College Football Tailgating Outfits

Today I’m talking about subjects near and dear to my heart, style, tailgating and the Clemson Tigers. As you can see from the collage of memories above we are a Clemson family.

I have been a Tiger from birth. My mom’s dad played baseball at Clemson briefly before going pro back when it was a military school. My dad went to grad school there and raised me to love football and love the Tigers. When it came time for me to go to school I applied to one school and one school only, Clemson. It’s where I met my husband, also a Tiger, and together along with our family we don’t miss many games. As in none, Lord willing.

While at Clemson I was a member of the Dance Team so I wore my uniform on game days. But if you know anything about CU then you know school spirit is at 100%, 100% of the time. Being in a sorority, being on the dance team, working for the athletic department and just being a student gave me ample opportunity to dress in orange, purple and white. Now that I have spent several years as an alumni I officially feel like I have the tailgating dressing down to an art. Hopefully these tips can help you out as you get ready for football season this fall, even if you don’t pull for the Tigers (bless your heart).

TAILGAITING ATTIRE 101

Dresses and rompers are your friend. Just steer clear of words like polyester & silk in the early season because they will make you sweat-to-death. The polyester one is hard because so many things are made with polyester so really just look at the thickness and fit of the fabric and make sure it’s not too thick or form fitting! Also, if you are looking at a thin cotton dress make sure it’s a pattern so that when you sweat in your seat you won’t show the sweat on your seat. Here are a couple I found this season.

ORANGE SLEEVELESS DRESSES

(click the buttons on the side, there are a lot)

ORANGE DRESSES WITH SLEEVES

PURPLE & PATTERN DRESSES

ROMPERS

Another no-fail option is a great pair of shorts + flowy tops. This is an especially great choice in the early part of the season. I personally think that the whole “no white after labor day” is a load of crap and as long as it’s 90 degrees outside you can definitely get away with a great pair of white denim and an orange or purple top. This season denim shorts (cuffed or distressed or both) are really in so buy a pair you love and wear with any orange, purple or white top.

ORANGE TANKS & SLEEVELESS TOPS

ORANGE TOPS

PURPLE TOPS

WHITE TANKS & SLEEVELESS TOPS

WHITE TOPS

DENIM SHORTS

WHITE SHORTS

COLORED SHORTS

I also love wearing tanks or lightweight shirts with skirts. When it gets cooler I love to wear a button-up over a mini with boots but in the hotter temps I’m a fan of tucking in the shirt or at least the front of the shirt. For skirts choose a thicker fabric or again a pattern so that you don’t have to deal with too much swass.

If any of the items above didn’t strike your fancy then check out all the places I love to shop or visit a site like Shopstyle or go Google and find something you love. If you’re searching for clothes online broaden your color vocabulary. Instead of searching for just “orange” search also for burnt orange, coral, rust or poppy. Instead of searching for just “purple” add in violet or plum too. If you’re looking on a site like Nordstrom, ASOS or Revolve then filter your results by “day”. This will help you get more casual looks that are football-approved.

Additionally crossbody bags, big sunnies and dutch braids are your friends. Also, invest in some neutral flats that will stay on your feet while you roam the stadium. Here are some that I love:

If you enjoyed this post let me know and I will plan another for when the temps drop and we can wear all of those glorious fall layers. Happy shopping and GO TIGERS!