英格蘭球場失意 只怪隊服不夠大牌?

As publicity stunts go, it had the perfect backdrop: how much easier could it be to mingle incognito with a group of men all wearing identical grey suits than to simply wear the same suit? Last weekend British comedian Simon Brodkin (best known for his alter-ego Lee Nelson) tried it with the England football squad at Luton airport, and loitered awhile before being spotted by captain Steven Gerrard and escorted away.

宣傳炒作，一切皆有滴水不漏的由頭：混入身穿灰色西服團隊中而不被發現的最簡單辦法，莫過於直接穿相同的西服。前不久在倫敦盧頓機場(Luton airport)，英國詼星西蒙•布魯德金（Simon Brodkin，其另一名字李•尼爾森(Lee Nelson)知名度更高）身穿英格蘭隊正裝隊服混入出征隊伍，剛閒逛了沒多會兒，就被英格蘭隊隊長吉拉德(Steven Gerrard)識破，並被警察“請出”了機場。

Was the stunt a comment on the squad’s attire? Opinions on England’s official World Cup suit – the one in which they disembark from aircraft and pose for team portraits – have not been lacking. Created by Marks and Spencer in conjunction with the Football Association, the £199 ensemble is not the designerwear extremely well-paid twentysomethings might choose.

這一出算是批評英格蘭隊隊服嗎？要知道，對英格蘭隊出征世界盃的正式隊服（隊員們走下飛機以及拍“全家福”時的行頭）的評論可謂不絕於耳。它由瑪莎百貨(Marks and Spencer)與英足總(Football Association)聯袂打造，這套標價199英鎊的行頭可能不是20多歲的高收入年輕人所青睞的時尚精品。

They are perhaps more likely to opt for the Dolce & Gabbana suit that will be worn by the Italian squad, or the Hugo Boss attire chosen for the Germans – although they might be less tempted by South Korea’s more practical choice from menswear brand Galaxy.

這些年輕人更可能選擇意大利隊穿的杜嘉班納(Dolce & Gabbana)西服與德國隊穿的雨果博斯(Hugo Boss)西服儘管，他們青睞韓國隊選擇的實用型男裝Galaxy的可能性不太。

“But then footballers are very used to endorsing products or being associated with those they wouldn’t necessarily choose themselves,” says Jonathan Swartland, M&S’s buying manager for men’s tailoring. He adds that the suit – a classic charcoal mohair-blend two-piece, made to measure for each player – has been designed with accessibility to a buying public in mind.

“不過，足球明星對產品代言或是爲自己不太可能選擇穿的服裝作宣傳，已是輕車熟路，”瑪莎百貨男裝採購負責人喬納森•斯沃特蘭(Jonathan Swartland)說，他還補充說：設計西服（深黑色經典款馬海毛混紡料兩件套定製西服）時，腦海中已對銷路胸有成竹。

Indeed, there is more than Fashion to the tailoring that players will be spotted in over the coming tournament – at least those players representing the wealthier nations. An official suit can be a piece of upscale football merchandising, for the man who feels out of place in a replica strip.

勿庸置疑，在即將到來的巴西世界盃上，球員穿的定製西服遠不止展示時尚元素——至少那些代表富有國家參加世界盃的球員並非如此。對於不習慣穿山寨隊服的球迷來說，正式隊服屬高端足球商品。

“We’re proud to be associated with such a big event but it is, of course, a commercial opportunity as well,” says Swartland. “It would be easy to take the players to Savile Row, but then few football fans can buy into that.”

“能與世界盃這樣的頂級賽事掛上鉤，我們感到非常自豪，當然，巨大商機的考量也是不言而喻的，”斯沃特蘭說。“把球員帶到薩維爾街(Savile Row)定製隊服輕而易舉，但沒有球迷會買帳。”

“I think England has got it right – we’re saying we know you don’t have to pay much on a suit to look classy,” says Dave Hewitson, a football fashion comment­ator and author. “It’s about being able to look like a million-dollar football star without the million dollars to spend.”

“我覺得英格蘭隊的做法對頭——即我們心知肚明：穿時尚感十足的西服，無需大掏腰包，”足球時裝評論員兼作家戴夫•希威森(Dave Hewitson)說。“就是無需真掏百萬美元，也能穿出年薪百萬美元足球明星的派頭。”

Certainly it’s good for business. Kitting out a football squad might cost a manufacturer £250,000 and some time – “Football players are a lot easier to dress than rugby players, but they can still be difficult body shapes to work with,” says Timothy Everest, who designed the M&S England suits for the 2010 World Cup – but considerable sales can be expected. Everest says that 7,000 units of his design flew off the shelves, making it M&S’s bestselling suit to date.

