Volume 9 Issue 1

No matter who they are, most students are
expected to wear comfortable shoes and pants
with a classic CSU t-shirt to a game. When asked
to describe CSU game day fashion in one piece of
clothing, Gustafson excitedly mentions a signature
pair of green and gold overalls: “They’re a staple
really. Both boys and girls wear these overalls to
every game.”
Time to Roll Out the Red Carpet
In terms of priority, comfort is less
important than overall style at football games in
the South. In fact, students may not even prioritize
displaying their school spirit or colors. In recent
years, an increasing number of fans in the South
have begun wearing colors such as pink, lime
green or brown. At the end of the day, fashion for
game days in the SEC “just means more.”
After over 20 years working in
fashion design for notorious brands
such as Ralph Lauren, Professor Rebecca
Burney came to The University of Alabama to
teach fashion retailing and apparel design with
The College of Human Environmental Sciences.
Despite her years and extensive experience in the
fashion industry, Burney found her first game day
at UA to be “an educational experience.”
“I didn’t know that there was such a thing as
‘game day fashion’ before. It’s definitely a regional
thing,” Burney says.
Burney reflected on the notable trends
within the game day fashions, nodding to the
miniskirt hemlines and the appearance of white
cowboy boots. It was obvious that fans pay
special attention to their unique expressions of
school spirit.
She enjoyed seeing the unique and intentional
outfits that students chose for each game
saying, “It’s all so new. I just love to watch it.”
Even though the trends of outfits for
college game days may not reflect the rest of the
nation yet, there is an increase in similarities
between Southern fashion and other regions.
Game Day Fashion in the Future
Upon reflecting on her last year at
Colorado State, Gustafson started to see
a shift in the women’s game day fashion.
“Suddenly the girls were starting to
dress a little nicer. Instead of wearing
jeans, they were wearing jean skirts.
I noticed a shift to the trendy side of
things,” says Gustafson.
As Southern attire and
“OOTD” videos are gaining popularity on social
media, game day fashion is shifting to be trendier
and more Instagram-ready across the U.S. Is it
possible that social media is allowing regional
fashion to influence the nation?
“It is absolutely possible. Social media
allows audiences to see the whole gambit of
fashion and makes the experience much faster
and more visual,” explains Burney.
With trends cycling so quickly, it is hard to predict
what fans will be wearing even next season.
However, a time may be approaching where the
regional game day trends may not be so dissimilar.
No matter what team is playing or where students
are cheering, football is a time for excitement,
celebration and self-expression through style.
Whether green, gold, white, red or blue, fashion is
one of the best parts of gameday.
Design by Sarah Smith
Alice Fall 2023 37