College football has become ingrained into most American's Saturday's routine, but in Southern states, the culture around the game is just as crucial, down to styling and school spirit.
Saturdays in the South have always been culturally defining for college students, from the community’s atmosphere and excitement to the weekly choice of apparel that creates a sense of belonging for students, said blogger Nikki Lo, who wrote about the modern trends within game day fashion.
The typical styles seen today at a college football game are country and western-inspired, such as polo shirts, denim bottoms and cowboy boots. But this wasn't always the case.
The shift of Southern game day style
As the years pass by, younger generations' fashion choices are moving towards sustainability and individualism in outfits while moving away from formal attire, fashion stylist and USC alumna Ashley Jenkins said.
Students and fans wore formal and professional-looking skirts, dresses, suits and bowties to games during the early 20th century, according to an article written by University of Alabama News' Cathy Butler-Burnette.
The late 1970s and 1980s brought a more modern and casual look to athletic events to accommodate the weather and the upward trend of blue jeans and traditional t-shirt sales.
In the past 15 years, social media has played a role in attire for students and fans alike, as users want to capture a moment and recognize it through the outfit they’re wearing. Jenkins said when she attended USC, students and fans wore more fashionable pieces during important games throughout the season, such as night games, bowl games and rivalry games.
"If it was a night game, then sometimes they would dress up a little more. But by dressing up, it's like you wear your black dress or your black cute top, and shorts and your cowgirl boots," Jenkins said. "Daytime games were a bit more casual, like denim shorts, a USC shirt or something that was garnet and black."
South Carolina fans walk into Williams-Brice Stadium before the Gamecock's game against then-No. 12 Ole Miss on Oct. 5, 2024. People supporting South Carolina were instructed to wear garnet, and attendees wore various outfits and accessories ranging from jerseys to cowboy boots.
Jenkins attended USC from 2006 to 2010 where she gained many experiences in the fashion industry, such as working with Fashion Board USC, organizing fashion shows around USC and doing style workshops through her sorority, Theta Gamma.
Modern game day attire was more upscale and formal than older fashion options, however. Guys would wear blazers, jeans and dress shirts, while girls would wear pencil skirts and chunkier heels out on weekends, Jenkins said.
“Clubs and nightlife were centered around dressing your best and looking your best, and I think some of that probably transitioned to game days and the way we dressed in the evenings for game days," Jenkins said.
Student styles have transitioned from a mix of casual and formal wear to primarily casual, comfortable wear, Jenkins said.
“When I was at USC, it had ... (and) still does, has an athleisure element to it,” Jenkins said. "And so the trend was dressier for evening games but a little bit sportier overall. The transition now (is based around) sports prep and more casual.”
Time and effort behind each game day outfit
Recently, there's been a difference in how students typically purchase and wear their clothing for game days, said second-year retail management student Ella Brooks.
"I feel like, for a majority of girls, they go to look for a unique, game day outfit, whereas guys will go to Addam's (University Bookstore) to buy a t-shirt or a polo and just wear that and recycle through it," Brooks said. "Girls will be like, 'No, I have to have a specific outfit for every game,' and they'll hit My Kim (Collection), they'll hit Miss Cocky ... and (Urban Outfitters) in the Vista."
Game day outfits leave students with first impressions and the opportunity to get to know each other, said second-year pre-nursing student Eucharia Ogbuewu.
"I feel like not everybody has the chance ... (to talk) to me, so they get to see and feel who I am by what I'm wearing before I actually open my mouth," Ogbuewu said.
Game day fashion has taken a twist of western and country themes, including a variety of team-colored polos, skirts and cowboy boots, said first-year nursing student Amaya Garrett.
Throughout Columbia, there's nearly endless demand around local USC shops, especially during football season and in the fall. The line on one game day was out the door with parents from Family Weekend, said first-year retailing student Lizzie Duce.
“I was at Miss Cocky today, and there was a line outside the door, and there were so many people in there," Duce said. "I think they get a lot of business, especially due to parents that are here right now too (for Family Weekend)."
Excitement around USC fashion culture
Brooks comes from Virginia, where people normally dress down for game days, she said. Brooks noticed a cultural shift around football games when she came to South Carolina, she said.
"A lot of my friends who go to school in (the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech), it's just their (game day culture) is definitely so much more casual than ours," Brooks said. "It's just, 'Oh, we have a game today, let's dress up, let's wear a jersey and some sneakers and let's go watch the game. Let's have a good time at the games.'"
For students at USC and other SEC schools such as Ole Miss, Arkansas and LSU, the entire Saturday is based around the game, double-checking their looks, outfits and hair for near-perfection, all in preparation for a long and strenuous day on the town, Brooks said.
"For us, it's like, I need to wake up at 9 a.m. and make sure that my hair is completely ready and make sure that I am completely ready for the day," Brooks said.
Outfits have also become dependent on the time of the game as well, as she decides whether to change into a different outfit or not, Brooks said.
"If it's a 12 or three o'clock game, I'll probably dedicate a certain amount of time to getting ready for the game, hanging out my outfit, all those things and then coming back and changing, I'll just redo what I did earlier and maybe throw on a much more casual outfit to go out," Brooks said.
Brooks said her changes in attire tend to include USC or garnet and black t-shirts and skirts to replace the more formal dresses from earlier in the day.
Weather in Northern and Southern states results in layering for games, as it's much more common in the North, Brooks said.
"It's kind of hard to wear a mini dress in the northern areas where it's a lot colder," Brooks said. "If you wear shorts and a jersey, that gives you so much room to layer, or you could wear jeans and a jersey."
Third-year criminal law and psychology student Carley Sweeney (left) and second-year elementary education student Helena Bernier (right) hold up a “spurs up” hand motion while looking towards the outside of Williams-Brice Stadium on Sept. 21, 2024. Sweeney and Bernier, both originally from the North, said gameday fashion in the South was a culture shock and very different from wearing leggings and a sweatshirt to games back home.
Brooks said Gamecock pride around Columbia is so strong that it brings students together and many become friends based on pride for the school alone.
"If we're wearing something that has a commonality, I honestly will just think, 'Oh, we go to the same school, so we're both already here because we like the same football team, we like the same things, so we could potentially be friends if I saw you,'" Brooks said. "Pretty much everyone here I would say has good Gamecock pride. They're so proud of it that I feel like that does really unify people much more than just what they're wearing at the games.
Editor's note: Simone Meyer contributed to the reporting in this story.