After playing it very safe (keeping it classic, cool, perfect) in the first year of their 15-year partnership with Chelsea, Nike have been slowly trying to get more ... creative. The only problem is that the source of their creativity is the early ‘90s, when the fashion, including football shirts, wasn’t exactly something that would stand the test of time.
And that’s how you end up with a home shirt that seems to be trying just a bit too hard (and probably would look better as an actual “fashion” piece than a football shirt), and a third shirt that takes those concepts and truly dials them up to ‘90s garishness. (The new away shirt is mostly an exception.)
From the bold orange trim, to yet another all-over background print (this time a repeated CFC wordmark), to whatever in seven hells is going on with that collar, it certainly going to stand out. Here’s the 2019-20 Chelsea third kit in all of its ... glory.
In fairness, I think the collar looks extra bad because the hanger is not quite big enough for the shirt, so the shoulders and the neck are sagging way too much. At least I hope that is the case.
On renders, the proportions look a little better. I also dig the monochrome Yokohama, Nike, and Chelsea badge. That always looks slick. And last year’s orange socks were DA BOMB, so hopefully this year’s will be, too.
— Footy Headlines (@Footy_Headlines) July 9, 2019