<p>Hello, all: We will be heading to Clemson for Family Weekend. Our student has asked us to attend a few tailgating events with him, and have dinner with his girlfriend and her parents (which we are happy to do). Wardrobe decision for Student Dad is easy: golf shirt and nice shorts. For me, though, not as easy - from the photos online most of the (much younger) women wear tiny tops and teeny skirts, which just won’t work for me. What do I wear that will look nice, be comfortable, and work for both tailgating and a first (informal) dinner with the girlfriend’s parents? Candid recommendations wanted and welcome - thanks!</p>
<p>Maybe…capris with top? I have recently purchased the black w/zippers Zenergy line from Chicos. I get lots of compliments-and easy to pack.</p>
<p>I suppose the weather at Clemson is warmer than schools in my region at the time of family weekend… A school motif sweater and slacks will always do at the northern University I went to (it is what my mom always wore for tailgating :)). </p>
<p>If you are going out to dinner, are you sure that HappyBakerDad should wear shorts?</p>
<p>Thanks very much - will check out those capris. I appreciate the suggestion, and the FYI about easy-to-pack. With the highway-robbery-fees charged for luggage these days, I don’t want to bring one thing more than I need!</p>
<p>Hi intparent: the weather forecast calls for temperatures of almost 90 so while I would usually wear a sweater (which would be no problem in my region) I think that’s out for this weekend. Re: shorts to dinner: our student said that would be no problem… but maybe I will recommend that Student Dad bring a pair of slacks, too, just in case!</p>
<p>Are you going the game? If so make sure to wear comfortable shoes, cause if the game gets good you could be on you feet all afternoon.</p>
<p>Maybe your son is different from most college freshman I know, but I would not trust many 19 year old males to know for sure what is appropriate attire in this situation 
I have the impression that southern schools are more formal for tailgating than northern schools, but really don’t know for sure. I will be interested with what others have to say about your question.</p>
<p>WEAR ORANGE…as long as you wear Clemson orange, it won’t matter if you are wrapped in a beach towel. You will see every fashion statement imaginable in the tailgating lots.</p>
<p>You prob. should take along a fresh top (just in case) to change into for going out to eat with the gf’s parents. It gets hot in Death Valley. You could be a wrinkled sweaty mess by time the game is over. Your student is prob. correct in recommending shorts for his Dad…as long as his shirt says Clemson or is at least orange, he will be fine.</p>
<p>If you go on youtube and type in clemson tailgating, you’ll see a wide variety of dress to give you some idea of how the Tigers turn out for football games</p>
<p>We were at Parents Weekend last weekend.</p>
<p>Mothers tended to wear capri pants and “spirit shirts” and cute sandals (with toe nails painted). </p>
<p>If you don’t have a school spirit shirt, you can probably get one on campus, off campus, or at a local dept store (Penneys usually has team wear of the local teams in women’s styles…like V necks and girl-shaped tops).</p>
<p>I live very close to Clemson. Capris and sandals are perfect. Orange shirt is optional. :)</p>
<p>Weather appropriate in school colors. Wearing the colors of the opposing team is a horrendous faux pas. </p>
<p>For Cornell – I always wore red, white, and black. In some combo. My son’s sport starts in February and ends on Memorial Day. I have a LOT of red sweaters. Wool, cotton, poly, fleece, as well as red polos, tees, and tanks. Never wore shorts … but lots of slacks, jeans, and cords. And layers. I will note that it snowed on Mother’s Day in Ithaca this year … so the red tank got layered under a red/white sweater, and a blacklogo fleece, topped with a red logo windbreaker parka. With dark denim jeans and uggs. In May.</p>
<p>Thankfully, your mileage and weather will vary. But you get the idea.</p>
<p>Maybe we should have swap event - sending no longer used HS colors to those who need them for college :)</p>
<p>I would have been happy to send all of our red, white, and black plates, bowls, tablecloth, etc., etc. to you CNP!</p>
<p>Fortunately, both of our DD’s went to colleges with blue and white. Older DD went to PSU so we have a LOT of blue stuff. I actually wore my PSU fleece jacket last year to younger daughter’s school & just covered the Lion with a Bulldog pin.</p>
<p>Body paint and rainbow wig? Orange color featured of course. Sit next to son and hope to be caught on camera. Memories, priceless.</p>
<p>We always wear jeans, denim capris, or kahki capris with the school color shirt or even spirit type tshirt.</p>
<p>Thanks very much for the responses and good suggestions (though I think I will opt out of the fright wig/total make-up idea this time) - will let you know how things go!</p>
<p>Hi MomLive: your note was especially helpful to this first-timer - thank you very much!</p>
<p>Hello again, all: We’re back from the weekend at Clemson. Thanks again for the comments and suggestions, all of which were helpful. I ended up wearing a simple V-neck shirt and khaki bermuda shorts (it was <em>very</em> hot - and even warmer in Death Valley, as they call the stadium). Wearing capris and a top I was a little underdressed for dinner but it didn’t seem to be a problem for anyone else (or perhaps folks were just too polite!). Girlfriend’s parents were very very nice and we really enjoyed the evening with them.</p>
<p>A couple of Lessons Learned that I hope will help other first-timers at a Parents Weekend:
- If your student tells you that you’ll be with them in the Student section of the stadium, be prepared to stand. For the whole game.
- You’ll have a better chance of getting a dinner reservation on Saturday evening if you offer to have your party finish by 8:15 or 8:30.
- Hotels: We reserved in advance and pre-paid for our reservation, but ended up staying in Greenville, about 30 min from Clemson, because all the hotels were sold out when we called in early August. We learned that many hotels had rooms available due to cancellations earlier in the week. If we hadn’t pre-paid, we would have moved to a hotel in town and saved a lot of driving.
I hope these comments are helpful to others. Thanks again to all who offered suggestions.
HappyBaker</p>
<p>HappyBaker glad you had a good trip. If I had seen this earlier I would have told you… it makes no difference what you wear to a Clemson home game, as long as it is ORANGE.</p>
<p>We went down to the South Carolina game this weekend. To my surprise, all the college girls (and many women) wore black sundresses (with spaghetti straps or strapless). Apparently, the sororities really dress up for the game. My son, as a fraternity pledge, had to wear a shirt and tie.</p>
<p>I wore capris and didn’t feel out of place at all. When you have 80,000 fans packing a stadium, you see a little bit of everything. And boy, what it hot! Felt like a wet sponge within minutes of arriving. Columbia tends to be a lot more humid than Greenville.</p>
<p>Glad you had a good time, HappyBaker. I have learned that hotels in college town book early but then you have a lot of cancellations at the last minute as plans change.</p>