Mississippi State University Homecoming is a weekend of many activities – parades, fireworks and parties – but the weekend centers around one all-important event: the football game.
In case you haven’t already planned out your weekend wardrobe, here are my two cents on Homecoming fashion.
If this is your first Homecoming at MSU, there are a few things you should know.
First, you should know a lot of girls will be wearing dresses to the game (more than normal).
Why is this? Saturday morning, all of the sororities on campus host Homecoming brunches at their houses. The attire for these brunches is, you guessed it, sun dresses.
Partly because of this, Homecoming has become a more formal affair than it has been in the past.
The second thing you should know about MSU Homecoming is it is always hot. Yes, always.
We haven’t had a very hot game this season yet, so if this is your first year at State, you may not realize this, but the student section gets really hot during morning and afternoon games.
The student section sits conveniently in direct sun, so the first thing you need to make sure you have for Saturday is a reliable pair of sunglasses (guys, this goes for you too).
Freshman year, I made the mistake of not bringing sunglasses. I remember sharing a pair of sunglasses with my friend Laura. Don’t make my mistake!
For your reference, Saturday’s high is 66 degrees and there is a 40 percent chance of precipitation, so be prepared.
Even if it feels pleasant (or even a little bit chilly) when you head outside on Saturday, don’t be fooled, it will still feel really hot in the stadium. Remember, you will be sitting in the direct sun.
With that said, my recommendation for the game is a sun dress and flats. You should know this is the only game that I ever wear a dress to (I normally sport shorts and a maroon shirt), so my recommendation is not my game day norm.
If you’re planning to take my advice and wear a dress Saturday, I have a couple tips for you.
Most importantly, and this goes for any game, don’t wear the opposing team’s colors. Just don’t do it!
Just so you know, Houston’s colors are red and white (very close to ours, but not quite the same).
I recommend wearing maroon or white, but even if you aren’t going to wear school colors – I know maroon is hard to come by – wear neutral colors.
Secondly, and you’ll see me give this advice over and over, pick a comfortable dress. Not only will it be hot, but you’ll be doing a lot of walking and you’ll be standing up during most of the game. Wear a breathable fabric that you don’t mind sweating in.
Notice that I suggest wearing flats. Trust me on this one. I’ve seen too many girls fall down the stairs of the student section because of this amateur mistake.
Now that you’ve got your outfit picked out, what else do you need to know? I suggest bringing a ponytail holder just in case. When you’re hot and sweaty at the game tomorrow, you’ll be glad you did.
I’ve also gotten some requests from guys out there wondering what they should wear to the game, so here are some tips for you.
I think that guys should always wear some sort of MSU attire to the game. Let me clarify. That can be an MSU T-shirt, a maroon and/or white polo or an MSU polo. All of these are OK.
Guys, it’s so easy for you to find something maroon or white to wear, so take advantage of that and support our Bulldogs at the game by wearing our colors.
Especially for Homecoming, I think guys should wear an MSU (or maroon and white) polo and khaki shorts. This is my favorite game day outfit for guys.
I think most guys would agree this outfit is comfortable, and I think it looks really nice. Guys, you don’t have as many options as the girls for the games, but I think this is always the best choice.
I would especially recommend a polo and khakis if you’re taking a date to the game. If she’s wearing a sun dress, you don’t want to be in a t-shirt.
In case you’re wondering about shoes, tennis shoes are OK, but I think it looks nice when guys wear an casual shoe, something in between tennis shoes and dress shoes, like Sperry’s.
Those are the Homecoming basics. Now that you’ve got those tips down, go out and cheer on the Bulldogs at the game tomorrow!
Jennifer Puhr is a senior majoring in communication. She can be contacted at
[email protected].