這對生意是利好消息。爲球隊配備隊服，可能會讓生產商“破費”25萬英鎊以及付出一定的時間——“給足球運動員配備行頭要比橄欖球員簡單得多，但針對每位球員的量體裁衣並不容易，”蒂莫西•埃弗里斯特(Timothy Everest)說，他爲瑪莎百貨設計了英格蘭隊參加2010年南非世界盃的正裝隊服,預期銷量相當可觀。埃弗里斯特說自己設計的正裝隊服共售出了7000套，成爲瑪莎百貨迄今爲止最爲暢銷的正裝隊服。

Tie-ins between football clubs and fashion off the field are already the norm at league level: Lanvin, for example, dresses Arsenal, while Trussardi works with Juventus; Giorgio Armani, who along with Paul Smith has dressed the England team in the past, has just signed a three-year deal to dress Bayern Munich.

足球俱樂部與時尚界的場下聯手在各國聯賽已是大行其道：比方說，朗萬(Lanvin)與楚薩迪(Trussardi)分別爲阿森納隊(Arsenal)及尤文圖斯隊(Juventus)設計球衣；阿瑪尼(Giorgio Armani)與保羅•史密斯(Paul Smith)合作，之前曾長期爲英格蘭隊設計隊服，最近剛與拜仁慕尼黑隊(Bayern Munich)簽下三年合同，爲對方提供球衣。

Fashion brands are also making the most of other opportunities presented by the tournament’s hype. Armani Jeans, for instance, has a collection of World Cup-themed T-shirts, and online retailer Yoox has tied up with football fashion magazine Sepp to create a series of limited-edition sweatshirts, each with a design evoking the national team of its designer.

時尚品牌還充分利用世界盃盛宴提供的其它機會。舉個例子，阿瑪尼推出了世界盃主題的T恤系列；網上零售店Yoox與足球時尚雜誌《Sepp》合作推出限量版運動衫系列，每一款都不由得讓人想起設計師所在的國家隊。

But might a team suit have deeper significance than moneymaking? Domenico Dolce of Dolce & Gabbana says there is a degree of expectation because “football players are style icons now”. But, adds Stefano Gabbana, the suits are also showcases for a national style – “and since we are an Italian fashion brand and are keen on the Italian tradition [of tailoring], it was a pleasure to design a suit that represented that for our national football team. It’s a blend of tradition and national pride.”

但是，除贏利外，每款球衣是否可有更深層次意義？杜嘉班納合夥創始人多梅尼科•多爾切(Domenico Dolce)說：球衣存在一定的期望值，因爲“球星如今已是時尚偶像”。但另一合夥創始人斯特凡諾•加巴納(Stefano Gabbana)補充道：正裝隊服還是展示國家形象的窗口——“因爲我們是意大利的時尚品牌，致力於傳承意大利服裝傳統，所以我們很高興能設計體現意大利國家隊形象的隊服。這是時尚傳統與國家尊嚴的結合。”

That is why tailor Charlie Allen, who co-designed the England squad’s suits for the 2010 tournament, expresses surprise that for this World Cup the Japanese team has chosen to be dressed by Dunhill, as huge as the British brand might be in Japan. “I think it’s important that national teams wear the clothing of their nation’s makers. Why aren’t the Japanese in Issey Miyake or Comme des Garçons?,” he asks.

這就是爲何裁縫師查理•艾倫（共同設計2010年世界盃的英格蘭隊服）對日本隊選擇登喜路(Dunhill)設計的隊服出戰本屆世界盃感到十分驚訝的原因所在。登喜路品牌在日本知名度很高。“我覺得國家隊穿本國品牌設計的隊服意義重大。日本隊爲何不穿三宅一生(Issey Miyake)或是Comme des Garçons的隊服呢？”他這樣問道。

Allen even suggests that a team might be putting itself at a psychological disadvantage by not going with home­grown talent. “Dressing a national football squad is, ultimately, a business decision,” he says. “But wearing a suit that is in some way patriotic is a lift for the psyche. It’s like the feeling a good suit can give you – it makes you stand taller, and feels like armour against the world – only this time it also represents your country. You wear a suit to go to work – which is precisely what these footballers are doing.”

艾倫甚至暗示：不穿本國設計師設計的球衣，可能會使球隊處於心理劣勢。“國家隊穿啥球衣歸根到底是商業行爲，”他說。“但從某種程度說，隊衣體現了愛國主義情結，它能提升球隊士氣。這就好比高檔西服給人的感覺———它讓自己顯得更爲高大，好比身披盔甲去衝鋒陷陣———況且在世界盃賽場上，它還代表了自己的國家。身披隊衣上場“鏖戰拼殺”———這正是球員們的職責所在。”