(CNN) — How do you define glamour? Like the ever-elusive concept of personal style, glamour is often intangible, innate, even aura-based. It’s in the details: the socialite Lee Radziwill’s slouchy shawls and capes worn with a rock-hard blow-dry and enormous jewellery; her sister Jackie Kennedy’s valorous commitment to a silk headscarf and bug-eyed shades; the way fashion editor Diana Vreeland would tie a red scarf around her waist, giving a painterly stroke of color to her otherwise all-black silhouette — a styling approach so recognizable that Chanel creative director Matthieu Blazy nodded to it at a recent show.
Truly glamorous men are harder to conjure. There’s the late Giorgio Armani, whose mahogany tan was enhanced by his timeless uniform of tailored navy trousers and matching T-shirts. A$AP Rocky, with his wardrobe full of nostalgic Saint Laurent suits and flashy it-bags, is another consistent front-runner. Or French designer Haider Ackermann, who can make any suit more interesting by homing in on its neckline — adding opera and silk scarves, or even just by wearing the lapels of his blazer turned upwards. But who else fits the bill?
You might be tempted to point to the sporting section of male celebrities. Afterall, athletes have never been more into clothes. Nowadays NBA stars such as Tyler Herro, LeBron James, Lauri Markkanen and OG Anunoby, have their gameday arrivals — or “tunnel walks” — papped to the same degree as a runway, while Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson just walked the Willy Chavarria menswear show in Paris. France’s national football team, who were knocked out of the World Cup by Spain on Tuesday, have long been making headlines for their designer outfits: Adrien Rabiot in Louis Vuitton and Off–White, Hugo Ekitike in Vetements and Matières Fécales, Michael Olise in a Margiela top and Vaquera fuzzy hat.
But rarely do these looks fall into the special category of glamour. Instead, they are fashion with a capital F — trend-focused, militantly styled streetwear that can at times come across as a little forced.
On Tuesday night, 25-year-old Norwegian footballer and Manchester City player Erling Haaland offered an answer. Days after being knocked out of the World Cup quarter-finals by England, Haaland and his partner Isabel Haugseng Johansen dusted themselves off and headed to the Mediterranean for the Dolce & Gabbana Alta Sartoria show in Sicily. Haaland, who has already caught the world’s attention with his sprawling collection of Hermès bags and relatable love for a tacky trinket, was dressed to the nines. He clashed his cream satin pants with a white double-breasted blazer, dark sunshades, a gold frog-shaped brooch and navy woven leather loafers. Most notable was his thin satin-like scarf whipped eccentrically over one shoulder, like a Milanese gentleman oozing sprezzatura, further cementing himself as one of the most glamorous soccer players of our time.
Not since David Beckham have we seen such pizzazz and flare in soccer fashion. But three decades ago, Beckham’s off-duty looks — which ranged from head-to-toe leathers to a subversive Jean Paul Gaultier sarong — sent the UK’s lad culture into a tailspin, even causing England manager at the time, Glenn Hoddle, to question his star player’s professionalism.
Today, dressing up as an athlete, the same as in any public-facing career, is an unavoidable profile-raising effort. But you get the sense that Haaland is more than up for this side of the bargain. It sure sounds like a fun way to spend that reported $80 million annual income. Even his hair ties are custom-made and imported from South Korea — what could be more glam than that?
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