Aggie women across the Brazos Valley are pulling on boots, fitted tees and maroon dresses in the name of football and fashion. Since women became a part of Texas A&M in 1963, gameday attire has continued to draw students’ attention.
The battle between the Texas heat and current trends adds an extra challenge to the students who wish to dress up to yell with the 12th Man.
Glenn Pruitt, Class of 1980 and the owner of Pruitt’s Fabric behind Kyle Field, has been supplying women with Aggie apparel for years. His father opened the store in 1946, Pruitt said, and he worked in the store throughout high school and college, watching the changes in gameday attire over the decades.
“There was a time when A&M dressed up for every occasion,” Pruitt said. “The girls would wear Aggie mums or corsages. The flowers would come from a flower shop and were probably the most expensive part of the dress. Everyone dressed up really nice in the ’70s. I wore a suit to the games but it’s too hot now to do that.”
Pruitt is no stranger to the rise and fall of the trends in game day clothing, having been in the business for so long.
“Here, lately, everybody is into chevron,” he said, referring to the v-shaped print. “Maroon chevron, gray chevron. A lot of girls also like a dropped waist and sashes or belts or bows.”
The SEC is known for its students dressing their best at the football games, Pruitt said, with girls adopting the style of the ‘southern belle’ or a sorority sister, wearing lace, bubble necklaces and curls.
“I don’t think the [SEC style] has really hit yet,” Pruitt said. “I think there is a little lag time here. Cost gets in the way of dressing nice, too.”
Jamie Reedholm, junior interdisciplinary studies major, said her style is dependent on the weather, though dressing for the game is not a very important factor.
“I know a few girls who are willing to be so uncomfortable at games just to look cute in dresses with their hair down,” Reedholm said. “I don’t know how they do it.”
Rebekah Yates, senior accounting major said she usually wears cowboy boots, jean shorts and a maroon shirt for both comfort and appearance.
Amanda Ritzman, senior international studies major, goes exclusively for comfort when she attends a game.
“I wear a maroon tank top and usually Nike or jean shorts,” she said. “That’s the most comfortable and there are no awkward tan lines.”
Ritzman said girls should wear whatever they want to a game, as long as they are happy and comfortable with themselves.
Abbey Stroder, sophomore general studies major, said she enjoys the comfort provided by tank tops and shorts, but will still be dressing up occasionally for the fun it adds to the gameday experience.
“I will probably wear a tank or T-shirt with shorts and Chacos for half of the games, solely for comfort,” Stroder said. “Then, for the other half, I will dress up with a cute shirt, shorts and sandals or a dress and boots. Or maybe even a combo of those. I definitely am all for comfort and dressing light, but sometimes it’s fun to have a nice, cute gameday look even though you’re drenched in sweat by the second quarter.”