Nigeria's zig-zag football kit might have broken pre-order sales with three million sold, but Gareth Southgate's waistcoat is England's unexpected sartorial hit of the World Cup 2018. The team manager has come a long way since he wore a regrettably oversized beige suit on his wedding day in 1997. Today, he favours a sharper look - specifically a well-tailored three-piece suit, often shedding the jacket to reveal a single-breasted waistcoat - the latter of which has swiftly become a surprise trend. Marks & Spencer, which has been the official suit supplier of the England team since 1997, describes what it is dubbing the 'Gareth Southgate effect'; sales for its waistcoats have risen 35 per cent thanks to the England captain's patronage. Courtesy Marks & Spencer FA Collection waistcoat, £65 SHOP NOW Those wanting to emulate the style of the England coach will be pleased to note that the waistcoat from Marks & Spencer's official FA Collection costs just £65. The full three-piece suit will set you back just £264. M&S isn't the only brand that's noticed a surge in interest. eBay reports that searches for waistcoats increased by 25 per cent last weekend, while tailoring label TM Lewin tweeted that sales of the piece were "going through the stadium roof" this week. Global fashion search platform Lyst told us that searches for waistcoats were up 41 per cent since the start of the World Cup and, since the England vs Columbia match on Tuesday 3 July, someone searched for a waistcoat every 12 minutes, with Ted Baker, Reiss and Thom Sweeney proving most popular. That said, within hours of Southgate wearing his M&S suit on Tuesday evening, searches for the British brand increased 55 per cent, with waistcoats becoming the most popular M&S menswear item bought on Lyst this week. In terms of colours, navy has piqued the most interest - the favoured shade of the England captain. Southgate's waistcoat has also been given the meme treatment, after tech company Huawei doctored an image to show an "it's coming home" slogan covering the garment. The idea was to show off the brand's P20 Pro's zoom feature, but it's now asking M&S to turn the Photoshopped design into a reality. So why has Southgate turned to the waistcoat? The item has been described as the male version of the corset (albeit much more comfortable), framing the body to positive effect - depending on the body. In some cases, you're better off leaving them undone rather than buttoned up. It's also an easy way of smartening up an outfit, elevating the shirt. Southgate has also, perhaps unwittingly, also nodded to a broader suiting trend, favoured by Prada, Céline and Tom Ford on the spring/summer 2018 catwalks. Although it's still too early to call Southgate's preferred waistcoat a womenswear trend, it is a piece that's cropped up more and more in the past few seasons. Far from the Kate Moss' boho Glastonbury look of old, this latest waistcoat revival is office-appropriate - either worn fitted over fine knitwear or longer in length and teamed with trousers or a midi skirt. This season, both Chloé and Victoria Beckham did different versions of the waistcoat, while Stella McCartney offered both denim styles and grey tailored versions for autumn/winter 2018. From left to right: Chloe SS18, Victoria Beckham SS18 and Stella McCartney AW18 Getty Images In terms of celebrity fans, Southgate isn't the only high-profile name to see the potential in a waistcoat. Vanessa Paradis teamed hers with jeans and a black midi coat at Chanel's autumn/winter 2018 show in Paris, while Victoria Beckham styles hers with matching pinstripe trousers. Getty Images Getty Images The jury's still out on whether the waistcoat will form part of women's wardrobe next season, but - thanks to Southgate - it's already well on its way to coming home for menswear. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>Sign up to FREE email alerts from Mirror - Lifestyle - Fashion and beauty Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice England manager Gareth Southgate has seen the England team through the group stages and a nail-biting game against Colombia and fans are hoping 'it's coming home' as the squad face Croatia in the semi-finals. Football fans have heaped praise on the gaffer during the World Cup in Russia for his tactics and calm composure, but there's something else that has caught their attention. Gareth appears to have made the waistcoat fashionable once again, after wearing it for all of the Three Lions' games so far and supporters have been rushing to copy his look. (Image: Getty) Marks & Spencer have said that demand for waistcoats has risen 35 per cent, thanks to the "Gareth Southgate" effect. They've been the official suit supplier to the England team since 2007. And the good news is you can snap up Gareth's navy three-piece suit for £264 and his red, white and blue tie for an extra £25. If it's just the tailored waistcoat you're after, thats £65 on its own. Before adding one to your online basket, make sure you take note of our advice on how NOT to wear the waistcoat. Steer clear of stripy co-ords à la Lewis Hamilton. Who knew that Gareth would become such a trend setter?