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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.
宣传炒作，一切皆有滴水不漏的由头：混入身穿灰色西服团队中而不被发现的最简单办法，莫过于直接穿相同的西服。前不久在伦敦卢顿机场(Luton airport)，英国诙星西蒙•布鲁德金（Simon Brodkin，其另一名字李•尼尔森(Lee Nelson)知名度更高）身穿英格兰队正装队服混入出征队伍，刚闲逛了没多会儿，就被英格兰队队长吉拉德(Steven Gerrard)识破，并被警察“请出”了机场。
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.
这一出算是批评英格兰队队服吗？要知道，对英格兰队出征世界杯的正式队服（队员们走下飞机以及拍“全家福”时的行头）的评论可谓不绝于耳。它由玛莎百货(Marks and Spencer)与英足总(Football Association)联袂打造，这套标价199英镑的行头可能不是20多岁的高收入年轻人所青睐的时尚精品。
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.
这些年轻人更可能选择意大利队穿的杜嘉班纳(Dolce & Gabbana)西服与德国队穿的雨果博斯(Hugo Boss)西服尽管，他们青睐韩国队选择的实用型男装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.
“不过，足球明星对产品代言或是为自己不太可能选择穿的服装作宣传，已是轻车熟路，”玛莎百货男装采购负责人乔纳森•斯沃特兰(Jonathan Swartland)说，他还补充说：设计西服（深黑色经典款马海毛混纺料两件套定制西服）时，脑海中已对销路胸有成竹。
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，在即将到来的巴西世界杯上，球员穿的定制西服远不止展示时尚元素——至少那些代表富有国家参加世界杯的球员并非如此。对于不习惯穿山寨队服的球迷来说，正式队服属高端足球商品。
“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.”
“能与世界杯这样的顶级赛事挂上钩，我们感到非常自豪，当然，巨大商机的考量也是不言而喻的，”斯沃特兰说。“把球员带到萨维尔街(Savile Row)定制队服轻而易举，但没有球迷会买帐。”
“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.”
“我觉得英格兰队的做法对头——即我们心知肚明：穿时尚感十足的西服，无需大掏腰包，”足球时装评论员兼作家戴夫•希威森(Dave Hewitson)说。“就是无需真掏百万美元，也能穿出年薪百万美元足球明星的派头。”
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.
这对生意是利好消息。为球队配备队服，可能会让生产商“破费”25万英镑以及付出一定的时间——“给足球运动员配备行头要比橄榄球员简单得多，但针对每位球员的量体裁衣并不容易，”蒂莫西•埃弗里斯特(Timothy Everest)说，他为玛莎百货设计了英格兰队参加2010年南非世界杯的正装队服,预期销量相当可观。埃弗里斯特说自己设计的正装队服共售出了7000套，成为玛莎百货迄今为止最为畅销的正装队服。
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.
足球俱乐部与时尚界的场下联手在各国联赛已是大行其道：比方说，朗万(Lanvin)与楚萨迪(Trussardi)分别为阿森纳队(Arsenal)及尤文图斯队(Juventus)设计球衣；阿玛尼(Giorgio Armani)与保罗•史密斯(Paul Smith)合作，之前曾长期为英格兰队设计队服，最近刚与拜仁慕尼黑队(Bayern Munich)签下三年合同，为对方提供球衣。
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.
时尚品牌还充分利用世界杯盛宴提供的其它机会。举个例子，阿玛尼推出了世界杯主题的T恤系列；网上零售店Yoox与足球时尚杂志《Sepp》合作推出限量版运动衫系列，每一款都不由得让人想起设计师所在的国家队。
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，除赢利外，每款球衣是否可有更深层次意义？杜嘉班纳合伙创始人多梅尼科•多尔切(Domenico Dolce)说：球衣存在一定的期望值，因为“球星如今已是时尚偶像”。但另一合伙创始人斯特凡诺•加巴纳(Stefano Gabbana)补充道：正装队服还是展示国家形象的窗口——“因为我们是意大利的时尚品牌，致力于传承意大利服装传统，所以我们很高兴能设计体现意大利国家队形象的队服。这是时尚传统与国家尊严的结合。”
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.
这就是为何裁缝师查理•艾伦（共同设计2010年世界杯的英格兰队服）对日本队选择登喜路(Dunhill)设计的队服出战本届世界杯感到十分惊讶的原因所在。登喜路品牌在日本知名度很高。“我觉得国家队穿本国品牌设计的队服意义重大。日本队为何不穿三宅一生(Issey Miyake)或是Comme des Garçons的队服呢？”他这样问道。
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.”
艾伦甚至暗示：不穿本国设计师设计的球衣，可能会使球队处于心理劣势。“国家队穿啥球衣归根到底是商业行为，”他说。“但从某种程度说，队衣体现了爱国主义情结，它能提升球队士气。这就好比高档西服给人的感觉———它让自己显得更为高大，好比身披盔甲去冲锋陷阵———况且在世界杯赛场上，它还代表了自己的国家。身披队衣上场“鏖战拼杀”———这正是球员们的职责所在。”
