Previously in Retro Shirt Reviews we released the originally Shelbourne-fanzine-exclusive RSR#7, taking a special look at that club’s less-documented kit past, but our last true installment was RSR#9 with this mid-late 80s long-sleeve Adidas beaut. If you enjoyed that then you are in for a treat, as we now return with more historic wonders of the football kit-related variety.
- Club: “Tischler”
- Year: circa 1984
- Make: Adidas
- Template: “Aberdeen”
- Sponsor: Sport Schöll
- Number: 4
- Similarly Worn By: West Germany, Romania, 1984; Schalke, Independiente, PSV, USSR, 1985; East Germany, 1986
If the details listed above look familiar then you are correct, as this is another shirt from the same team that appeared in RSR#9. As is German tradition, the name of the club appears on the back above the number (sometimes seen below) to let us know that this another ‘Tischler’ jersey, which translates to carpenter or joiner. This is not even the first workers/union side of the sort that we have featured following the late-70s Adidas-Erima shirt (sadly sans the trefoil) from RSR#4, the large, amazing woodpecker-logo of which suggests a similar trade.
Unfolding the beautiful, long, three-striped sleeves, we can reveal that this is of course the Adidas “Aberdeen” template (which we all now know the name of, and some other classics, thanks to @TrueColoursKits), with it’s trademark horizontal shadow-stripes and matching collar’n’cuffs, popularly used at the time of it’s release:
This means that we have gone back in time (as is our want) by having already highlighted Tischler’s next jersey after this in RSR#9, as the design was first seen (at least widely) employed by West Germany and Romania at Euro 84 (discussed in Football Special Report #7). Many club sides around the world and other internationals took on the simple but pleasing look over the next two years, in many different colourways, but the most obvious comparison to our version comes from Schalke 04’s 85/86 kit, that used an incidental shirt apart from the sponsor.
As with it’s successor, the sponsor here is Sport Schöll, which we at first erroneously assumed meant Sports School (that would be “Sportschule“). But seemingly, Schöll is simply a family name and Sport Schöll appears to be a sports shop. The close-up also gives us a good look at that oh-so-nice shadow-striping:
Zooming in even closer to the brand logo, we can see that unlike the later shirt, where they were sublimated, the ‘adidas’ and trefoil are printed on and beginning to fade. This was also of an era where the logo-to-wordmark ratio wasn’t what it would become, as the letters are slightly smaller than what you might expect, with the extra “slits” on the trefoil also indicating the early-mid 80s production:
The other stand-out feature of this jersey, apart from the shadow-stripes, is the marvelous v-neck collar and matching cuffs, for which we are grateful to possess a long-sleeved version. As well as the iconic cross-over on the v-neck, the additional blue trim perfectly frames this sublime garment and makes the whole thing pop:
We have already mentioned the sleeve-stripes, but it is always worth re-iterating how great they look when given more length, for which we thank the elements of winter. The label, at which we also sometimes look at, is too creased to properly display, but it is the exact same as that which appeared on the other Tischler model.
Lastly, as usual, we turn over to the back. The same font for the name and the classy “box”-style number that would be seen on the 1986 shirt are already here, with the latter unfortunately not in the best condition. Still, this jersey is clearly a priceless artifact:
International Selection:
Continuing the German theme (which is continued a lot on here, and will remain so continued), we have a unique International Selection with two t-shirts born from Adidas inspiration on both sides of the formerly-divided nation. Unlike our vintage masterpiece above, these are modern “Adidas Originals” creations, which – while perhaps as morally questionable as any mass-produced item from a global, capitalist brand – can certainly still be stunning.
Starting with with the west, here we have an official Germany t-shirt that combines elements of two eras. The most obvious feature, clearly drawing inspiration from the World Cup 94 template, is the striking black, red and yellow pinstripes that stunningly combine to create large diamonds, echoing the original, which meet in the middle as if mirrored:
The abstract design can be interpreted in several ways, depending on how your eyes perceive it. In contrast are the understated, white-on-white stripes on the sleeves, which are not instantly visible. The black v-neck, meanwhile, along with the general shape and feel of the shirt, clearly hearken back to the minimal pre-Adidas West German jersey of the 1960s and 70s:
On the back we get a pleasingly striped “DEUTSCHLAND”, to leave anyone standing behind you in little doubt as to what country you are aligned. The font is similar to, and probably a reference to, Germany’s 2018 kit font, but not the same:
Last but not least, as we move to the east, is an Adidas Originals t-shirt that is of the same fabric as a football shirt. What’s more, it seems to have been inspired by one of the most famous designs in the football world, albeit not the exact same design.
Once again using True Colours as a reference, the original template was classified as the Ipswich, and as well as it’s famous use by the Netherlands and West Germany away, it was also seen applied to the colours of USA and East Germany. The American version differed from the rest as it’s geometric blocks face downwards rather than up, similar to how the middle-section of our shirt is pointing downwards, but the colourway makes it seem like something East Germany could have worn in an alternate, slightly more-advanced 1989 reality:
The round-neck collar that is used adds to the other-timeline-ish vibe, and is a welcome choice in our book (also note the huge difference in size of the Adidas font to the Aberdeen-template shirt above).
But again, the main body of the shirt can be seen in several different ways depending on how you view it. Do four triangle blocks of virtual cheese descend down the centre? Or are they are right-angle zig-zags above light-blue/dark-blue fading horizontal stripes?
*****
