Male fashion at the University of Alabama varies from region to region. With such a great mix between in-state and out-of-state students, there is quite an interesting blend of regional fashion. One of the best ways to dissect this fashion-by-area agenda is to look at one of the most unifying events the university has: gameday.
Southern/In-State Gameday Fashion
One of the best ways to know if you should greet somebody with a “Hey y’all” is to look at their clothing. Although it may not tell the whole tale, someone’s outfit can be a great indicator to determine where they are from.
Pictured left, we see an array of clothing that a southern male may wear on gameday. A few of these fashion choices are dead southern giveaways, such as the gameday polo tucked into whitewash jeans with the cowboy boots peeking out from underneath. A few of these decisions are more subtle, such as the lad wearing the PFG (Performance Fishing Gear) shorts. Another interesting thing to note is that, typically, southern males are less interested in expensive sneakers or casual shoes to match with their gameday outfits. A more generic tennis shoe or a pair of cowboy boots seem to be the go-to shoe choice for this region.
Northern/Out-of-State Gameday Fashion
Just as there are fashion choices that may indicate a man’s southern roots, there are just as glaring indicators that may reveal his northern heritage.
Pictured right is a clear example of a northern style on gameday. Tucking-in polos is not an option for northern folk. Pants tend to fit tighter and shoe choice is paid attention to with an interesting variety between sneakers. White shoes have a chokehold on this region, so if you see a man walking around with his pants suffocating him and crispy white shoes to pair, you can bet your mortgage he’s from the north (probably the northeast).
Back to Back Comparisons
This lot of folk are clearly from the south. Even though none of their polos are tucked in, the shoes and the croakies are what give this bunch away. Anything that points towards fishing, whether it be through cargo shorts or sunglasses, is a clear indicator of a southern heritage. The shoe choice here for this group is the lowkey tennis shoe, which favors function and comfortability over style.
On the other hand, this bunch is about as northern as you can get. Football jerseys and more generic gameday polos reign supreme over the more thought out gameday polos of the south. White and black crew socks with shorts also seems to be a popular choice amongst this crowd. Sweat shorts may find their way into the mix depending on the temperature of gameday. The hand poses are also a telling signal of northern heritage. If you are walking on the quad during a tailgate and see a group of jersey’d individuals throwing up random iterations of hand movements, they’re from the north.
When pants start to appear on the legs of southern males, they are more loose fitting and usually accompanied with a boot of some sort. These are dead giveaways of southern roots. When shorts are still in session, the functional tennis shoe will never disappear from this region’s closet. The ankle sock is also crucial for this group, as you will typically never see a crew sock accompanying the shoe of any southern male.
This is a good example of what northern gameday apparel might look like as the weather starts to get colder. Tight pants will appear out of thin air, but some may still opt for the high rise short. Shoe choice is telling of the northern roots of this group and the sunglasses of choice point towards this as well. Comfortability takes a backseat to style with this group, whereas the opposite is usually true for southern males.
