Chelsea's 50-year anniversary kit 'a thing of beauty' - but is it available to buy?

English club marked a half century since their first FA Cup win with a special edition strip

Ross Barkley and his Chelsea teammates applauds the fans after the match against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round. Reuters

Ross Barkley celebrates scoring Chelsea's second goal against Nottingham Forest. Reuters

Nottingham Forest's Alexander Mighten chases the ball. Getty Images

Chelsea's Jorginho applauds the fans at the end of the game. AP Photo

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard applauds the fans at the end of the game. AP Photo

Chelsea's Reece James in action with Nottingham Forest's Alex Mighten. Reuters

Frank Lampard gives instructions from the touchline as Callum Hudson-Odoi takes the ball. Getty Images

Callum Hudson-Odoi celebrates after the match. Reuters

Chelsea's Mason Mount applauds the fans after the final whistle. PA

Chelsea's Michy Batshuayi of Chelsea is put under pressure by Yuri Ribeiro. Getty Images

Reece James and Ross Barkley applaud the fans after the match. Reuters

Ross Barkley applauds the fans after the match. Reuters

Social media appeared universal in its appreciation of the commemorative kit Chelsea players wore for the FA Cup third round tie against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Even Twitter accounts dedicated to rival clubs begrudgingly admitted how much they liked the retro strip - created and worn to celebrate 50 years since the club won their first FA Cup.

The special design, inspired by the kit worn by the 1970 Cup winners, paired Chelsea's classic royal blue with yellow gold trim, club logo and numbers. The team's main shirt sponsors, Nike and Yokohama, were faded to give the shirt that retro look, while player names were absent.

Such has been the response from Chelsea fans to the special edition kit, many of the replicas available to buy on the club's website have been sold out, including the men's stadium shirts and the men's match shirts.

However, female Chelsea fans are in luck as there is stock in every size for the women's shirts as well as some kids' shirts in certain sizes - as of Monday morning.

Anniversary shirts have become a popular way to mark milestones and achievements for football clubs. Last year, Manchester City released a retro kit to celebrate their 125-year anniversary, while in 2018 Manchester United marked 50 years since winning the 1968 European Cup with a special edition strip - both of which received largely rave reviews.

Similarly, in 2017 Italian champions Juventus played a Serie A game against Benevento in a special kit to celebrate their 120th birthday.

While many clubs have designed commemorative shirts, these four recent examples arguably stand out due to the fact that the sponsors are either absent or faded, offering a more authentic feel to the original designs.

Storied French club Marseille, for example, also released a 120th anniversary kit at the start of this season, although brandishing 'Uber Eats' across the front hardly lends itself to a retro look.