Inter’s away kit from the 1963-1964 season is an undoubted classic from a time when the Italian giants were crowned kings of Europe for the first time.
A team which featured two of the greatest players in the history of Italian football recorded a historic 3-1 European Cup victory against the mighty Real Madrid in May 1964.
Azzurri legends Giacinto Facchetti and Sandro Mazzola were both part of the Inter side which triumphed in Vienna in a decade of remarkable success for Italian clubs.
The Nerazzurri conquered the continent showing off a wonderful design to a wider audience at the same time.
In an era of traditional, stylish kits, unsullied by sponsorship or manufacturers logos, the away shirt of 1964 is a daring work of art in its own right.
It is fitting that such a striking shirt emerged from a city which is considered one of the fashion capitals of the world, noted for its progressive and pervading cultural influence in pattern and design.
History
There can be no mistaking Inter’s blue and black home shirt which has remained largely unchanged since the club’s inception in 1908, but there has been significantly more experimentation with the away version. The club’s Nerazzurri nickname was taken from the symbolic colours which have become a distinctive representation of excellence in Italian football.
Yet in the club’s early years the distinctive white tones of the away kit were absent.
Inter adopted an unrecognisable brown shirt complemented by black shirts and socks in the 1927-1928 campaign. The frankly unflattering design was abandoned quickly for an even more adventurous pattern a season later.
It seems inconceivable that Inter would ever play in a black and white square harlequin jester style design, but it didn’t last long. The colours of black and white have always been synonymous with Inter’s Derby d’Italia rivals Juventus and it was ditched after a single season.
It was not until 1956, after a brief period of grey tops and black shirts, that Inter produced a kit for the ages, a stunning masterpiece of strategically placed design and arrangement.
Design
In what was an inventive and imaginative approach, the blue and black diagonal stripes set against a white background displayed the club’s traditional colours in a striking, eye-catching pattern.
The purposeful shift away from the familiar vertical stripes to single blue and black bands on a blank canvas illustrated a sense of modernity and adventure in an age when fashions rapidly changed.
The stripes are not overbearing, placed, and sized perfectly and function as a demarcation line, separating the white into two triangular shapes, woven in comfortable cotton fabric.
Clear, clean and with a timeless aesthetic appeal, the hand stitched Scudetto symbol on the upper left-hand corner, as the stripes flow underneath, is the focal point for one of the most stunning Italian shirts ever produced.
It is testament to 3Retro’s diligence that the green, white, and red of the Scudetto badge – which is proudly worn as a symbol of the Italian champions from the previous season – boldly stands out amid the three primary colours.
The blue and black trim on the sleeves and open neck collar also complement the unblemished white of a shirt which is a throwback to a stylish and successful time for Inter both on and off the pitch.
The club would go on to release similar versions of the 1964 shirt, most recently in the 2011-2012 campaign, but nothing compares to the magnificent original.
Price
In a time when the cost of shirts and the infinite number of designs – Napoli a clear winner releasing a new kit almost every week this season – seems to skyrocket the 1964 Inter shirt is a relative bargain.
Keeping up with the seasonal kit frenzy has become an inordinately expensive business, especially as lines expand into themed, holiday and player tribute editions.
It seems like a number of the big clubs launch new kits simply as a money-making tool with no regard for past traditions.
Inter have dabbled with their already classic blue and black striped home formula, but the 1964 away kit is a refreshing and affordable alternative, displaying all the best elements of tone and design.
Priced at £35, it is available from the 3Retro.com website along with a host of other classic Nerazzurri classics, including the 1964 home European Cup Final shirt.
A variety of other Inter shirts from different time periods are also available, alongside a number of classics from fellow Serie A giants Milan and Juventus.
Summary
The nostalgic appeal of a shirt worn by the reigning Italian champions in the year they claimed a first European Cup victory is undeniable.
Elegant full-back Facchetti and versatile attacking midfielder Mazzola cemented their place as Inter legends in overcoming the great Real Madrid side of Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, and Francisco Gento in an unforgettable final.
It represents a period when kits were untainted by giant advertising logos and sports brands. This is surely one of many selling points for a unique and innovative shirt, free from outside commercial concerns.
Football fans across the world, and not just those who love calcio, will no doubt admire a shirt which has it all: the wonderfully aligned stripes, the symbolic blue and black colours and the iconic Scudetto badge.
A version of this article appeared on the Football Italia website on Thursday, April 28, 2022
Stephen Kasiewicz 