2010 FIFA World Cup Sartorial Round Up

If you're like me then you absolutely cannot wait for the month's worth of soccer (I'm not one of those American assholes who calls it "futbol") festivities right around the corner.  Thankfully the beautiful game is international and with international sports comes a heavy dose of sartorial appreciation.  Here are some things that have been on my radar:

The gear statistics revolving around the 2010 FIFA World Cup are pretty staggering.  Men in the UK will spend a projected 241 million dollars on official kits (jerseys) and sportswear alone during the group stage of the tournament.  In fact, more money will be spent on gear during the group stage than on food - seriously, 228 million dollars.  England's economy has a huge stake in the success of its national team and looks to make some serious dough despite not being the host nation.  If Rooney & Co. can progress past the group stage, which they are projected to, around 467 million dollars will be at stake if they can make it to the 2010 final.

[All statistics courtesy of Kelkoo.]

While the USA is poised to taste some World Cup glory for the first time since 1950 (when we miraculously beat England 1-0 in a group match) we are still dressing like complete and utter scrubs.  Just look at our squad at the White House below.  Apparently business casual applies to professional athletes as well.  And what's the deal with the pants?  I guess we have no roster depth at Left Tailor.  This miserable display is the definition of not getting off on the right foot and while what happens on the field is really the only thing that matters I would have liked to see at least an ounce of sartorial effort.

Across the pond the English National team, who the USA open up against on June 12th, are the image of tailored perfection.  Just check out their official gray three piece suits by Marks & Spencer - some seriously killer gear.  England has always kept their team looking sharp having been dressed by the likes of Paul Smith, Giorgio Armani and Burton for past shots at Victory.  If USA v. England was decided in a showroom this shit would go down 8-0 in favor of the Brits.

England is looking sharp for sure, but it's the Japanese who shut it down as per usual.  Their "Samurai Blue's" courtesy of Dunhill take The Steeze Cup.  Not much to say here, just check it out.  Can they kick it? Yes, they can.

And finally, it wouldn't be a men's style blogopshere post without directing you towards the Life Archives where you can peep some inspiration.  Pele, action shots and old school uniforms - in a word: awesome.

-L.A.S

The Men Who Would Be Bond

At the same time movie posters across the globe boldly claimed "Sean Connery IS James Bond" the unthinkable happened - the once unknown Scotsman was out.  Despite the fact that Connery had sipped his last martini and bedded his last femme fatale as Bond, Hollywood was far from finished.

The buzz surrounding the 1968 search for the next 007 was enough that Life Magazine dispatched photographer Loomis Dean to document the final casting session, or screen test, for On Her Majesty's Secret Service.  George Lazenby, an Australian model, was eventually selected despite lacking any discernible acting experience outside of a few chocolate ads and was offered a staggering seven film contract.  As it turned out Lazenby was more Wonka than Bond and on the advice of his agent, who believed the Bond series had already peaked, never did another film.  Connery eventually returned for one last encore, paving the way for Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, but for a short period of time in 1968 these were the men who would be Bond.

-L.A.S

Bastin's Blog

Ever wondered what Christopher Bastin's, designer for Gant Rugger, blog might look like? Well now you know.  Thanks to the big homie AKC for bringing this to my attention.

-L.A.S

Father's Day At Sid Mashburn

Wondering what to get your pops for Father's Day?  Sid Mashburn has some ideas for you.  While it's a bold move to get your dad some white bucks or swim trucks, Sid has some pretty great suggestions here.  If your dad is like mine he likes nice things, but isn't the kind of guy to go out and buy them for himself.  And isn't that the best kind of gift anyway?  The kind someone wouldn't get themselves?  Anyhow, if you live in Atlanta swing by or if you don't give 'em a ring.  Either way, Father's Day at Sid Mashburn is so good you might just have to up your bid on that kid you've been scoping on eBay.

-L.A.S

U. S. Of B

Is there anything better this time of year than girls in skirts? Absolutely not, but getting fly out of season gear on sale does come in at a very distant and much less meaningful second.  Now is a great time to hit up brands like Baracuta and snipe some goods that you can wear tomorrow, but are relegated to the sale rack thanks to fashion's dynamic seasonal shifting.  The classic Harrington silhouette can be found in various linen and cotton fabrics with discounts up to half off - that means you can stunt as soon as tomorrow and with a marginally full wallet at that.  Thanks to a generous friend of mine I finally got my hands on one and, yes, please believe the hype.  You and I will never be as cool as Steve McQueen, or even Chad McQueen for that matter, but at least we can make a concerted three quarters assed try.  In the United States of Baracuta the national colors are red, khaki and navy so that's what I'd personally be on the lookout for - year in and year out these colors don't run.

-L.A.S

Indigo Dip

I can't really get down with the whole dip dye trend since it's a little too Cali brah for my tastes, but I can appreciate more subtle takes on the overall idea.  J. Crew's new Indigo Fleece Crewneck Sweatshirt utilizes the dip dye process for what they call a "cool vintage denim effect".  By keeping the dye limited to one color the sweatshirt has the sweet fading that comes with the dip dying process while staying understated.  It's a warmer weather alternative to the much ballyhooed gray crewneck sweatshit adding some seasonal edge to those brisk nights that come around every now and again.  It's a little pricey so you may want to wait for it to go on sale and, much like all of J. Crew's seasonal numbers, it most surely will.  Since fit is always an issue you may want to think about sizing down considering you probably won't be doing as much layering in S/S, but I keep hearing how J. Crew's fit is getting better so who knows.  My advice - head to the mall, try it on, hit the boardwalk and play some ski ball.

-L.A.S

Keeping A Low Profile

I personally have nothing against the Jack Purcell sneaker in its current form, but I figure that there has to be at least one person out there who has yet to pull the trigger on their own pair of the classic sneaker due to the thickness of its sole.  For those of you who find yourself in such a predicament Converse has answered you cries for help.  The Jack Purcell Low Profile is exactly what the name entails - the timeless shoe, but with a considerably slimmed down sole.  With a new low profile in tact the shoe's outer stitching appears a tad more pronounced in this case, but otherwise it's the exact same shoe.  After being so used to seeing the original version for all these years this modern reincarnation looks a bit off so I personally won't be buying it although the shoe has always been one of my personal favorites so I'm not exactly the intended demographic for this particular model.  It's pretty much summer at this point so if you need to do some last minute slimming down you might as well start from the ground up.

-L.A.S