What to wear to watch sports when you’re more team fashion than anything else

Celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski and Beyoncé show up to watch pro basketball games looking glamorous and amazing, which I will admit deeply appeals to me. But even I, a person prone to being the most, have a hard time wrapping my head around what to wear to watch sports.

I’d feel really weird pulling on a team jersey because that honestly isn’t my personal style. (Also, those things are expensive!) So I’ve come up with a different game plan. After plenty of practice, I’ve narrowed the key to nailing sporting event style down to two basic formulas that say “yay team” without sacrificing my personal style.

The goal is to look like I know just enough about sports to belong at a game or viewing party—yet not so much that random people try to have a conversation with me about how Philip Rivers has never won against Tom Brady in a head-to-head matchup. I know that sentence because I was wearing my Chargers shirt one day and that very scenario happened to me.

Option one: Get a team shirt or sweatshirt and treat it the same way you would a plain white tee. Just know that I discovered through probably too much research that a lot of team’s women’s merch is terrible. I don’t want a fitted babydoll T-shirt that’s inexplicably light pink and white—even though those are not the team colors. The men’s section usually has a better selection of shirts that can be worn slouchy and oversized so start your search there instead.

I like to tuck my team shirt into a pair of high-waisted jeans and pair it with my signature pendant necklaces, a leather jacket, and heeled booties or sneakers. In warmer weather, I’ll swap the jeans for cutoff shorts or a skirt. Also, I highly recommend looking for a vintage team shirt. (I found a vintage Lakers tank on Etsy for the same price as the tanks on the Lakers site—and it was much cooler than the options they had.)

The second formula takes a cue from athleisure. A pair of track pants or high waisted wide leg pants in a technical fabric are both good, simple bases. Add sneakers and a cropped shirt or sweatshirt à la Gigi Hadid and you’ve got yourself a comfortable, sporty, stylish look. This ensemble admittedly lacks a little in explicit team spirit, but as long as you don’t accidentally wear the colors of the competition, you’re good to go.

In need of an outerwear update? Someone literally offered to buy this jacket off my back. Plus, 9 fashionable athleisure pieces to add to your wardrobe, ASAP.