Scott Stadium Style Review: Summer may be over, but the country club’s still open…
September 5, 2008 by Ashley Simpson
Every fall, Charlottesville gathers to celebrate the opening of college football season: cars line Barracks Road, jerseys come out, and ESPN tunes in, never failing to generate buzz.
But the biggest show in town may not be the game; we all know that UVA football season is as much about social scene- and style for that matter- as it is about sport.
Last Saturday’s game against USC proved no different. Pastel cotton button downs, classic khaki shorts, Lily Pulitzer dresses, and a sea of orange and blue ties filled Scott Stadium as the Cavaliers gave way to USC’s power defense. Tailgates ran the show, and with the exception of USC’s ominous red and yellow presence (and the occasional orange towel- given away as a part of UVA’s new “Power of Orange” marketing campaign), the attire was pure country club.
Polished, put-together, and in a word, preppy, Scott Stadium (student) style is well-composed, and in my opinion, straight out of the good ‘ole boys club. Just note the pearls, silk dress and bright plastic sunglasses of the second year student pictured below: the aesthetic is chic, and Farmington ready.
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In contrast, the older crowd is a little more “spirit” oriented. Families dress in head-to-toe orange and blue wave their Cavalier flags like there’s no tomorrow. Tacky? Yes. But when it comes to the implications of style, they may just have it right.
Comments? Disagreements? Fire away.
I have long thought that the whole debutante thing at Scott Stadium, and at the downtown mall, is one of the more annoying traditions in Charlottesville. Why oh why these young women want to return to the 1950s, I’ll never know. Thank you for noticing this. Now, I feel much less alone
I personally enjoy getting dressed up. I certainly can’t wear my strapless sundresses and short skirts to work, so I’m psyched to get dolled up for Saturday games. My husband, however, refuses to wear bright colors, fun prints, or bowties. Case in point…me in Lilly and my husband in your basic blue polo.
I look back to my college years at my university and, sadly, style was the only thing people cared about when they went to the games. I definitely went along with the pack and dolled myself up too. Now, as the proud wife of a HUGE Ohio State football fan, I tend to prefer the whole “dress in your team’s colors head-to-toe” look these days. Football has always been more about the sport to me and less about the style unless, of course, you’re painting your face in school colors…HA!
Oh how I miss the good ole’ days… before tradition was drowned by a sea of orange.