A region where rolling red?clay hills grow beanpole?thin pine trees, presidential elections are fatefully decided and a fierce rivalry between Florida State University and University of Florida ups the stakes of college sports, North Florida - my home, which is sometimes referred to as the Redneck Riviera - is surprisingly steeped in Southern hospitality and, with that personality, a certain Southern way of dressing. Growing up in this coastal Southern area, I picked up social cues on what's fashionable and what is simply not. Half of the time, these looks aren't even trendy; they directly relate to the climate and reflect the local hobbies and pastimes.
Cowboy boots, or some variation on them, cycle pretty regularly in and out the list of high?fashion trends. At my Tallahassee high school, teens sported cowboy boots with sundresses in the spring, before the sticky humidity made anything closed?toed too hot and unbearable. The boots somehow encompass that grey area that is fashionable for date nights and simultaneously functional for the farm.
To some, it may look like the truest manifestation of vanity, and to others, it's a pragmatic way to keep track of identical clothing (or children), but the monogram reigns on women's everything. In New England, the mark of personal property emblazons glass coasters, a cuff on a shirt, a few stitches on a cashmere sweater. Perhaps to differentiate a sea of similar Vera Bradley bags, initials pop up on everything in the South: coozies for libations, silver and gold jewelry galore - worn at a very young age - key chains, car plates, plastic cups for tailgates, hair bows for little girls and hair bows for big girls.
Speaking of tailgates, football games present reasons to show school pride and also to dress up. A crisp button?down shirt and silk tie - in festive colors, of course - constitute the uniform for many a collegiate man at schools like Vanderbilt and the University of Georgia. Women don the mandatory string of pearls and a sundress, often braving long, arduous hours of stadium?climbing in heels. Football season in the South is a sweaty time of the year, making this tradition attractive but mostly impractical.
As gun control debates continue to simmer across the country, much apparel in North Florida serves a functional role for hunting and fishing enthusiasts. One of the most uniquely Southern references to hunting equipment is the shotgun shell belt. Flattened heads of shotgun shells are fastened onto thick stripes of tobacco?hued leather, adding a shiny flash only noticeable to a trained eye. Ironically, the accessory can take on a more formal air and is typically worn with khaki pants or seersucker shorts and pastel polos, lending a defiantly Southern?gentleman touch. The ultimate in hunting gear, however, would certainly be anything from Browning. Most true hunting stores, along with outdoor meccas such as Bass Pro and Cabela's, stock the brand whose logo is the simple black outline of a buck's head. Along with the standard insulated bibs and shotgun slings, Browning's puffy, down?insulated jackets (no hood, flat front pockets, elasticized cuffs) have for years been popular among middle school? and high school?aged Tallahassee teens. The look lacks any overall shape, but it sure is warm.
Alas, Southern women know how to make themselves up. I remember watching my best friend in high school tease chunks of shiny brown hair into uneven poofs around the crown; she flipped a few smooth pieces on top, then pinned, sprayed and set them. The rat's nest looming under the surface was hidden to an outsider's eye, but she had achieved her voluminous look in mere seconds with a men's comb and not much else.
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