What the hell happened to Gareth Southgate iconic waistcoat?

A couple of years ago Allegri declared in an interview with GQ: "I'd fine those coaches who show up on the sidelines wearing overalls, you're representing the company, you can't wear overalls!". Gareth Southgate among the Euro2020 coaches certainly enters the special competition of style on the sidelines, despite the fact that in the first match England won he showed up without his trademark: the waistcoat. In 2018 during the World Cup in Russia, Southgate's outfit had caused sales and searches for stylish waistcoats in his homeland to skyrocket so much that he had a dedicated Twitter account and grossed - according to figures from FHS Promotions Ltd, the company that manages his image rights - around £200,000 during the World Cup.

The 2018 outfit, complete with formal trousers, a blue shirt and a well-trimmed beard, had the English press full of praise for a style also influenced by the success of Peaky Blinders, a TV series inspired by the criminal gang active in Birmingham in the 19th century, always formal and with a dark suit accompanied by a waistcoat and a newsboy cap.  

For England's first game it was the coach's new outfits that stole the headlines, and the related protests for abandoning the waistcoat. Southgate always appeared in a very formal suit in line with his style, accompanied by a navy blue tie with white polka dots. Throughout EURO2020, the Watford-born manager personally asked London-based brand Percival to create a number of bespoke looks for the bench. 

Style on the bench is something to be taken seriously and as we have seen, it can also lead to great results, not only in economic terms. But Southgate is not the only one to bring his style to the sidelines, other coaches like him stand out by breaking out of the usual patterns that, let's be honest, have bored us a bit. One of these is certainly Joachim Löw, who is allergic to the classic shirts and who a few days ago, at his debut, showed up with his usual dark slim-fit shirt combined with a classic cut trouser. 

The waistcoat is a garment that is slowly making a comeback, an emblem of elegance and style, even other coaches have decided to wear it, D'Aversa of Parma is a great fan, Pirlo on the other hand, during his last season at Juventus, wore it timidly on a few rare occasions. But then again, a waistcoat is a must in a true gentleman's wardrobe, as is a team without a goalkeeper, a trend that is (perhaps) about to return.