As a latter-day saint of all things men’s fashion, what will David Beckham be remembered for the most? What is the former England captain’s legacy? His ability as a footballer came unrivalled, the elder statesmen of the Three Lion’s golden generation, one of the first athletes to build a multimedia empire and captivate celebrity tabloid culture from its inception thanks to his marriage with pop superstar turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham but you knew all this. Whilst his playing style and ability may have left him his menswear style has picked up since the heyday of Posh and Becks, making him the style Icon we know today.
He’s developed this ‘fashion thing’. I saw his transition to a different person… so long as it doesn’t affect his football it doesn’t bother me
-Sir Alex Fergusson
The staple in the wardrobe comes from his now seemingly lifelong deal with adidas, the brand that adorned their 3 stripes to the shoulders of the then Manchester United player and birthed a partnership that saw Becks become one of the most lucratively sponsored athletes in the world, rivaled only by Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods in his heyday. From the moment he announced himself with that long-range effort against Wimbledon to the day he retired with PSG the boot of choice has been adidas’ long-running predator series, a boot that has seen Beckham lend his own white to champagne colourway even post-retirement, and used as inspiration on newer models such as the adidas Sobakov.
Whilst flexible with his adidas deal, the company does allow him to adorn other trainer brands (just nothing with a swoosh), but you’d be relatively hard pushed to find Beckham in an out and out athletic trainer that isn’t a three stripe affiliate. As seen above, Beckham’s variety of adidas have seen themselves being dressed in smarter confides with tapered and cropped trousers replacing his normal raw denim. It’s refreshing seeing someone like Beckham embrace a contemporary style, mixing knit sneakers with tailored menswear for an ultra-smart look, at it brings another facet to his style game.
Embracing American timeless apparel in his stint stateside at LA Galaxy, Beckham’s fashion wouldn’t be complete without the incorporation of a Polo Ralph Lauren tinged outfit. Mixing formal occasions with his unavoidable moments in the public, the Polo logo has sat proudly upon Beckham in a variety of different constraints, but it’s with his dress down fashion that a light pop of chambray works effectively against jeans and T-shirt. Pushing his style into a traditional menswear style has been an updated fashion prerogative in recent years, and his ability to offer a triple threat of streetwear, menswear and formal wear makes him undisputed in his lookbook dominance.
The heritage menswear look demands a robust boot, something that of course Becks has in abundance. With a wildly changing day to day life, one that includes occasional motorbike rides, trips to the country in the Land Rover Defender and touching down in NYC, the ever-ready Beckham packs similarly sensibilitied boot choice to blend with his outfit whether that be the Chelsea Boot style seen above or the Redwing Moc Toe below.
With style developing through influences and environment, is it a surprise that Manchester still holds a huge inspiration for Beckham’s style? A tonal outfit topped off with a pair of Clarks Wallabees, stood next to a Stone Rose poster with a buttoned-up worker jacket. The only way this could be more Manchester is if there was a patch boldly displayed.
An unusual collaboration with Belstaff that has seen 3 capsule collections and a short film also makes total sense considering Beckham’s modern image, tapping into his enthusiasm for motorcycles, and his penchant for jeans, white t-shirt and a biker jacket. All designs are intrinsically Belstaff, celebrating their craftsmanship and motorcycle heritage.
Layering is a key cornerstone of men’s fashion, so it’s no surprise to see Beckham likes to layer items from brands like Canada Goose and Moncler in his cold-weather wardrobe. Known to incorporate pieces from North Face too, it’s the restructured blazers and down gilet that Beckham is known to wear now than his baggier style of the bygone decade.
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