The focus of this thesis is the promotions of a range of male fashions and sportswear by professional football players 1950-1985. The interpretation of these images is not confined to the promotions themselves but instead adopts a broader approach that embraces the narratives surrounding the promotions and their place within football histories and the wider social context. An essential part of the thesis is a detailed analysis of the relationships that developed between football players, as individuals or part of a team, and the fashion retail industries and sportswear companies. Case studies contribute to an understanding of the practices around the production and consumption of these promotions and explain the rationale for each event and preference for a particular player. The research employs a mixed methodology that draws on archival research, both documentary and visual, as well as evidence from contemporary newspapers and popular and trade magazines. The archival evidence is augmented by oral testimonies from football players involved in the promotions, and from friends and other observers. To this is added research into the clothes, sourced in museums and private homes. A final approach is evidence of the geographic locations of the football clubs and the archival material on display in the trophy rooms. This thesis brings together the histories of male fashion and football. It uncovers the key role of the player, in promoting a wide range of clothing and accessories directed predominantly at a male market place, and provides new evidence that contributes to a neglected field of study within both disciplines.

This practice-led research creates innovative menswear designs for formal white dress shirts, within boundaries of contemporary mainstream wearability. As a result of an historical analysis, a conceptual spectrum is developed to scope the possibilities of the contemporary white dress shirt, from the orthodox menswear shirt to the many variations of the women’s blouse. Within this spectrum for the white shirt, the possibilities for innovation are discussed in terms of a threshold position between the shirt and the blouse - a position that parallels that of the dandy figure who subversively confronts dress norms of the day. This position is then explored in relation to an acceptable/ ‘wearable’ aesthetic which I have labelled ‘Neo-Dandy’. White shirts from contemporary menswear designers are then examined relative to this aesthetic. In doing so, this examination highlights the white dress shirt as a garment that is ripe for experimentation. My own creative design process is then described as taking up the challenge of Neo-Dandy design innovation for the contemporary white dress shirt. On this archetypal garment, different styles and varying degrees of detailing were tested. A range of ‘concept shirts’ were produced, tested and documented, with each shirt succeeding to various degrees in achieving a Neo-Dandy aesthetic. Based on this range, a list of design principles for achieving this aesthetic are identified. The weighting is 60% for the design objects (a collection of men’s white dress shirts that explore wearability and design innovation within a Neo-Dandy aesthetic) and 40% for the design discussion (exegesis and supporting appendices).