Product Description

For the first time ever, a comprehensive study of the modern age of football kit design exists. True Colours features a detailed illustration of every home, away and third kit worn by England's leading clubs from 1980 to the present day, as well as explaining when it was worn, who wore it and important matches in which it featured. This unique and definitive guide to the changing styles of football kit fashion also looks at the psychology of football kit design and the importance of the team colours and strip to loyal supporters. Ever since the game of football began, the colours of each team have been of paramount importance, creating a unique visual identity for each club and a strong sense of allegiance for its fans. Replica shirts are now sold in their thousands as supporters copy their heroes, and clubs change their kits regularly to reflect contemporary fashions while still holding true to their team's traditional visual identity and colours.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #130805 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-13
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Review
" this is presented in full colour and very attractively too over 300 landscape pages, providing both a work of reference , an examination of a modern football phenomenon, and a jogger of recent memories." Programme Monthly (April 2006)

Leeds Leeds Leeds, October/November 2006
'Now packed with notes on who made, sponsored and wore the kits, 'True Colours' truly is an indespensable publication.'

Programme Monthly
'A perfect history of the replica kit age... beautifully produced.'

Customer Reviews

What an absolutely amazing book
Fantastic book and surely the most indepth look at football kits ever. Every club in the 2005-06 Premiership is featured as this book analyses every home, away and third kit that they have sported since 1980. The classic kits are all here from Arsenal's infamous yellow "bruised banana shirt" to such unique kits as Blackburn's seldom seen purple away kit in 1999-00 and Bolton's centenary shirt worn for just the one match in 2002. Each kit is lovingly represented in full colour complete with sponsor, designer and year that the kit was worn. Also present for each kit is a list of some of the more memorable players and matches to have been associated with each kit. Its a football fans dream and 256 pages of pure magic. The only downside is that more teams arent present (fans of top flight mainstays such as Leeds, Southampton and Coventry ,who have been relegated in recent seasons, may feel hard done by at their team's abscence) but the book is hefty and comprehensive enough as it is to compensate for this small discrepency.

I see your true colours, shining through...
Considering the importance football jersies in terms of its identity and its importance as a source of income for clubs, I'm surprised that this is the first comprehensive book there is covering the history of football shirts.

Authour John Devlin has done an awesome job covering the histories of each of the 2005/06 Premier League Clubs' home, away 3rd and European shirts since 1980.

We follow the simple beginnings of shirts which consisted of basic club colours, club badge and manufacturer's logo, witness the introduction of third party sponsors (go Commondore!), cringe at the "busy" designs of the early to mid 90's (where Umbro was the main culprit) to the current period with its uniform but technologically assisted designs.

Simple but effective computer images illustrate the shirts in question, which feature the names and logos of the clubs, manufacturers and sponsors, adding to the sense of authenticity and officialness. Little tidbits of knowledge (rumour was Umbro kept its large collar design in the 90's to appease Eric Cantona's fondness for turning up the collar!) and brief historical background (the key matches that the shirts were worn and which players wore it) round off the comprehensive effort of the book.

As a "designer, illustrator and huge football fan", Devlin successfully presents the importance of football shirts in terms of the identity for the club and its supporters, and its place in fashion and pop culture. One complaint that can be made is the absence of goalkeeper kits. Such an absence feels like a big chunk of football kit designs have been totally ignored.

Overall, this is a fantastic book for all football fans who have shed blood, sweat, tears and ridiculous amounts of money for their favourite club's football shirt. Put on your favourite kit and kiss your club's badge with pride!

A superb second volume. Hurry up and write volume 3!!!
I loved volume 1. I wanted more. I wanted John Devlin to cover more teams. I wanted more football kit history and illustrations. But I didn't think it would happen. I thought I'd have to make do with that one fascinating, memory-jiggling book. Then I spotted volume 2!!! More teams. More kits and the stories behind them in the same beautifully depicted, page-turning format. Come on, John! Get volume 3 written and don't stop till you've completely covered every single team, domestic AND international. I'd buy them all. And if your publisher won't risk the 'lower' teams, then make a website. But really, I'd prefer more volumes on my bookshelf. Excellent. Both books brought back so many memories and it was great to see how the kits evolved through the years.