These days it seems every major sporting event is an opportunity for a red carpet, so it’s not surprising that Sunday’s World Cup finals was the same.
Be it the Thom Browne white skirt suit laced up the back in red-white-and-blue grosgrain ribbon worn by Jennifer Hudson to sing the national anthem (or for that matter the khaki Thom Browne jacket with red-white-and-blue grosgrain ribbon worn by Melania Trump); the Gucci leather jacket and matching bag worn by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the stands; or the Louis Vuitton trunk worn by the trophy to make its entrance into the stadium, brands were set to have a, well, field day.
Except then they dropped the ball.
The first World Cup halftime show, potentially the most style-conscious (if hotly debated) moment of the match, featuring multiple major global stars, turned out to be its least fashionable moment. In part because almost every participant seemed to have the same idea when it came to their clothes: It’s the jersey, baby.
Madonna set the tone when she arrived writhing out of a tunnel in a pair of mauve silk Saint Laurent shorts that looked a lot like Adidas running shorts (Adidas being the official outfitter of the World Cup) along with a matching personalized warm-up jacket. Plus corset and lace thigh-highs. Next up: Gustavo Dudamel, conducting the New York Philharmonic while wearing a blue pinstriped suit with the jacket customized on the back with his name and the number “1” inspired by a soccer jersey.
That was a witty take, in part because of the bizarre juxtaposition, but then things got a little more predictable.
The members of BTS made their appearance in red, white and black tracksuits, leathers as well as various customized, you guessed it, soccer-like jerseys. Even Miss Piggy wore a bedazzled pink jersey-adjacent top with her pink frock.
There were exceptions, of course. Shakira, in a cut-out tequila-sunset-toned number by Fausto Puglisi for Roberto Cavalli complete with carwash skirt, for one; Justin Bieber in a cut-up oversize T-shirt atop a baggy polo and baggier denim shorts from his own brand, Skylrk (might as well seize the moment for some promotion). But the jerseys were the unofficial trend.
It’s understandable. After all, jerseys may be the most collectible, customizable, recognizable symbol of the beautiful game, fandom and the World Cup. They were the dominant outfit in the stands. Little wonder the entertainers and those who style them wanted to show some buy-in.
And it’s possible the idea behind the various halftime jersey-adjacent outfits was to suggest everyone was a soccer fan now. But jerseys derive their power from the teams and people they represent; they are a way for fans to signal membership in a community, like a not-so-secret handshake (or a concert tee for that matter).
By appropriating the form of something already replete with resonance but emptying it of that point (or attempting to replace it with bling and their own fame), Dudamel, BTS et al also ultimately sapped their jerseys, or jersey-adjacent looks, of meaning, and turned them into kitsch, rather than relevant costume.
Which may be why the most memorable halftime jerseys were the rainbow-colored ones worn by the members of the P.S. 22 children’s choir to sing “We Dance” with Chris Martin, with their school as their team. They, at least, represented something greater than themselves.
