Your guide to Iowa tailgate fashion
How to hit Melrose in style
It’s hard to believe that there were 18 years of my life when Saturdays meant carpooling to soccer games, catching up on sleep or homework, or maybe getting dinner out with my family.
Saturday has now become a day gilded in black and gold, buzzing with the promise of fun and excitement. Game day Saturdays are upon us people. This is the Hawkeye state, and here’s your guide to repping the Hawks in style.
Crappy shoes
Your shoes will be destroyed by tailgate. There’s no way around it. Have a designated pair of shoes that you are willing to either destroy or begrudgingly clean every Sunday, and once you’re out there tramping around some muddy yard just forget about the damage being done and embrace it.
Face tats
They’re like five dollars at Iowa Book or the Hawk Shop. Get them, wear them, love them. Scratch them off your face before you go anywhere but Kinnick though. IC has to have some class.
Bibs
Buy them now, thank me later. When a game starts at 11 and you have an alarm set for 6am, there is nothing better than putting on a pair of overalls and a tank top and being ready to go. One strap it, two strap it, use the front pocket or don’t. How you wear your bibs can be completely unique to you, but you’ll be best friends with every other person in them.
I plan on wearing my bibs every game day until I die. If I can fit in to them when I’m 60, I have done something right.
Oversized t-shirts
The next best thing to throwing on overalls has got to be showing up on Melrose in a t-shirt the same size as the ones that you sleep in. From a simple Iowa print, to the classic “Beat State,” everyone loves a good graphic tee. And this is one time when matching with half the people around you isn’t a bad thing at all.
Fanny packs
Don’t lose your tickets. Don’t lose your phone. Don’t lose your money. A fanny pack keeps your hands free, so you’ll never have to hesitate when we score and it’s time to throw up that “I.” Plus they’re the hottest accessory on the market – I don’t know why they ever went out of style.
At the end of the day what matters is that on Saturdays our campus is smiling, laughing, and cheering for the Hawkeyes. Tailgate fashion may change, but one thing never will: THIS IS THE BEST SEASON OF THE YEAR.
Go Hawks!!