<doc-sep>Sign up to FREE email alerts from Mirror - Lifestyle - Fashion and beauty Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Let's be honest, fashion and football aren’t exactly what you would call happy bedfellows. With the exception of David Beckham, we don’t usually refer to footballers are style icons, but that could be about to change. England manager Gareth Southgate is shaping up to be the most stylish gaffer at the World Cup 2018, and it’s all thanks to his £65 Marks & Spencer waistcoat. OK, so Gareth hasn’t always been lauded for his style, but he’s had a bit of a make-over. The plaid shirts of yesteryear have been replaced with smart suits, expensive shoes and a fashionable, neatly trimmed beard. But the crux of this look is his sharp tailored three-piece suit. So far, he’s showcased a blue version with a red, white and blue tie for England's matches against Tunisia, Panama and their crucial win against Colombia. (Image: Getty) Signs that Gareth was sharpening up his act were evident back in November 2017, when he wore a waistcoat at England's international friendly against Germany. Then in April, he was spotted looking rather dapper in the stands at the Everton and Liverpool premier league match, in a zip-up green jacket layered under a suit, with a flat cap. His new look garnered high praise. (Image: Getty) But the England manager is not alone when it comes to his love of the waistcoat. Other celeb fans include David Beckham, David Gandy, Jamie Redknapp, Gary Barlow and Ricky Martin. (Image: Rex) To get Gareth’s exact look you can snap up his three piece suit from Marks & Spencer, official suit supplier to the England team , for £264. The suit comes in tailored, regular or slim fit. You can also buy his stripy tie for an extra £25. But a word of warning. Not everyone looks good in a waistcoat, or the middle-aged man's corset, as it’s often called. Here are some handy hints on how NOT to wear one. Lewis Hamilton (Image: Getty) In this shiny stripy two-piece, the Formula One ace looks like an American football ref. Pete Wicks (Image: Rex) Tweed waistcoats are to be avoided - TOWIE star Pete Wicks looks like an extra from Peaky Blinders Alice Cooper (Image: WireImage) Avoid wearing a waistcoat over a black shirt, you will look an ageing rock star. Only Alice Cooper can wear this look. Peter Andre (Image: WireImage) Avoid patterns all costs, unless of course 80s snooker player is the look you’re going for.<doc-sep>
For years, football fans have been able to emulate the look of their idols with replica shirts, but this World Cup something different is happening: supporters are rushing to buy replicas of Gareth Southgate’s England waistcoat. Marks & Spencer, which has been the official suit supplier to the England team since 2007, said demand for waistcoats has risen 35% thanks to what they say is “the Gareth Southgate effect”. A full replica suit will set fans back £265. For an additional £25, fans can also pick up the red, white and blue tie that the England manager has been wearing during the tournament in Russia. The suits, which were unveiled to little fanfare back in May, are made of merino wool woven by the Alfred Brown mill in Yorkshire which also supplied the fabric for England’s 2014 World Cup suits, and for the Team GB uniform for the 2012 London Olympics. The trend for adopting more formal wear has been described as “reverse casualisation” – a reaction by a younger generation to their parents opting to wear casual leisurewear into their forties and fifties. The look may not be ideal, however, if the UK’s heatwave continues. Before England’s match with Panama in the heat of Nizhny Novgorod, Southgate joked in an interview that the light-blue shirt he wears on the touchline might be very revealing of just how much he was sweating. The popularity of Southgate’s waistcoat has sealed his reputation as one of the more stylish managers at the 2018 World Cup – although he has not escaped some fashion criticism. The bottom button on a waistcoat is traditionally left undone – apparently a style adopted in deference to rotund monarchs being unable to fasten them – but Southgate has been pictured with all his buttons done up. Despite that, Southgate has greatly improved on his previous highest profile fashion moment for England. The much-maligned “grey” away kit that England wore for the first time in a competitive match at their Euro96 semi-final has become synonymous with the image of a dismayed Southgate after he missed the crucial penalty kick against Germany. England’s Gareth Southgate bows his head after missing from the spot during the Euro96 semifinal. Photograph: Lynne Sladky/AP The grey kit was designed by Umbro in that colour, specifically to go well with blue jeans. With the Southgate-inspired resurgence of the waistcoat, we wait to see what effect this trend may have on future England kit designs.