Everyone’s talking about . . .
Gareth’s waistcoat
Why is this in the news?
WHERE have you been? The World Cup is reaching the knock-out stage and England are still in it!
What’s Gareth Southgate’s tailoring got to do with that?
IT’S become some sort of lucky omen after the England gaffer refused to take the item off during the 6-1 massacre of minnows Panama on Sunday afternoon — despite the sweltering 30C heat. And then last night things seemed to go a bit wobbly.
Where did he get it?
LIKE all his players, he was kitted out with a £264 M&S suit before setting off for Russia. The waistcoat comes as a £65 extra, offset by a light blue shirt and £25 stripy tie in patriotic colours.
Nothing flashy then . . .
WE love the 47-year-old, Watfordborn, tattoo-free Southgate because he’s super unflashy. And when it comes to his wardrobe, he’s already a World Cup winner.
How come?
JUST look at the other managers’ appalling dress sense. The Argentinian chap looks like a gangster on the run, while the German manager sported a funereal black T-shirt that was only matched by his side’s depressing style of play.
Doesn’t Gareth look like a waiter in a pizzeria?
SHAME on you. True, Esquire magazine describes our Gareth as resembling someone who’s ‘just knocked off from official ushering duties at a wedding in East Grinstead’ — but many folk think he’s the most dapper England coach since Sir Alf Ramsey.
Will the look catch on?
FOOTIE pundits such as Jamie Redknapp are often seen in waistcoats, but it’s a fitted waistcoat without the jacket ensemble that gives Southgate the edge in the final third, Gary. But, hold on, let’s just check in with the experts on Savile Row... where, oh dear, professional tailors have a tiny word of criticism.
The quality of the cloth?
NO. They point out that, strictly speaking, the bottom button should be undone. Spoilsports.