Despite the fight on the weekend being like every Klitschko fight in recent history, there was one first – the unveiling of the new England away kit. Haye wore it on the way to the ring and we can safely say that it was the most exciting part of the night (bar the Ola Afolabi first round KO).

“A behind the scenes look at the making of our latest print advertisement.” Brooks England.

Brooks England previews an interesting accessory which looks similar to a small  hand bag but is much more than that. The Victoria bag is designed to be both carried in hand as well as attach to your bicycle saddle when in transit. The Victoria slips over your saddle (as a cover) allowing the pouch end to hang off the rear of the saddle – like a normal saddle bag. An interesting concept acquired from an entry to one French horse saddle maker’s design competition.

More looks after the click.

We wanted to keep this news until we knew how the boy’s would perform in the shirts. A hat trick by Defoe on Saturday has alleviated some fears… and our initial reluctance to share the new kit has dissolved.

Peter Saville follows Aitor Throup as shirt “tailor.” The famed Factory Records designer adds his twist to the shoulder – “Inspired by an increasingly diverse England, Saville has created a new fabric print on the shoulder panels of the new England home shirt that is a reflection of his vision of modern England.  Made up of different interpretations of the classic St George’s cross symbol, the pattern is displayed through the repetition of four different coloured crosses that are evocative of the basting stitches synonymous with bespoke tailoring. The traditional red cross is still present alongside blue and green ones, which are colours present in the official England team crest. These have been joined by a purple cross, a blend of all the three previous colours to accentuate diversity.  The conceptual change visually reflects modern England in a noticeable step forward from the current all white kit.”

The styling follows on traditional football shirt types, but adds a longer open neckline to provide additional movement across the chest.

More images of Saville’s Umbro England Home Kit 2010/2011 after the jump.

It is almost time for another battle between the Brits and the Yanks. June 12th is a day that will leave one side of the “special relationship” happier than the other. England v. USA. Los Angeles’ Bumpy Pitch celebrates this event with a reminder of the great upset of 1950 when the USA upset the Brits. 60 years on and Joe Gaetjens’s goal is still with us through imagery. I love this shirt. June 12th could not come soon enough. Much love to both sides.

More looks at the Bumpy Pitch 1950 England v. USA World Cup T-Shirt and a few other shirts after the click.

Having thrilled readers with the story of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie earlier in the week, it seems appropriate to introduced another British food with Protected Geographical Indication Status. Grimsby, a seaport town in Lincolnshire, has a long and celebrated tradition of fish smoking. Recognized by the EU only recently, the techniques and heritage of local fish smoking now enjoy the same designation as Champagne and Royal Jersey Potatoes.

What makes their curing process different? While the majority of smoked fish today comes out of mechanical kilns, folks in Grimsby retain the traditional method of curing fish over the smouldering embers of burning wood chips. Firms  like Alfred Enderby produce smoked fish correctly, their towering chimneys producing cod, haddock, and salmon with a perfect balance of color and flavor. Additionally, we should note that Grimsby’s favorable geographic position allowed a cottage industry of fish smoking to develop – never forget the importance of location when asking “how come they do that there?”

Selectism would like to applaud the town of Grimsby for its dedication to heritage food production.

When two nice guys based in New York get together to produce shoes, you get some of the rare British bits not crafted by Polish people. Both the Longwing Brogue and Suede Cap Toe Patton Boot are made in Northampton, a town known for shoes and being Britain’s 3rd most populated town. Built on a Goodyear welt, they’ve got a red brick sole (the fantastic touch of Mr. McNairy) and will assist in making you look smart. Or “get handsome.” From ACL.

The shop also has another offering from McNairy’s Red Brick Sole and the full line is filtering into other stock lists. Worth a gander as well.

Images of boots follow.

In 1966 Bobby Moore hoisted the World Cup to a jubulant crowd at Wembley Stadium. That day, he wore red, but in the quarterfinals, the England Squad had been dressed in full white. Aitor Throup built the new England kit from this look, the heritage of UMBRO, and the notion of fusing traditional tailoring with a forward thinking of the athletes needs.

“I wasn’t inspired by a specific kit as such, but by the constructional details of specific features, such as the tailored collar on the early football kits.”

Today, as England takes on Slovakia in a friendly at the new Wembley, Capelo’s men will march to to the field in Throup’s creation. Fashion meets performance, and most importantly works to restore pride in the Three Lions shirt. Throup’s quest was to form a kit that players and fans alike viewed positively–something that related to strong traditions of manufacture and footballing glory.

“It’s about using the idea of style as a tangible performance enhancer. Something they can put on and feel smart, feel confident.”

In a time where the football shirt, with frequently changing sponsorships, has become largely ephemeral, UMBRO produces a shirt with potential as a new heritage item. A shirt that can be passed down through the generations. An item that can be worn without concern of looking out-of-date while hopefully improving the chances of winning a penalty shootout.

Enjoy our look at the new kit and check soon for our full interview with Aitor Throup.

More views of the New UMBRO England National Team Jersey after the jump.

Forget rubber. Albam’s fisherman style raincoats are made from wax cotton and feature detachable hoods and large ivory buttons. Made in England, the raincoats come unlined, so be sure to knit up before heading out in the foul weather. Yours now from Oi Polloi in yellow, beige, navy, and teal.

More views of the Albam Fisherman’s Cagoule (Raincoat)

The first time I saw Tricky live was at the old Avalon Ballroom in Boston (which has since been torn with the Axis Club as they make way for a massive House of Blues room). The show was memorable for two reasons. The first being that there were absolutely no lights on during the show and second because the man himself performed with his back to the audience for just about the full show. Confusion? Yes. Excellence?Arguable.

The Quietus caught up with Tricky recently to discuss England and Englishness. He compared it properly to the other EU states in the English vicinity. “The French are the French and the Germans are Germans, they have their personalities and they don’t really bend from that. You hang out with French guys and you know you’re hanging out with French guys. We can camoflaugue ourselves a little bit, because the English language is spoken everywhere. We’re not so worried about change so much.”

The whole manifesto is a fascinating read especially if you grew up in the age of the second British wave. Dig in.

I’ll leave you with one more line of excellence,

“Fucking what? Proud to be British? I’m fucking lucky to be British.”