The Good, The Bad, The WTF

By virtue of multiple requests, here it is, the Italian shirt as worn in the Confederations Cup. Be warned, I don't hate it as much as you may think I do despite the sublimated print.

First, a little background. The lighter blue is actually azure and is somewhat of a throwback look for the team. Unlike the US pulling out 3/4 sleeved shirts with restrictive cuffs, Italy opted for an updated style with old colors. The color scheme comes from the Italian teams of the 1930s, winners of the 1934 and '38 World Cups as well as Olympic champions in 1936. Not a bad decade to emulate. But maybe without all the Fascism.


For the shirt itself, I like the color. A lot. I'm not wild about the sublimation, but it's better than most. By utilizing the sublimation so heavily, it almost looks like diagonal pinstripes in the end. The flair of the shirt comes from the stripe on the left which is red, white and green--the colors of the Italian flag.

One thing that is missing from the internets is any trace of the brown shorts that Italy wore while dispatching the US on Monday. All of the pre-release hype centered on the kit having white shorts, so unfortunately, there is no dissection from me on those. From what I saw, I liked, as the brown was dark and chocolate enough as to mesh well with the shirt.

One thing I am just enamored with that Puma has done for this kit are the special shoes. As part of a package deal, Puma produced some of their King boots in chocolate with azure and white accents. The result is simply stunning.


I warning you now, though. As much as I like the way this kit goes together, if I see anyone of you with this on, I may flip out. Especially if you put Rossi's name on it. You would be well-served to watch your back at that point, as it's likely a pie in the face is coming your way.




Thanks to Football Fashion and Soccer Bible for the images.