While it is well known that girls at North spend an immense amount of time planning their Homecoming attire, men’s Homecoming fashion has historically been much less discussed. It has been recently observed that men’s clothing choices for this event are evolving past the norms.
Senior Brady Nightlinger has reflected upon his own outfit choices. His first two years of high school, he wore an all black suit with a different color of tie each year. Last year, he decided to spice things up.
“I wore a white and black leopard print shirt with black pants and a gold chain,” said Nightlinger.
This outfit, inspired by a TikTok with guys wearing animal print shirts, inspired him and five of his friends to wear this.
“It was fun, and my friend group really wanted to do it,” said Nightlinger. “It was just something we could do together. We didn’t have to match with anyone, so we felt free to do our own thing.”
At North, it is common that the guys match their homecoming outfit to their date’s dress.
“If you have a date, you’ve got to have a tie that matches their dress, and the suit has to go with it, too,” said Nightlinger. “You can’t wear a blue suit with a black dress, and you have to dress more formally I would say.”
Senior Nick Dawson also expressed his change in fashion style between freshman and senior year. His freshman homecoming, he wore a black shirt and black pants.
“I felt like the social norm at the time was to only wear a tuxedo if you had a date,” said Dawson.
However, his senior year, he did not allow his outfit to be ruled by social norms.
“My senior year, I ended up dressing in a full out tuxedo,” said Dawson, “I definitely dressed more liberally in the sense that I felt more confident to wear a tuxedo this year.”
Throughout North and beyond, men’s fashion is becoming more prominent. Slowly but surely, stereotypes are being challenged to greater extents. As society advances, it encourages men to feel more free in expressing themselves through everyday means such as fashion. Events like Homecoming provide an outlet for all to portray individualism and stay true to their personality without facing judgment.
