MAN FRIDAY
(WAIST)COAT TALES
Stephen Doig looks at how Gareth Southgate carved out a style niche
José Mourinho might have had his pristine black coats, but Gareth Southgate has a style code all of his own: his waistcoats. The England manager has graced the Russia World Cup pitch in a series of waistcoats, designed as part of the Marks & Spencer official World Cup suiting uniform. Which, when it was introduced, was met with controversy over the fact that, while it employs British textiles, the suits are made in Cambodia.
But that very high street institution has trumpeted that, this week, sales of waistcoats have risen by 35 per cent thanks to Southgate’s championing of them, worn with suit trousers, a sharp shirt and a club striped tie. Which begs the question: why?
Waistcoats aren’t a natural go-to in summer, and have taken a distinct back seat since the rise of the gilet and the slackening of upright tailoring rules for a more relaxed stance. And, while Russia’s July temperatures are more forgiving than ours, surely there’s something a tad “trussed up” about them?
It’s telling that Southgate has previously spoken of his admiration of his maternal grandfather and his sense of British propriety, which might indicate from where he gets this rather traditional sense of dress; you’d be hardpressed to meet your average football fanatic donning a waistcoat on top of his shirt on a Friday night down the pub.
But, perhaps there is something to be said for its air of gravitas on Southgate; it lends an uprightness without the rigidity of a suit, streamlines the torso and shows a touch of consideration beyond the standard shirt and tie.
It’s a halfway point between a suit jacket and a more informal look, although it runs the risk of looking like a worse-forwear usher at the end of a wedding, ready to grab the air during the throwingout-dance to Summer of ’69. Luckily, Southgate keeps things polished with a perfectly neat tie and cufflinks, as opposed to rolled-up sleeves. So how to get it right?
Certainly, while it may be cumbersome in those broiling temperatures (not to mention the sweatinducing pressure during penalty shoot-outs), Southgate shows how to get a waistcoat right, at a time when most men with summer weddings in the offing might be eyeing one up. It helps that the former footballer is as slender as you’d expect, being a pro athlete; those with bulkier proportions might want to avoid, as a waistcoat can add volume to a man’s
middle section, or worse, strain and look like a portly gentleman landowner in a Jane Austen adaptation.
It’s also significant that Southgate’s waistcoat is single-breasted; double breasted should be kept for more ceremonial occasions like weddings. And it’s worth considering the fabric; sleek navy is sophisticated and easy to wear with a classic shirt,
and while myriad offerings come in plaids and paisleys, the former can look a tad Brigadoon and the latter like a novelty act.
Will the waistcoat prove a lucky talisman in the quarter-finals? Time will tell, but if you’re hankering for some of the manager’s bench side style, follow these rules.