How Gareth Southgate's waistcoat became England's World Cup fashion hit

Nigeria’s zig-zag football kit might have broken pre-order sales with three million sold, but Gareth Southgate’s waistcoat is England’s unexpected sartorial hit of the World Cup 2018.

The team manager has come a long way since he wore a regrettably oversized beige suit on his wedding day in 1997. Today, he favours a sharper look – specifically a well-tailored three-piece suit, often shedding the jacket to reveal a single-breasted waistcoat – the latter of which has swiftly become a surprise trend.

Marks & Spencer, which has been the official suit supplier of the England team since 1997, describes what it is dubbing the ‘Gareth Southgate effect’; sales for its waistcoats have risen 35 per cent thanks to the England captain’s patronage.

Marks & Spencer FA Collection waistcoat, £65 SHOP NOW

Those wanting to emulate the style of the England coach will be pleased to note that the waistcoat from Marks & Spencer’s official FA Collection costs just £65. The full three-piece suit will set you back just £264.

M&S isn’t the only brand that’s noticed a surge in interest. eBay reports that searches for waistcoats increased by 25 per cent last weekend, while tailoring label TM Lewin tweeted that sales of the piece were “going through the stadium roof” this week.

Global fashion search platform Lyst told us that searches for waistcoats were up 41 per cent since the start of the World Cup, and – since the England vs Columbia match on Tuesday 3 July – someone searched for a waistcoat every 12 minutes, with Ted Baker, Reiss and Thom Sweeney proving most popular. That said, within hours of Southgate wearing his M&S suit on Tuesday evening, searches for the British brand increased 55 per cent with waistcoats becoming the most popular M&S menswear item bought on Lyst this week. In terms of colours, navy has piqued the most interest – the favoured shade of the England captain.

Southgate’s waistcoat has also been given the meme treatment, after tech company Huawei doctored an image to show an “it’s coming home” slogan covering the garment. The idea was to show off the brand’s P20 Pro’s zoom feature, but it’s now asking M&S to turn the Photoshopped design into a reality.

So why has Southgate turned to the waistcoat? The item has been described as the male version of the corset (albeit much more comfortable), framing the body to positive effect – depending on the body. In some cases, you’re better off leaving them undone rather than buttoned up. It’s also an easy way of smartening up an outfit, elevating the shirt.

Southgate has also, perhaps unwittingly, also nodded to a broader suiting trend, favoured by Prada, Céline and Tom Ford on the spring/summer 2018 catwalks. Although it’s still too early to call Southgate’s preferred waistcoat a womenswear trend, it is a piece that’s cropped up more and more in the past few seasons. Far from the Kate Moss’ boho Glastonbury look of old, this latest waistcoat revival is office-appropriate – either worn fitted over fine knitwear or longer in length and teamed with trousers or a midi skirt. This season, both Chloé and Victoria Beckham did different versions of the waistcoat, while Stella McCartney offered both denim styles and grey tailored versions for autumn/winter 2018.

In terms of celebrity fans, Southgate isn’t the only high-profile name to see the potential in a waistcoat. Vanessa Paradis teamed hers with jeans and a black midi coat to Chanel’s autumn/winter 2018 show in Paris, while Victoria Beckham styles hers with matching pinstripe trousers.

The jury’s still out on whether the waistcoat will form part of women’s wardrobe next season, but – thanks to Southgate – it’s already well on its way to coming home to menswear.

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