White kits with red and blue trim have always been pleasing to our eyes, and the 1970s/80s outfits worn by Luton Town and Watford are attractive too, so Andrew Rockall was on to a winner with this suggestion:
Not a direct swap but how about Lyon in Luton 79/81 and 81/84 designs oh and throw in the Watford shirt style from 85/88.
— Andy Rockall (@Statto_74) March 17, 2018
Obviously, given that Luton had white, orange and navy, there was a danger of simply coming up with replicas, so what we’ve done is put blue where the orange was and red instead of navy.
Disclaimer – Lyon actually had predominantly red shirts in the period we’re looking at but, after discussion with Andrew, we’ve gone with their modern-day colour scheme. Also of note is that they didn’t have a club crest on their shirts at the time.
Seiko’s replacement as sponsor, supermarket chain Carrefour, was perfect for the Lyon palette.
With the Watford style, we were cognisant of a Rangers away in the same design from two years later, albeit with a different neck style, so we’ve swapped the blue and red on that.
One slight cheat is that Watford’s home shorts didn’t have the flashes, only the away did, but they seem more fitting with French flair.
