by Both the Wimbledon final and the Euros take place this weekend. But forget who will emerge for a sporting moment of triumph. What about the style champions? Here’s how tennis and football fashion scored in 2024.
Participants
Euros
Although their style is hampered by the fact that they all have to wear the same kit, the footballers have improved their fashion ties recently. Jude Bellingham was recently the face of Kim Kardashian’s Skims and French player Eduardo Camavinga was at Balenciaga’s 2022 couture show.
Elsewhere, getting happy with the hair color has earned players fashion points. Romanian defender Andrei Ratiu went blue and Germany’s Robert Andrich had the eye – a distraction? – pink top.
Wimbledon
The all-white dress code – a rule that has been in place since the late 19th century – has baffled the tennis tournament’s players, but competitors still managed to make a statement. Naomi Osaka’s ruffled top and wide skirt was a fashionable surprise.
Coco Gauff’s cut-out dress could easily have been thrown off the court, especially with Tenniscore, a TikTok trend enhanced by the tennis film Challengers, taking off. And then there is the Wimbledon fashion champion – Jannik Sinner, the face of Gucci from last year.
Score: 1-0 against Wimbledon. Who can argue with that Osaka outfit?
Fans
Euros
Noisy, often wearing face paint and sometimes without their tops, it was hard for Euro fans to ignore. In terms of clothes, they change between the kits of the team they are supporting and some dress up on the nose they suspect. See three real lions to watch England, and people dressed as matadors to watch Spain. The best style comes from retro kits, the kind that have now outlived football games. See the French fans in the cult France 98 kit, the German fans in their iconic 1990 shirt and the England fans in the best-of-age gray gear from 1996.
Wimbledon
Tennis matches at Wimbledon are more likely to be accompanied by polite applause than a football game by drums and chants.
Apart from the inevitable stunt outfits – strawberry printed suits, orange wigs to look sinful – the silent fandom is mostly sartorial – think the outfits are more broadly associated with the British summer: florals, blazers, caps baseball and, of course, the umbrella for the inevitable downpour.
Score: The Euros are even and it’s 1-1. Even with the dress up, the retro kits give a fashion edge.
The sidelines
Euros
Manager style has recently become a much-watched fashion category among fashionable football fans. The style of quiet luxury seen in managers such as Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola in the Premier League is very important to the running of the game and the fleet coming out on top. Among the men’s best of these were Ronald Koeman’s boxy jacket and chic T-shirt, and knitwear from Denmark’s Julian Nagelsmann and Kasper Hjulmand.
Gareth Southgate’s quarter-zip ivory short-sleeve knit from M&S subtly changes the color scheme while Murat Yakin’s retro glasses and swept-back hair look more magazine art director than Swiss manager.
Wimbledon
While Wimbledon has less style action on the sidelines, some players’ coaching staff may have caught the eye of fashionable spectators from the stands – albeit probably unintentionally. Juan Carlos Ferrero, the coach of Carlos Alcaraz, the chosen headgear of the summer of 2024, wears the baseball cap.
Meanwhile, Brad Gilbert, Gauff’s coach, can be seen in a fisherman’s hat and wraparound shades, two items favored by Gen Z. The Ralph Lauren-sponsored boys and girls also have an added bonus, of course. tour.
Score: This one is a tie, taking the score to 2-2. The manager’s style was a huge success at the Euros but the outfits for boys and girls are bona fide classics.
Famous
Euros
Style hits on the stands came from former France player Lilian Thuram in a colorful scarf and hat and David Beckham in an immaculate suit.
On the celebrity side, Ed Sheeran literally went by wearing an England shirt to watch the Slovakia game, while Adele kept it simple for the Netherlands game in a black blazer and white T-shirt.
Alternatively, take a look at a celebrity: the influential Tolami Benson, Bukayo Saka’s England partner, who impressed on designer Antonia Bronze’s custom jacket, featuring Saka’s first shirt number for Arsenal, 87.
Wimbledon
Celebrities love Wimbledon – everyone from Salma Hayek to Stormzy, Keira Knightley and Beckham (again) attended this year’s tournament. There’s also Morgan Riddle, Taylor Fritz’s influencer partner, who’s become a social media hit with next-to-tennis outfits and winky captions.
The best outfits go beyond the smart ones – Grace Jones in a flight suit with a hat, or Arlo Parks in a Thom Browne school outfit. The smartest was unexpectedly: Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters who was almost unrecognizable in a smart suit, hair tied back in a ponytail.
Final score: 3-2 to Wimbledon. As an A-list destination, the tennis tournament reigns supreme in the style championships.
