David Beckham's most influential style moments
To mark the release of Beckham, the four-part Netflix documentary tracking the rise and rise of the former England captain, we look back at the some of the outfits that transformed menswear (and some that, er... didn't).
By 
YES, YES, YES: the sarong. We know. We all know about the sarong. David Beckham’s most famous style moment, which came during the World Cup in France in 1998, still resonates – as its appearance in Beckham, Netflix’s new documentary about guess-who, demonstrates.
“Twenty years ago when I wore that sarong, people were shocked,” Beckham told the Telegraph a couple of years ago. “It was an outrage; ‘why are you wearing that? What were you thinking?’ Today no-one bats an eyelid if a guy wears a sarong in the street.”
The sarong was big, that’s true. But it doesn’t make the cut when it comes to his most influential style moments. No, we’re after the fits that pushed Beckham and the Beckhams forward as influences on how British men dress, and as interesting as the discourse was at the time, sarongs remain, sadly, a niche pursuit on these shores. Beckham helped to crack open men’s style in a way in which few celebs have in the last 30 years, and gently nudged our wardrobes open a little wider.
1
The Matrix: Rebooted, 1999
To celebrate the end of the year in which Neo sorted out artificial intelligence once and for all, the Beckhams matched up in leathers for a New Year’s Eve do in Manchester. “They were Versace,” David told H&M magazine (H&M had a magazine!). “But that’s one when I look back and am like, ‘What were we thinking?” That’s unfair though. This is twinning before twinning was twinning. Bold. And little did they know that 25 years later Matrix vibes would be back again.
2
The Durag, 2000
There’s a lot to take in here. This is the Party in the Park in 2000, which ushered in the new millennium with a future-facing display of where pop music would go: Elton John and Queen mixed it with Honeyz, Martine McCutcheon and 5ive, and Victoria did ‘Out of Your Mind’ with Dane Bowers.
The nation was naturally on a high, and the futuristic vibe extended to the backstage gear. Greeting the future King Charles III wearing not just no sleeves but an actual durag pointed to a burgeoningly transatlantic outlook. Probably wouldn’t do it now, mind.
3
Snakeskin Jacket, 2000
Adding yet more star-power to an in-store signing at Virgin Megastore for Victoria and Dane’s tilt at number one, the snakeskin jacket was a sign that absolutely everything was on the table at all times. Unfortunately the jacket could only propel ‘Out of Your Mind’ to number two, behind Groovejet’s ‘If This Ain’t Love’ by 20,000 copies.
4
Call the Police, 2002
Two things here: the Police shades, which Beckham made into a massive thing in one of the first examples of his mainstream fashion clout; and the Hoxton fin made its first appearance. Football generally was pretty flat-footed when it came to absorbing trends from the high street to this point, and in pretty much every commercial tie-up the player in question ended up looking like a dork. Not Beckham. You can trace every Graeme Souness piss-boiler of a ‘do to this fin, too.
5
Back to the Classics, 2005
We all, of course, remember where we were when the 2005 Laureus Sports Awards happened. Were we ever so young? But while everyone was being transported by the sheer electric joy of sportspeople saying thank you for bits of glass, something very important happened under our noses. Beckham went back to classic tailoring and a sensible swept-back haircut that nodded at the Nineties curtains while setting course for the look he’d nail down in his thirties.
6
The Met Gala, 2008
A moment less notable for what Beckham’s wearing than where he’s wearing it. A year after moving to LA Galaxy and becoming not just one of the most sportsmen in Europe, but one of the most famous sportsmen in the world, heading to the Met Gala was a signal that the Beckhams had really arrived in American pop culture. Not sure how it fitted the theme of superheroes that year, but never mind.
7
The Royal Wedding, 2018
The look which brushed the Edwardian fustiness off the morning suit. Hundreds of thousands of prospective grooms nudged their best men and went: ‘Shall we… shall we do it?’ Nearly all of them shouldn’t. But it’s good that they wanted to expand their horizons.
8
The Queue, 2022
As everyone milled about wondering what to do with themselves after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the most highly evolved form of National Treasure Becks yet emerged. Bakerboy cap, statement umbrella, neat overcoat: don’t try and tell me this wasn’t part of Operation London Bridge.
9
The Wes Anderson Pivot, 2023
Just in time for Asteroid City, Beckham went the full Wes Anderson leading man on a trip to Paris. It’s The Dave-jeeling Limited. It’s Fantastic Mr Cross. It’s 30-Yard Missile of Dogs. It’s Bottle Rocket To The Eyebrow From Fergie. It’s The Royal Bend-embaums. It’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Ziss-Oh And Beckham’s Seen Sullivan Off His Line.
10
Off-duty, on-duty dadding, 2023
And here he is now, having hit the front row for Victoria’s Paris show in October 2023 with daughter Harper. This is the summation of a decade’s groundwork on the double-breasted suit, this time dressed down with sandals and white tee.
Related:
David Beckham’s watches through the years
Robert Pattinson is making a strong case for big suits and untucked shirts
