By Naomi Richards & Helen Le Caplain
Fish and chips, salt and pepper… fashion and football?
The latter may not necessarily spring to mind as a match made in heaven, indeed dedicated followers of fashion may not have a clue what the off-side rule is in the same way that die-hard footy fans may not know their flatforms from their wedges.
But for anyone who loves either, a trip to the National Football Museum’s Strike a Pose: 50 Years of Football and Fashion exhibition is in for a real treat.
Documenting the last 50 years, the collection documents the rise of the modern glamorous footballer through changing fashions and styles.
Given the multi-million pound figures being bandied around the press come transfer deadline day it’s hard to imagine a time when footballers’ wages were capped at just £21 a week.
But up until the early 1960s footballing greats such as Bobby Charlton, Matt Busby and Bobby Moore were all subject to this limit.
This all changed in 1961 when the cap was removed and the call of the chequebook could lure a promising footballer away from his stomping ground and to a new club.
With all this disposable income now to hand wealthy footballing stars were able to trailblaze their way in the world of fashion.
George Best was one of the first players to combine his football career with fashion and opened three fashion boutiques in Manchester, inspiring iconic designers such as Jeff Banks.
Since then footballers such as David Beckham and Freddie Ljungberg have followed his path influencing fans with their own style and collaborating with designer brands.
The exhibition itself meanders through the decades looking how the terrace style has evolved from the mod fashions through to the skinheads and then the casual style embraced by modern footy fans.
First up is the George Best Boutique which catapults visitors back to the 1960s.
The Beatles classic She Loves You accompanies the visuals on display, very fitting for the man coined ‘the fifth Beatle’, and it is here the fabulous mohair coat from Best’s boutique Edwardia is proudly displayed.
Next up are the mods and skinhead fashions which were popular on the terraces back in the day.
A sharp contrast to the more relaxed styles seen across football stands today.
Back on the pitch, kit fashions have come a long way.
David Seaman’s infamous goalkeeper shirt worn at the 1996 European Championships is certainly a standout piece.
Fans are sure to laugh at the kit which gained the nickname ‘the Refresher’ due to the unfortunate resemblance to its confectionary look-alike.
A picture of Bobby Moore posing in a long fur coat, gun in hand, stands out as an amusing shot in the exhibition.
But it’s not just the men representing in the fashion stakes, in recent years footballers’ partners have been flung into the spotlight with the likes of Victoria Beckham and Coleen Rooney becoming as famous as their sporting husbands.
Coleen has flirted with some fashion design work with her Littlewoods range, but it’s Victoria who has shrugged off the WAG moniker and established herself as a critically-acclaimed fashioned designer.
In addition to the fashion, the photography and the music visitors can enjoy the inspirational quotes emblazoned across the walls.
And for those who may think that football is just a man’s game, leading feminist Germaine Greer reassures visitors that ‘football counts as culture as much as opera does’.
Fashion and football fans alike are sure to find the exhibition fascinating, yet with music, film and photography, the exhibition would be a great trip for all.
The exhibition is free, appropriate for all ages and is running until August 27.
For more information about Strike A Pose: 50 Years of Football & Fashion click here.
