 The club colours are a claret shirt with sky blue sleeves , white shorts with claret and blue trim , and sky blue socks with claret and white trim . They were the original wearers of the claret and blue . Villa 's colours at the outset generally comprised plain shirts ( white , grey or a shade of blue ) , with either white or black shorts . For a few years after that ( 1877 – 79 ) the team wore several different kits from all white , blue and black , red and blue to plain green . By 1880 , black jerseys with a red lion embroidered on the chest were introduced by William McGregor . This remained the first choice strip for six years . On Monday , 8 November 1886 , an entry in the club 's official minute book states : 
 The club colours <a href='drop_aux' title='1'><mark>are</mark></a>a claret shirt with sky blue sleeves , white shorts with claret and blue trim , and sky blue socks with claret and white trim . They <a href='uninflect' title='2'><mark>were</mark></a> the original wearers of the claret and blue . Villa <a href='null_genetive' title='3'><mark>'s</mark></a>colours at the outset generally comprised plain shirts ( white , grey or a shade of blue ) , with either white or black shorts . For a few years after that ( 1877 – 79 ) the team wore several different kits from all white , blue and black , red and blue to plain green . By 1880 , black jerseys with a red lion embroidered on the chest <a href='uninflect' title='4'><mark>were</mark></a> introduced by William McGregor . This remained the first choice strip for six years . On Monday , 8 November 1886 , an entry in the club <a href='null_genetive' title='5'><mark>'s</mark></a>official minute book states : 
The club colours a claret shirt witt sky blue sleeves , white shorts wit claret and blue trim , and sky blue socks with claret and white trim . They was the original wearers of the claret and blue . Villa  colours at da outset generally comprised plain shirts ( white , grey or a shade of blue ) , wwideither white or black shorts . fir a few years after that ( 1877 – 79 ) the team wore several different kits from alll white , blue and black , red and blue to plain green . By 1880 , black jerseys wiw/ red lion embroidered on tdachest was introduced by William McGregor . dis remained thdairst choice strip for six years . On Monday , 8 November 1886 , an entry in thedaub  official minute book states :