tough brave player, a real macho dude, w ho also liked fashion. I felt a kinship with him in his love of dressing up. There was something optimistic and glamorous about his vanity, which appealed to my post war austerity generation.
Q Speaking of Best, back in the day he was one the great son andoff the field. What did he truly understand about being a star?
A He w as born to be a celebrity. He loved the crow ds and the attention, and the girls. He famously said, “I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars, and the rest I just squandered.”
Q Of your categories of fashion able footballers( Good Taste Ambassadors, Label Kings, Psy- chedelic Ninja-s, Hire d Assassin and Bohemians and Fauxhemians), which are you personally most into and wh y?
A My favourite group of players is the crazy uninhibited dressers. I call them The Psychedelic Ninjas. Examples include Neymar, (Paul) Pogba, (Djibril) Cissé, (Dani) Alves and (Roberto) Firmino. These guys love to w ear avant-garde crazy clothes — Balenciaga, Balmain, Gucci — and they have a very healthy disregard for any negative feedback or mockery. They use fashion as a form of creative personal expression. Bravo!
Q Who is your favourite fashionable football er right now and why?
A (Former Real Madrid and new Juventus player) Cristiano Ronaldo seems to enjoy spending his dough. He has Hermes blankets on his private plane. When I read about the fabulous movie stars of the silent movie era like Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Sw anson, I think of Ronaldo.
Q What are the biggest trends you see in football er fashion right now?
A Hand tattoos are becoming increasingly popular. Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid has big flow ers on the back of his hands.
Beards are everyw here. Many players — Pogba and (Antoine) Griezmann — simplified their radical haircuts for the World Cup. Am sure they w ill go back to their old w ays w hen the next season begins.
Q Do you h ave any tattoos?
A I love tattoos and find the entire culture of ink to be fascinating, but I have none myself. I’ve got a thing about needles. And Ronaldo does not have any either, so there!
Q What can we all learn from football er fashion?
A Footballers/soccer players feed the fashion economy. They love to shop. They are true patrons of La Mode. They show us that style is life-affirming and life-enhancing.
Q You mention in the book that footballers pay full retail and that makes you happy. Why?
A I have been in the retail world my entire adult life. My salary has always depended on people paying full retail. God bless the shoppers of the world. They are the true patrons of fashion.
Q There are so many style trends connected with football over the years. Which one do you love now?
A I am very excited about the new soccer jersey designs. People, not just fans, are buying soccer jerseys and w earing them w ith their street-style and hipster outfits. You don’t have to be a soccer fan to wear a Nigerian or Spanish jersey. It’s a style moment. This is a big revolution. In the old days, only hardcore fans wore soccer jerseys. Now they have become a huge hip signifier. This is the big new s of the 2018 World Cup. The shirts are stylish and groovy and can be integrated into your regular street-style wardrobe. My faves are Colombia — lightning bolts coming from the armpits — and Croatia with the checker board pattern, which reminds me of the Louis Vuitton Daumier pattern.
Q Footballers and their hair, has there even been a more intimate relationship? What did you like better frost and tip, corn row or man bun David Be ckh am?
A David Beckham’s changing hairstyles liberated generations of blokes w ho never thought about their hair. He and his various styles unleashed the metrosexual creativity. He is the patron saint of soccer style.
Q Footballers are also known for their car porn. Since the early days, a superstar always bought a super car. What is the connection? Is it just showing of for is it performance?
A Lambos, Porsches and Ferraris are status symbols which have enormous appeal to young lads with disposable income. Why not? I wish I had had that kind of money when Iwa sin my 20s!
Q You address the whole WAG (wives and girl friends) thing and open with the hilarious and famous Peter Crouch response when asked what he would have been if he hadn’t become a football er? He responded, “A virgin .” So that said, to be a WA G is tobe ...
A The big WAG moment happened back in 2006 at the German World Cup when Coleen Rooney and Abbey Clancy and Victoria Beckham took Baden Baden by storm. Watching these young girls having a blast and shopping their brains out provided fodder for the tabloids. Now things have changed. Most WAGS want to be taken seriously.
Q When did the whole WAG as an ambition go into high gear?
A 2006 was the peak of WAG-dom. It does not fit so well with the contemporary narrative. Women don’t w ant to be seen as lazy or dependent on men.
Many of today’s WAGs are professional and hard-working and keep a low profile.
Q You are creative ambassador for Barney s New York. How long have you been there and what does your job en tail?
AI have worked for Barneys since 1986, and for most of that time I have been the creative director, responsible for window displays and ads and all the fun image-related stuff. The ambassador position is relatively recent. I get to host store events and give quotes to the press.
It also allows me to do other stuff, like my new TV show . It’s a competition crafting show with Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman called Making It and it debuts July 31 on NBC. Etsy’s Dayna Isom Johnson and I are the judges.