Photo: Laura Abla Schmitt Save Story Save this story Save Story Save this story It began when Taylor Swift wore a homemade “Stevie Knicks” T-shirt to watch the NBA finals, and then it didn’t stop.
Customized, hopespun clothing became this summer’s hottest game day trend. During the month-long FIFA World Cup, the wives and girlfriends of players made several good cases—embroidered denim, cheeky T-Shirts, team-themed bustiers. It’s not just those sitting courtside or courting a player, though: throughout the tournament and the NBA Finals, in New York and beyond, fans turned up in handcrafted shirts, or pieces embroidered or painted by local artists .
Photo: Mike Lawrence/Getty Images Like all trends, it's not just a trend. It offers a glimpse at how sporty style is evolving with a more fashionable twist. The World Cup, Knicks, Swift, and their shared stage of summer in New York City have pushed the trend to a new level of attention, it’s one that’s set to continue as Formula 1 races on, and the US Open and the NFL season get started. Elsewhere, sport-tinged pieces have infiltrated everyday style more . Brands including Cossa New York , Corteiz, and Algoritmo Studios , and DIY makers like Recovered New York are creating jerseys tweaked with more interesting cuts, embellishments, and ruching, while collaborations galore are hitting the street: Willy Chavarria x Adidas , Jacquemus x Nike x France, for example.
“It used to feel like your only option was throwing on a jersey, but now people want to show up to a game looking like themselves. This summer really reinforced that. Between the World Cup and the NBA Finals in New York, it felt like sports and fashion were completely intertwined,” said Kristin Juszczyk, spouse of NFL 49ers player Kyle Juszczyk, who launched her own line , Off Season, last year after going viral for her reworked jerseys, puffers, corsets and dresses she made for herself, and her fellow NFL WAGs (including, the ultimate WAG Taylor Swift),
“The line between ‘game day outfit’ and ‘your closet’ will disappear,” she predicts.
Laura Abla Schmitt, the German model and girlfriend of Spanish midfielder Dani Olmo, said wanting to create looks that felt “authentic to [her] rather than just [soccer]-related,” guided her choices over the course of the World Cup. She wore a T-shirt showing a childhood photo of Olmo playing soccer with a spliced skirt by Berlin-based designer Laura Gerte to one game, a top that read “My Rommate’s a 10,” (Olmo’s number) to another, and a distressed jacket based on his jersey to the Final. Plus, some vintage Chanel.
Iconic WAGs past—namely Victoria Beckham and Gisele Bundchen—shaped their own images by using fashion in a very personal way, said Schmitt’s stylist Morena Verović. “What connected [them and our other style references] was not one specific aesthetic, but the confidence, individuality, and sense of identity they represented,” said Verovic. In the early 2000s, Beckham could be relied upon to show up in a high-octane tank top, tiny shorts, blowout, and oversized sunnies combo befitting a pop star – today, the designer reaches for sleek minimalist separates. Gisele often opted for skinny jeans, basic tees, and button downs that screamed model-meets-mom off-duty in the stands at NFL Patriots games.
Wearing something personalized is a way to stand out from the sea of similar jerseys, said Claudia Rodrigo, wife of Spanish player Marc Cucurella. She wore custom bedazzled jeans with socc…