It’s no secret that airport fashion is not fit for the runway. Air passengers tend to wear unfashionable attire like sweatpants and hoodies for comfort while flying. So, seeing national soccer teams, prone to the jerseys and shorts they don on the field, arriving in style in Brazil before the World Cup is a pleasant surprise for fashion critics.
Team Italy was by far the most impressive, wearing three-piece, navy colored suits by their official sponsor since 2006, Dolce & Gabbana, for their arrival on Friday. Similarly, Ecuador’s national team wore a lighter navy blue suit with matching blue bags, resembling a crew of flight attendants more than a soccer team. Japan also donned dark navy blue suits with blue ties. Teams Costa Rica, Argentina, Spain, Mexico and Russia all wore black suits with jackets, while Germany's finest wore black slacks and button-down shirts.
The Netherlands national team went casual -- but not quite athletic wear casual -- with blue trousers, a light blue button-down under a bright blue cardigan.
Some teams were more well-clad than others, though. England opted for Nike polo shirts, sneakers and shorts despite having official suits with an optional waistcoat provided by British retailer Marks and Spencer Group PLC (LON:MKS). France wore similar polo shirts by Nike, with white stripes.
The USA national team, of course, also opted out of formalwear for their players' arrival and fully embraced airport fashion in Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE) sweatpants on Monday. Teams Colombia, France and Switzerland also donned athletic attire.