September and October start the season of fall, and for high schools and universities nationwide, fall brings homecoming: a week of school events with football games, parades, dances, parties, and the chance to express your school spirit with your wardrobe. This is especially true for students on HBCU campuses, who prepare for weeks and get creative with their homecoming outfits. From school letterman jackets to custom-made outfits, the week of homecoming at an HBCU is like a fashion show, where students show off artistic outfits to represent style, culture, community, and academics. With the popular use of TikTok, it’s not surprising that students at HBCUs have taken their fashion to a digital landscape.
Many students have posted their homecoming outfits on the app for others to see, so people outside of an HBCU campus can witness the HBCU homecoming fashion experience. There is even the trend where students record footage of their outfits for the days of homecoming week and then show the outfits together in a TikTok. With a variety of colors, patterns, designs, and accessories connected to HBCUs, the outfit choices are endless for students to be dripping in their best school pride ‘fits. Here are some HBCU homecoming outfit ideas from TikTok.
- Letterman Jackets
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Letterman jackets are an HBCU staple for homecoming. Designs can come in school colors, with the patches of the school’s name, logo, mascot, and location throughout. There are students who get their letterman jackets custom-made. Custom-made jackets come in a range of designs, such as the Donecia’s Crafts Apparel Tuskegee University Bomber Jacket ($90) and its cropped form ($80), which has Tuskegee’s name on the front and a logo of the golden tiger mascot on the back.
- Greek Life Outfits
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Homecoming is Greek life’s time to shine, and that includes Greek life organizations at HBCUs. Outfits that show off a sorority are a good choice. To bring even more attention, you can get creative with your Greek life homecoming outfits, wearing clothing pieces with the sorority’s colors (as shown in a TikTok by @JaxJacJay for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.), and bedazzling the name of your sorority in materials like rhinestones.
- Fun Bottoms
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Creative homecoming outfits aren’t just limited to tops. Designing bottoms can also be a great expression of the culture. Custom-made jeans, like the ones created by @DezjahMonique for Tuskegee, and @Miaa.Antonette for a 2022 homecoming football game at Jackson State University, add flare to what would be an ordinary pair of jeans. Popular bottoms during homecoming season include cargo and camo pants, too. Skirts, shorts, and dresses are other good options for bottoms, especially if they match your school colors and go with the rest of your outfit.
- Accessories Galore
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An outfit really pops with added accessories. Bracelets, earrings, and sunglasses in the school colors are noticeable finds at an HBCU homecoming event. Watches and school buttons are great university accessories as well. An accessory universal to the HBCU homecoming scene, too, is a purse. Purses that compliment a matching homecoming outfit are right on trend, plus you can obviously use it to carry your belongings.
- DIY Outfits
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The littest of outfits can be the ones that someone makes themselves. A regular fit can come together with the right pieces no matter where they come from, as seen on @ThePhreshCode on TikTok during the 2022 homecoming season. Jackets, hats, socks, and even gloves are other great accessories to adorn your outfit with, already available in your closet. Don’t forget to finish off a look with shoes. Shoes, like sneakers and Converse, are popular, but are just a few of the fashionable school footwear options for homecoming — you can try over-the-knee boots, heels, Doc Martens, or snow boots, too.