I used to be a sneakerhead. That part of me still exists, but it rarely manifests itself. More and more, I’m becoming a kithead. Soccer kits, to be exact. Love them. Well, at least some of them.
As the World Cup is fast approaching, I’ve been fascinated by the shirts that will be worn during the tournament. I’ve made lists ranking my favorites and least favorites, the latter of which is a risky proposition. There are reasons soccer shirts look like they do, and a lot of those reasons have to do with cultural tradition. Some can interpret a jab at a shirt as a jab at an entire culture. That’s not the intent here, as I’m looking to evaluate kits purely on the basis of my own subjective fashion tastes. And while I’m known to be somewhat of a fashion guru, I will admit that not everyone shares my chic views.
Favorite World Cup 2010 Shirts:
- Africa Unity Kit: My favorite kit of the whole tournament. All of the African nations have adopted it as their Third Shirt. “Inspired by the Continent’s sun, vast skies and rich soil, the Africa Unity Kit is the world’s first ‘continental footbal kit’”.
- Greece Away: Swooping lines and clean design? Yes, please. The Greek kits are always classy.
- Argentina Away: I dig how the Argentine kits always have a throwback quality to them. The crest looks really sharp on top of the dark blue, and the white trim is fresh. My understanding is that the shirt will be paired with white shorts. Hawt.
- Italy Home: I’m a sucker for collard shirts.
- Brazil Third: This is a venture away from Brazil’s stalwart traditional home and away kits, and it’s not clear that they will actually wear the shirts in the tournament. But if they do, these shirts will be very intimidating. Brazil play with so much style that rocking these black joints will make stopping them feel like trying to stop Darth Vader. It’s not likely, but it’s possible. I hope they take the field to the Imperial Death March. Please.
- Serbia Home: Love the offset cross.
- Korea DPR: They’re going to get so waxed in the tournament, but at least they’ll go out looking good.
Least Favorite World Cup 2010 Kits
- Honduras Away: Too much going on in the middle for me.
- Australia Away: I just always think of the Aussies as green and yellow. The predominately blue shirt makes them feel…not Australian.
- France Home: Dislike the center fade. Dislike the fact they shouldn’t even be in the tournament. Everything just looks and feels dirty.
- Slovenia Away: Insert joke about how the futbol will get pulled away every time the Slovenians try to kick it.
- Croatia Home and Away: There are no words.
All pics are courtesy of Soccerlens and Soccer.com. Do you have any favorites or not-so-favorites that aren’t on my list?
Renew and Restore
