Wearing game day colors (as a Winter)

Oct 2, 2024
3 min read

Football season is among us! Whether you are a die-hard fan, or just there for the snacks (like me!), watching sports on TV, at a local bar or in the stadium can be a lot of fun. Something you may have never considered prior to color analysis was exactly how you dressed for sporting events. Likely, you wore the team colors with no hesitation or second thought. But after finding you are a Winter... well, it can feel a bit more complicated.

Here are a few strategies (and links at the bottom!) to help you cheer on your favorite teams while still looking your best. And remember, this applies to not only professional sports, but your niece/nephew's little league games, your child's soccer games, or the softball rec league your partner joined.

Disclaimer: it is 100% okay to wear your favorite team colors proudly, no matter what season they are. This is simply a guide if you want to feel more in your season while cheering on your favorite teams.

I like to think of this is as a simple flow chart, or question-and-answer. I will also preface this with, I am not an expert in "sports" so if my terminology is a bit off, forgive me :)

Question: do the team colors include one Winter color?

If yes, this is easy peasy! Lean into that color as the majority of what you wear on top, and use the second (non-Winter) color as an accent.

The Cincinnati Bengals have black and orange. So, we lean into black for shirts/dresses, adding neutrals (like white or gray) where needed (pants, shoes, etc.) and use orange as a smaller accent. In this case, I would do bracelets, maybe something on my crossbody/belt bag, and fun shoes laces! Since the orange is a pretty warm color, I would avoid hats, headbands and earrings since they are so close to the face. That is purely personal preference, though!

Question: what if none of the team colors are Winter?

You have two options here: take one of the team colors and tweak it to make it Winter. Or, neutrals will be your saving grace. Use a Winter neutral as your 'base' color and both team colors become accents.

For the Avalanche, they have a burgundy-ish color, although it is a bit more blended and muted than our Winter burgundy. This is a good opportunity to 'tweak' the color and make it Winter. Pump up the saturation a bit and now you've got Winter burgundy while still wearing the team colors.

The Padres are a bit more challenging with their chocolate brown and gold. While some color analysis systems include browns in the Winter palette, House of Colour does not. So, you could choose to "wear it anyway!" because there are no color police. Or, you could add a Winter neutral - here I've shown Stone - and use the team colors as accents.

Let's take a tough one: Tennessee Volunteers. There are literal songs about 'Tennessee orange', their primary logo is one color: orange... not a lot to work with from a Winter palette standpoint. This is where you pick a couple of neutrals you like (I thought gray and white looked nice against the orange) and wear them as you the bulk of your outfit, adding orange as an accent.

So now that we've talked color strategies, let's put this into practice. There are many websites these days that offer beautiful gameday options that might speak more to your desired color pairings and/or clothing personality. There are also places to get custom pieces made so you are in control of the colors! This is - in my opinion - the very best way to get yourself game day gear that feels Winter.

A few more tips:

wear cool/Winter makeup and lip color! this keeps your face 'in season' regardless of what else you are wearing
reach for silver jewelry
if you are wearing a non-Winter color on top, wear your hair down. This adds some of your natural cool coloring around your face to help offset the non-Winter color
still use your words when choosing game day gear: clear, cool, vivid, saturated, icy
use your denim color/value to create contrast with your top
don't be afraid to add patterns! this can be a fun way to incorporate non-Winter team colors without going 'all in'