Gala invite or not, ‘football is fashion’ in women’s sports
The first Monday of May may not mean much in the world of football, but it might as well be the World Cup in fashion.
Every year on that date, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City hosts the Met GalaA lavish fundraiser for its Costume Institute where hundreds of A-list celebrities from the worlds of film and television, fashion and art gather for a night of self-indulgent glamour. The event doubles as the official unveiling of the institute’s latest exhibition, whose theme – in this case, “costume art” – also informs the event’s dress code.
Beyoncé, Venus Williams, Nicole Kidman and ex circulation The magazine’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour co-chaired this year’s Met Gala, setting the tone for the event and curating the prestigious guest list. The dress code was “Fashion is art”, a directive loose enough to allow for myriad interpretations but focused enough to guarantee entertaining looks for the evening. Heidi Klum went as a sculptor, working with Oscar-nominated makeup artist Mike Marino to recreate the “Veiled Vestal” by Rafael Monti. Fellow supermodel Anok Yai also opted for a literal expression of the sculptural nature of her work, dressed as the Black Madonna in Balenciaga. Olympic figure skating gold medalist Alyssa Liu took a creative approach with her sanguine Louis Vuitton gown, the tightly wound ruffles of her skirt simulating the muscle tissue she relies on daily to practice her art.
According to the Met’s announcement from February, the theme aims to “examine the centrality of the body, clothing, and works of art adorning the museum’s vast collection to create pairings that highlight not only the inseparable relationship between clothing and the body but also the complex interplay between the body and the artistic representation of fashion as an embodied art.”
Is this not football at its best, whether on a canvas grass pitch or a leather-bound boot caressing the ball like a paintbrush?
football is fashion
Megan Rapinoe’s appearance at the 2021 Met Gala felt like a turn after years of almost no presence in the women’s game at fashion’s biggest night. Wearing a fiery red silk Sergio Hudson pantsuit with a blue star-spangled button-down shirt, and, crucially, a The blue enamel clutch features “America” on one side and “In Gay We Trust” on the other. The two-time World Cup winner interpreted that year’s “American Freedom” theme with the audacious irony for which she is known. (To his credit, Alex Morgan appeared at the 2016 Met Gala Standard white embellished Christian Siriano gown, if not stunning For that year’s “Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology” assignment.)
Five years after Rapinoe’s Met Gala, it doesn’t seem as if women’s soccer has tightened its grip on this hyper-exclusive corner of the fashion world. And that may be okay for now, because its impact may still be strongest.
Let’s start with the fact that more female professional soccer players are earning respectable salaries than ever before, thanks in part to the U.S. women’s national team’s successful fight for equal pay and the latest collective bargaining agreement in the National Women’s Soccer League. The latter still has plenty of room for growth; The league’s minimum salary cap is $50,500 this year, and it will rise to $82,500 by 2030. It’s not the tax bracket to fill one’s wardrobe with designer labels without serious sponsorship support, but it’s enough money in some markets to be able to invest in one’s look.
Clairefontaine, France’s national training center, football’s equivalent of the grand steps of the Met, is about 30 miles southwest of Paris. The path leading to the facility turns into a runway at every international window, and the French women’s national team is surprised Everyone alone Time.
There’s also the inevitable trendsetting of global superstars like Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas. Between the Spanish midfielder’s quiet confidence and extraordinary achievements on the field (he overtook Messi as Barcelona’s most decorated player in club history), it’s more than enough to convince the average mortal They can also match in fur-trimmed leather hats.
Making a Met Gala appearance is a difficult task for most female footballers at this time of year. European leagues are entering the crucial final stages of their seasons, and the NWSL is fast approaching. (but this can do should be done, as demonstrated by Rapinoe, Morgan, and the growing list of professional athletes gracing the gala in the middle of their season, such as Met Gala host committee member A’ja Wilson.) That hasn’t stopped fashion-forward footballers from attending in their own way.
Last September, Australian forward Mary Fowler, who plays for Manchester City, became the first female footballer to walk in a Paris Fashion Week show when she walked the catwalk for L’Oréal Paris. Arsenal and England Lionesses captain Leah Williamson attended Burberry’s Autumn/Winter show for London Fashion Week in February And it was created by Olivia Dean’s stylist Simone Bayne. A few weeks later, the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Sakina Karchaoui sat for Sacai, a leading luxury brand.
On paper, the French captain wore the fundamentals of any athlete’s wardrobe: a matching set with comfortable legs, sleek ponytail and leather boots – but the magic was in the details, like the diamond-shaped leather-bound stiletto heels of the boots.
And if a player’s schedule is too busy for an event, there’s always the Fit Tunnel. The pregame ritual in particular has provided a space for NWSL players to establish themselves as fashion celebrities. Gotham FC veteran Mandy Freeman stands out here with her teammate and USWNT midfielder Jaidyn Shaw, Angel City midfielder and Japan international Jun Endo, Washington Spirit and USWNT forward Trinity Rodman and Chicago Stars fullback and Nigeria international. Michelle Alogie, who deliberately sets out to put West African designers in the spotlight The looks she puts together.
Any of the above players earning an invitation to the Met Gala would be as significant as Rapinoe – but their approach to fashion already holds enough sway that they shouldn’t be viewed as major accomplishments. His styles, like his personality on the pitch, will continue to influence the game in some way or another.
