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Disclaimer #1: I’m from Ottawa. Born and raised. Disclaimer #2: I love Rihanna. Ever since “Pon de Replay.” Disclaimer #3: This post about Rihanna in an Ottawa Senators jersey is me being selfish so that this moment can live forever on the interwebz. Disclaimer #4: I believe this moment is a sign from the universe that me and Rihanna are meant to be. Disclaimer #5: I will now try to work Rihanna in a Sens jersey into a meaningful and useful andPOP article.
A jersey or any other sports team apparel, whether from your fav team or not, is a classic staple in anyone’s wardrobe. The only trick is making it fashionable and working into everyday outfits—not just for game day. Sports apparel are handy items for any streetwear ensemble. Even if you’re not a sports fan, there are still ways to incorporate the trend into your look.
Now you might be saying that people wear sports jerseys all the time—which is true—and that there is nothing new to this “trend”–which is a little true too. But here’s the catch: rocking sports jerseys and sports apparel was in its heyday in 90′s hip hop and streetwear. With the emerging 90′s fashion revival, you too are seeing the big return of trendy sportswear to the masses. It’s no longer just for the diehard sports fans to rock a jersey or snapback (and don’t let those diehard sports fans discourage you from wearing their team logos). A big sign that this is true is the announcement that the iconic 90s Starter jackets are set to make their return this fall, first with the NFL line followed by the NBA collection.
The Good Old Hockey Game: Rihanna
Here is Rihanna in West Hollywood using a heritage Ottawa Sens jersey as a dress. Now I don’t recommend using a sports jersey as a dress because not everyone can pull it off, but clearly Rihanna can and beside she probably doesn’t give a fuq. Anyways, she glams up her look with nice gold accessories and and golden Tom Ford ankle cuff shoes. I like this look because it makes me want to believe that the people of Barbados are all diehard hockey fans.
Nicola Roberts
Now this isn’t a slight to Montreal Canadiens fans (however, you will notice that there will be no Toronto Maple Leafs pics on this post) but this is an example of how not to wear a jersey as a dress. Nicola Roberts (one fifth of U.K. girl group Girls Aloud) actually wore this to a ‘red carpet’ event for the premiere of her reality show. This look is strictly streetwear! It’s all about context, so the posh surrounding just makes her cheap in comparison. Plus, she could have done a lot better accessorizing her outfit! Obviously this wasn’t well received in the U.K., where someone mistook this outfit to be from an American football team.
A League of Their Own: Lady Gaga
Baseball is considered America’s favourite pastime, and it appears that native New Yorker Lady Gaga would agree as she cheers on the New York Yankees wearing this revealing outfit. Now I personally like this look from the waist up. Lady Gaga gives a different spin on the Yankees jersey and I don’t mind the revealing black bra (underwear as outwear was a popular 90′s trend as well). However, I think this look would be improved if she just wore some pants, or at least some short shorts or opaque tights. The black panties and the visible bra are just too much.
Snooki
Snooki, another New Yorker, shows her love for the Yankees’ crosstown rivals, the New York Mets with beau Jionni. This is a cute (and actually refreshing) look for the Jersey Shore star. I like how she ties the jersey to give her a waist, but what I like more is that she’s wearing pants! This is a pretty straightforward sports fan look but the baseball tee and the baseball jacket are actually on-trend right now. So out of all the sports jerseys, the baseball cut and silhouette is probably your best pick, perfect timing since baseball season just started. Which means bonus points for Snooki and Rihanna’s friend in that Seattle Mariners jersey in the top photo.
White Men Can’t Jump: Macklemore
White Men Can’t Jump is not me being racist but refers to the infamous 90s basketball film starring Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes. If you were looking for some 90′s basketball street style inspiration, I suggest you look up this film. Here’s rapper Macklemore rocking a throwback Vancouver Grizzlies jersey at a performance in Denver. Why it works: summer is just around the corner (hopefully, spring takes its sweet time in my corner of the world) and that means tank season is approaching. Basketball jerseys are a good way to change it up from all the other tanks in your closet. Plus Macklemore gets major bonus points for his throwback jersey! A throwback is a good sign that someone is in the know; for example, a newbie wouldn’t know that the Vancouver Grizzles are no more, so a throwback is a good way to show off your sports history knowledge.
Jay-Z
Brooklyn Nets apparel is probably the best team jersey out there from a celebrity style standpoint. With Jay-Z (a partial owner of the team_ leading the way with the team’s image, you can’t go wrong with donning a Nets jersey or snapback. Jay-Z accessorizes his jersey in a way only a multi-mega million rap artist can pull off, but if you do have a couple gold chains and watches lying around, it couldn’t hurt to try this look.
March Madness
With March Madness now over (LOUISVILLE!), we won’t be seeing these eye popping Adidas jerseys on our T.V. for at least a couple more months. Love them or hate them, they did stand out and definitely brought back the 90′s vibe of bold bright colours and patterns. If you do attempt rocking these jerseys, I suggest you wear them as separates instead of as a set, because they may be too much and not everybody can pull brights off. Also note that school jerseys are a great alternative to the professional sports teams jerseys, making it a great chance to show some school pride!
No Team, No Problem: Alexander Wang
Don’t have a favourite team? That’s all right, Alexander Wang has you covered. You can still rock the baseball jersey trend without committing to a baseball team. However not committing to a team has a price since these high fashion threads can cost you a month’s rent. Yikes!
Spring Breakers
Opening Ceremony has caught Spring Break fever and has released their “Opening Ceremony x Spring Breakers” collection inspired by the movie. As you can see, those aren’t your standard basketball jerseys, so you don’t run the risk of being asked sports questions by passerbys. Questions like: “Did you watch the game last night?”, “Can you believe they traded [enter name here]?”, “[something something about the ref]!!”, “Did you see that move from Blake Griffin?” and etc. (If you don’t know who Blake Griffin is then you need to reevaluate your life).
Which sports team’s jersey you like to wear? Do you rep just one team or are there many teams? Or are you a secret sports noob that still wears team jerseys?
The newest craze in Ottawa is #Rihannaing. And guys if you wanna rock a sports jersey dress by all means go ahead, I’m not here to judge.
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