Top 5 New European Club Kits 2014/15

Now that the European football season is in full swing, it is time to assess the best kit releases of the new season. Here now are the Football Kit Blog's top 5 European club kits for 2014/15:

First, some honorable mentions. These are the kits that just missed the top 5. Aston Villa's home shirt is lovely. The color combination is magical and this kit hits all the right notes. I also think that their crest is among the best in English football. Overall the look is simple, elegant, and classic. The away kit is quite nice as well. Negative points for the betting house sponsor. Inter Milan's home kit is a refreshing take on the nerazzuri's classic black and blue kit. The thin blue lines on the black shirt really pop and give this kit an "electric" feel.

Our next few honorable mentions are from the German Bundesliga. Bayern Munich's entire set is splendid, but we are singling out their away and 3rd kit as among the best this season. Love the "heather" effect on the away, and the black and red 3rd is intimidating and fashion forward. The only reason neither kit placed in the top 5 is due to the horrific Deutsche Telekom "T" sponsor logo. Borussia Monchengladbach's home is an interesting take on vertical striping. I have never seen vertical stripes laid out quite like that before. Add to that the terrific color combination and you have one snazzy kit. Finally, Wolfsburg's 3rd kit(the one all the way on the right) is the kind of kit that people either love or hate, no middle ground on this one. And count me firmly in the "love" camp. The off-the-wall colors, the different colored sashes and even the VW logo all work here for me to create a dynamic kit.

TOP 5

5. AC Milan home - Color shading has been a big trend in design and fashion for the past few years now. Bayern Munich went this route for their 3rd kit from last season. This season it's Milan's turn and I think we can all agree Adidas' execution on this kit is on point. The old-fashioned crest bearing solely the St. George's cross is an added touch of class(note: embossed on the lower left corner of the badge, not noticeable unless looking up close, is the actual AC Milan logo). We rarely mention socks here but on this kit the socks play an integral part in the beauty of it. Truly a splendid kit for my beloved rossoneri.

4. Genoa away - Genoa is a club who has always stuck with a simple look. This season's batch of kits are no exception. Here we have a vivid example of how less can be more. The white away shirt is pure class. The red and blue stripes across the torso feature the club crest smack dab in the middle of the shirt, something rarely seen nowadays. There is a beautiful script under the crest that adds another layer of elegance. The ugly Lotto patches on the shoulder are negated by a lack of sponsor on the shirt.

3. Real Madrid 3rd - This is a choice I might get a lot of flack for. But I have always been a fan of sublimated graphics on shirts. This shirt, designed by Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto is a welcome break from Real's ho-hum kits of the past. There are only a certain number of times you can do a solid block shirt with three contrasting stripes. The asian-style double-headed dragon is totally random for Real but who cares. The look is great, and the origami-style typography of the player names and numbers is unique and ties the look together. One change that would make this kit the hands down winner for the season would have been to take away all the white elements and make this a truly all-black kit. That would have looked amazing.

2. Inter Milan away - As hard as it is for me to say, Inter was blessed with some outstanding kits this season, as they usually are. Nike's home shirts for Inter are almost always solid efforts, with their away shirts varying from boring to magnificent. This season's away offering is a beautifully-designed, sharp kit. All white, with sublimated graphics, the negative space on the shirt forms a cross. Even the red Pirelli logo adds something here. This is one of the top Inter away shirts of all time.

1. Manchester City away - The Citizens have been with Nike for a couple of seasons now, and this is hands down Nike's best work for them in my opinion. The shirt has a gradation effect, going from lighter to darker as you look at the shirt from top to bottom. I give this one a slight edge over Inter's away because it is a bit more out there and experimental. City have been fighting for years now to be recognized as a world-class club and now they have finally arrived.