Whether spoken or unspoken, dress codes exist everywhere. It goes without saying that when going on a date, you’ll want to look your best. Strict formalwear may look out of place at a game unless you’re a commentator or coach.
The last several years have seen fashionable leaps in streetwear that make it as appropriate for lounging as going out. Whether looking to make a great first impression or go out somewhere familiar in style, we will showcase the best way to dress for a sports date.
How To Dress for your Team
When two teams are playing, and you invest time into watching a game, you likely have one you want to win. When this happens, you probably feel an impulse to dress in a way that highlights where your loyalties lie. Wearing a bit of gear that shows off your team spirit seems easy, but there are a few pitfalls to be on the lookout for here.
The first issue is that, unless the team or sport is one you’re very passionate about, you likely don’t have any apparel for them. If that’s the case, it’s doubtful you’ll want to add a permanent addition to your wardrobe unless you find yourself feeling much more strongly about the team.
The second issue comes if you wear too much gear: Covering yourself head to toe in team apparel can make you look more like a billboard than like yourself. Dressing up like this might be fine if it’s the biggest game of the season, but you’ll want to give whoever you’re with a sense of your personal style.
You can solve both of these problems with a simple stylistic choice: If you have team apparel you want to wear, limit yourself to a few pieces so you can still showcase your daily wear. If you don’t have any team-specific gear, showcase your camaraderie with an outfit or a few accent pieces that showcase your preferred team's colors.
Highlights: Sportswear Dos and Don’ts
To summarize, here are a few key ways to make sure your own style comes through, and you look your best the day of your date.
Do:
- Wear something to allude to your team
- Dress casual but stylish
Don’t:
- Go head to toe in team-specific sports apparel
- Take “casual” to mean “no-effort”
Next, we’ll discuss the best way to upgrade your sportswear to take your apparel to the next level.
Improving Your Sportswear
It wasn’t too long ago that wearing sportswear outside of athletics seemed odd. Now, few fashion cultures are more prominent or all-terrain. This doesn’t just mean you can throw on a pair of old sweats and look like you just stepped off the runway. While it’s not difficult to update the classics, there are certain steps you can take to look your best.
The first key is making sure your apparel is built for performance. The highest quality sportswear and athleisure brands offer gear with a mixture of elements made for distinctive design as well as practical usability. Be on the lookout for carefully assembled cotton fabrics, as well as effective synthetics like polyester or nylon. The latter two of these are effective for moisture-wicking, while cotton offers some of the highest comfort of any material.
Though you’re wearing sportswear, be sure to dress for the occasion. You don’t want to be caught sweating through your layers or chattering through your teeth. Along with these practical considerations, the right jacket can add a dash of casual flair to your appearance. Accessories like hats, glasses, or watches can also change your look while taking up very little real estate on your person.
Remember that because you can wear something to the gym doesn’t mean you always have to. By designating a few sportswear pieces purely for casual use, you can make them last longer while you dedicate a different part of your wardrobe to your athletics.
Keeping Your Gear in Top Shape
There are more ways to make your clothing last than can be counted, but a few are easy enough that everyone should be aware of them. While all clothing needs to be washed, most articles can stand to be worn multiple times before reaching that point. Doing this extends the lifespan of your clothing and cuts down on the time you spend on laundry.
Next up is the importance of quality hangers. Over time, heavier items like jackets may become distorted from wire or plastic hangers. Wooden hangers provide more protection and are also more durable than cheap hangers.
Knowing how to treat each type of fabric is also essential. Cotton washes well, but water is a major hazard to any leather product. The above are just a few ways to ensure you’ll look your best whenever, not just on game day.
Now that we’ve highlighted some essentials, it’s time to get to the best ways to dress for sports dates.
Your Wardrobe Staples
It’s essential to understand the value of staple clothing. Staples are essential, versatile items that you can wear in most instances. They fulfill necessary places in a wardrobe and can be easily worn with other garments to form an outfit.
Daniel Patrick believes strongly in the value of staples when it comes to your wardrobe. An individual garment may look good, but it’s not nearly as good if you can only wear it on a few occasions. Nobody wants to need to spend hours worrying about whether or not their outfit is good enough. With our Basics collection, essential closet items pair with high production standards to match versatility and quality.
Many of the below items come from this collection, while others are specially designed pieces still made to make you stand out where it counts.
Standard Tee
It’s not controversial to say that the standard tee shirt might be the single most versatile piece of menswear in the world. You can wear it at home, to the gym, out and about, or on a date night. You can wear it on its own, layered over a hoodie, or layered under a jacket. Wear it with sweats, jeans, shorts, and just about any bottom that exists.
