Tuesday, October 18, 2011

College-Style

College-Style

Saturday Best

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 10:44 AM PDT

By: Emily of The University of Georgia. Follow me @emilyhovis

In the South, football is so much more than a bunch of sweaty, heavily padded men wailing on one another for hours; here, football is a religion, and naturally, we wouldn't dream of showing our faces in our sacred stadiums dressed in anything less than our "Saturday Best." During the fall, home game Saturdays are an all-day affair. We rise before the sun and return long after the sun has set.  Our campuses swell with hundreds of thousands of people, ranging from die-hard fans to the few, brave visitors who stick out from miles away as they proudly sport the opposing team's colors. While some students view game days as a day of unadulterated revelry, the fashionistas among the crowd view game days as the world's greatest runway.

When it comes to game day fashion, the possibilities are endless.

Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to sacrifice style to cheer your team on to victory. Gone are the days of hiding behind a baggy, oversized jersey. Instead, game day fashions consist of sundresses and trendy ensembles revolving around one common theme: school colors. First, you'll need to scour your closet for anything and everything that features one of your school colors. Remember, that dress doesn't have to be the exact shade of "Vegas Gold," as long as it's in the general color family, you're "golden." So if your school colors are red and black, any shade of red will do (unless you're playing a school that has another shade of red as one of their school colors). If you have the bad fate of going to a school with obscure school colors like Clemson (orange and purple, anyone?), don't worry. The stores in your college town will order nearly every item available on this side of the Prime Meridian that features your school's colors. When you are perusing these stores, be sure to stock up on a variety of different pieces including dresses, skirts and cute tops. Ideally, you'll have enough basics that you will be able to mix and match to create a different look for each game that you attend, and since you'll be repping your school's colors for the next four years (or five—no judgment here), think of these pieces as an investment.

Accessories make game day outfits. For the Auburn and Florida fans, an orange dress with a blue scarf  artfully incorporates both of your school colors. Oregon fans can update a classic green dress with a yellow belt to cheer their ducks on. A pair of cowboy booties give both looks a fun, playful look.

Once you have filled your tiny, dorm-sized closet with your school colors, the real fun begins. Get creative and try out different combinations, and remember, accessories can take any game day outfit to the next level. It can be hard to find a dress that artfully incorporates both of your school colors. One way to overcome this obstacle is to buy a sundress that features one of your school colors and to accessorize with the other color. Cute summer scarves, jewelry, belts, sunglasses, shoes and headbands (not all at once, of course) are some of the best ways to include all of your colors into your outfit.

Lastly, do not be a victim to one of the biggest mistakes that football fashionistas make: forgetting that football season lasts from August to November (and if your team is any good, you'll be braving it out in the stands in January). Sundresses are great, but there's nothing worse than finding yourself in the middle of November with nothing but a strapless frock to wear in a snow-filled stadium. Invest in a nice coat that at least vaguely resembles one of your school's colors, and pair it with a long sleeved dress, tights and boots because a warm, comfortable fan is a happy fan.

Game day fashions transition seamlessly into the winter months.

There is nothing that resembles the energy and camaraderie that fills your college town on game day, and throughout your college career, you will be granted twenty four Saturdays to show your unfailing support for your school and your team. Don't let them down by not donning your "Saturday Best." And remember, we may all sport different colors, but at the end of the day, we're all striving to be the most confident, well-dressed fans that we can be.

Thoughts?

What is your favorite game day look? Has your school embraced stylish game day looks yet, or are you still wearing jerseys? Comment below, email us at info@college-style.com, or tweet us @CollegeStyle12, or me @emilyhovis. We love to hear what you guys think!

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)