Reader Question: What to Wear to a Southern Tailgate

Party Style

by megan | on September 17th, 2012 | 18 comments

Happy Monday! Today, a reader in school below the Mason-Dixon line asks how to get a loud pair of pants to play nicely with the rest of his tailgate-ready outfit.

Josh asks:

Any thoughts on what to wear with red seersucker pants? Yes, I’m serious and these pants are badass. Picked up some recently to wear to UGA football games. With the off the shelf price + tailoring, I’m into these things around $150, but I can’t really make them look good.

The dress culture for college football games in the South is likely a major departure from what most folks would expect. Rarely will you see someone over 8 years old rocking a jersey – you’ll see folks wearing just t shirts or polos with shorts or jeans all the way up to three-piece suits. I’m somewhere in the middle. I like a little flash which is why I picked up the pants, but I’m not into wearing a suit while I’m at the bar at 8am in prep for the 3:30pm kickoff.

I’ve put on a red canvas belt (meh) and a white belt with an obnoxious “G” logo for the buckle. Neither look very good though. Even though school colors are red, black and white (and silver technically), a black belt is just a really harsh contrast to me. Maybe it’s just the type of belt I’m trying though, not sure.

Challenge issued.

Challenge accepted.

I’m well aware that dressing up for football games is a southern thing. For tailgates at my own alma mater, I would see only a very small number of guys looking like they’re headed to Sunday church, but from my viewing of ESPN’s Game Day, I know it’s par for the preppy course in the South.

Personally, I like guys wearing a pulled-together look – it certainly beats the sloppy alternative – and if you’re going to wear pants, at least you’re rocking seersucker, a relatively cool fabric.

Plus, I think sports events are a great excuse for men to wear lots of color, under the guise of showing school spirit and support for their team.

I’ve pulled together an outfit that should work for your next 8am tailgate call time, incorporating brown tones in lieu of your team’s other shades, black and silver, which – you’re right – would make you look more like you should be standing on the sidelines calling offensive plays, than the fan that you are, simply trying to enjoy a leisure day of sports enjoyment in the stands.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find any red seersucker pants, but I think I captured the general spirit of the outfit.

I subbed in some “Look at me!” shorts that I think make the same point.

I loved the patterned bow ties I found for all the states and schools; if you’re going to be a sports dandy, you might as well go all the way, right? The sunglasses can be folded up to fit in the pocket square of the shirt, which is an infinitely better option than croakies (if it’s really too arduous to put them on your head, or hang them in your shirt’s neckline, just put ‘em away). And the watch will help you know when it’s game time, even long after your phone dies (which it inevitably will if you’ve been tailgating since early morning).