Today we turn back the clock to one of the most famous winters of all time while still leading the trend forward with the launching of the ’63 Blue Out Collection.
This new range of Chelsea clothing, which features five types of top and a scarf and cap, follows on in theme from the immensely popular Black Out & Blank Out range and the retro home shirt produced specially to celebrate 50 years since our first FA Cup win.
While those were based on 1998 and 1970, the fresh collection unveiled today takes its inspiration from way back in 1963 and a season when England definitely had to wrap up warm!
Icebreaking Blues
With shades of the present, Chelsea were a young team on the rise. It was the time of a youthful Peter Bonetti and Terry Venables, Bobby Tambling skippering a successful side and scoring 37 goals. It was ‘The Doc’ at the helm and innovative raiding full-backs – but it was not without drama too.
The Blues were six points clear in Division Two in 1962/63 when the worst winter of the 20th Century set in. Two months without a home league game due to the incredible ‘Big Freeze’ and form slid well away.
But a 7-0 on the final day won promotion and Chelsea’s ‘60s began to swing – and the shirt worn that day by Tommy Docherty’s team has long been considered an all-time fan favourite.
It's blue, what else matters?
Now we’ve taken producing a new retro version of this Chelsea classic one step beyond with this simple Blue Out design - plus additional apparel and accessories featuring two tones of blue.
The famous lion badge and the collar and cuff multi-rings all match the colour of the rest of the fabric, which as well as being crafted to recall the shirt worn by Bridges and Blunstone, Shellito and McCreadie, is extended to an item with a polo neck and collar.
To add a touch of variety, the blue darkens for the collection’s t-shirt and for the track jacket that is also available. Both again have a crest blending in.
The blue of the retro shirt returns for another option for upper wear – the Blue Out sweatshirt.
Both shades are woven into the bar scarf in the range and to top it off, we have a single-blue cap. You can make it a Blue Out Christmas or a winter season wrap up warm by shopping the range today in the Megastore at Stamford Bridge and in our online store
And to view the collection in full, we are exhibiting our blue period in the gallery below, modelled by Julia Bartel, Marc Guiu, Maika Hamano and Renato Veiga…