In order to stand out, a shirt has to be something special, and Daniel Patrick’s Standard Tee is definitely in its own league. This relaxed-fit shirt is made from a heavyweight jersey material for comfort, while a center seam along the front gives it a distinct symmetrical look. Twelve different colors, from grayscale and earth tones to bright yellows and blues, give it a highly customizable appearance.
The Tri-Blend Standard Tee uses similar base design elements while shifting the construction process for a subtly different shirt. A blend of cotton, polyester, and rayon gives the shirt moisture resistance as well as a subtle sheen to add an extra bit of complexity to your silhouette.
Whether you choose the standard or a blended shirt, wearing your basic tee shirt has never looked or felt better.
California Wildflowers Tee
If you want an eye-catching graphic on your shirt but don’t want to wear team logos on your top, graphic apparel is the way to go. The California Wildflowers Tee puts the local flora of LA on the forefront while giving a glimpse at the beautiful natural landscapes of the area. The Daniel Patrick name embroidered on the chest provides an additional accent, while the overall distressed appearance gives it a classic look.
The shirt is milled and garment-dyed near Los Angeles, ensuring quality thanks to its proximity to our home base. Because we love playing with silhouettes, the shirt is designed to be oversized, though going a size down can result in a more regular fit.
Loop Terry Standard Hoodie
We can’t mention sportswear without putting down a hoodie somewhere on this list. The Loop Terry Standard Hoodie checks off everything a piece of gear needs to be. It’s soft, comfortable, it isn’t too heavy, and it has design elements to distinguish it from other hoodies out there. Drop shoulders and tonal embroidery on the chest give it a unique appearance.
The lightweight nature of the hoodie makes it a perfect layering piece. Try pairing it with any of our graphic tees for an eye-popping appearance that’s sure to impress.
Roaming Cloak
If you’d rather a piece that’s more sleek style than raw function, the Roaming Cloak can keep you warm and stunning at once. The unfinished hem and patch pockets give it a relaxed casualty. Meanwhile, the shawl collar, close-fitting knit cuffs, and back center seam give it a tailored style that lets it improve the rest of your streetwear.
Also of benefit to the Roaming Cloak is the wide variety of colorways it is available in. For a dark palette, washed and vintage blacks present glorious monochrome. For dark yet neutral colors, washed olive, mountain blue, and camel pieces offer easily paired colors. If you’re looking to immediately catch the eye, the red version of the cloak blazons color and confidence.
You can layer your Roaming Cloak with any previously mentioned shirt or hoodie to create a great, multifaceted silhouette.
Loop Terry Roaming Sweatpants
Your old sweats get a needed improvement with the Loop Terry Roaming Sweatpants. The same lightweight loop terry material is represented here. A cotton drawcord and tonal embroidery along the left thigh create a unique appearance compared to other offerings.
As part of a loop terry line, many of the colors of these sweatpants are made to reflect and match with the Loop Terry Standard Hoodie.
Venice Trunk
If you’re more comfortable in shorts than sweats, the Venice Trunk offers great variations, especially if the game you’re prepping for is soccer. An applied rubber sport label, 3m piping, and a rounded drawcord made to dangle below the leg of the short provide a well-designed appearance. Two front pockets, as well as a back velcro pocket, ensure that your gear will be well-protected no matter what. The true power of the trunk lies in the massive series of designs it is available in.
Two checkered variations of the Venice Trunk, champagne and black, are made from two-toned nylon to evoke classic football club apparel. White acid and red acid colorways have a cloudy pattern that reveals itself in unique splashes of color. The black reflective trunk is made from reflective nylon that’s sure to dazzle under the bright lights of late-night games. Eighteen other colorways exist, in everything from soft blues to bold jewel tones to light pastels.
For the time of year when you might be wandering outside before and after a game, the Venice Trunk offers supreme comfort and style.
Finalizing Your Fit
When you get out, dress in a way that speaks to your confidence, poise, and the exactness with which you dress. While passionate about the game, you have a lot in your life you’re also passionate about. You aren’t fussy, but you care about quality and believe anything worth doing is worth doing well. Your values speak towards understanding the past, being available and happy in the present, and looking towards the future.
Keep these in mind, and when the time comes for your next date night, no matter what the game is or who’s playing, you’ll be looking and feeling your very best.
Sources:
25 Ways to Make Your Clothes Last Longer | Cosmopolitan
Best Outfits To Wear To Sporting Events | Men's Fashion Magazine
How to Be a Well-Dressed Sports Fan | GQ