Crowds of people with outfits meticulously planned mill around, shouting greetings to friends and silently appraising each other’s clothing. This isn’t fashion week, or even prime time at Bruff Commons — it’s a Tulane tailgate. 

While it seems that fashion would be the furthest thing from anyone’s mind on game day, it plays a vital role in unifying the student section of Yulman Stadium. Sure, it doesn’t have the same dynamic impact as a chant, or the pizzazz of a cheer, but the stylistic choices of the student section, while subtle, can make or break the solidarity of the stands. 

Tulane has yet to develop a firm sense of gameday style, though there’s certainly common themes. Many opt for classic Southern school outfits, such as nice dresses with boots or sandals. Others go for high-waisted shorts, a Tulane shirt artfully cut into a crop top and Converse shoes. One of the newer trends among Tulane women is wearing green and white cheerleading skirts, fully immersing themselves into gameday fashion. Boys who have paired pastel blue polos with green shorts mingle with girls in oversized Tulane tees worn as dresses. 

The only mainstay in Tulane football fashion is the incorporation of school colors. Dresses, shirts and shorts are all olive green, varying shades of blue, or white, unifying an otherwise inconsistent student section. 

“As long as I have on some green I feel pretty good,” senior Brittany Dykes said.

The homecoming game has a fairly standard wardrobe: as formal as you can get without suffocating in the New Orleans heat.

“For homecoming, girls get really dressed up, like dresses and heels and all that, usually green dresses,” senior Marissa Yepez said.

Otherwise, football games err on the casual side. Students in Chacos and athletic shorts fit in just as comfortably as girls in summer dresses. Spirit ranges from painted faces and temporary tattoos to just a Tulane hat dressing up a normal outfit.  

The diversity of Tulane’s game day trends reflect the varying personal styles of its students. Ultimately, though, it’s not about the style in the stands as much as it is about the game on the field. That being said, seeing a wave of green, blue and white in the student section certainly ups the spirit.