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As if to prove a point, this is yet another example of a superb kit accompanying a superb team (for those who may not remember, the early 1980's found the Tractor Boys’ stock much higher than it is today) although to be fair, their peak had arguably just passed when these pinstriped beauties were called into action.
The shirt is also memorable for the inclusion of Ipswich’s first ever sponsor, electronics company Pioneer. The early versions of these shirts (as worn in pre-season photos) featured the firm’s solid but relatively squat logo. Clearly there were concerns about legibility and brand awareness as soon into the season these jerseys were replaced by new ones that featured, in a move to make all graphic designers wince, a condensed but much larger rendering of the Pioneer logo.
The European flavour of this shirt is clear to see (quite apt given the club’s success in the UEFA Cup the previous season) and for my money produced, along with its white away and red third counterparts, one of the classiest and most stylish sets of kits of the decade.
Written by John Devlin, founder and illustrator of TrueColoursFootballKits.com.
John can be found on Twitter and True Colours is also on Facebook.
This shirt is part of The 50 Greatest Football Shirts Ever. The full list can be viewed here.
Wow! That's in my top 3, I cannot wait to see what you have crammed into the top 15
ReplyDeleteTop 3??? What's at 1 & 2?
DeleteTop 50?!?!!?!!?!?!
ReplyDeleteTop 16 technically...
DeleteI'll tell you on the 11th & 12th of Aug, NO SPOILERS!
ReplyDeleteClassic shirt for a great team.
ReplyDeleteIt really is a fine example of the Adidas 'pinstripes' template. My personal favourite belonged to Norwich City, actually, but this one is just as good, if not slightly better!
DeleteSorry it's late, I had Newcastle 95-97 H 2nd and Liverpool 1976-82 H as my number one,
ReplyDelete