Super Bowl LV: highlights from a fashion POV

Article by Bibs Malone

The Super Bowl is a cherished national tradition in the U.S., treated very much like a major holiday in American culture, and this year was no different. Due to the enormous popularity of this event, most people plan some festive way to celebrate the day, including hosting or attending a Super Bowl party; watching it at one’s favorite local pub; or just gathering around the TV with some beer and buffalo wings to enjoy the sport with friends and family (of course, adorned in the apparel of one’s favorite team). While Covid limited the opportunities to celebrate this year, the Super Bowl still had its chance to fill us with joy and excitement. 

In many ways, the Super Bowl experience transcends a mere sporting event. Obviously, it is centered around the American version of football, with the Super Bowl marking the climax of each season, providing lovers of the sport one final day of joy, pride, and revelry. However, the many activities and events associated with the contest itself provide something for everyone, whether you’re a football supporter or not. Music lovers wait with anticipation to see which celebrity is picked for the Halftime show and have been treated to many iconic performances over the years (can we ever forget Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction”?). Advertising and marketing lovers  eagerly watch and analyze the carefully selected lineup of Super Bowl exclusive commercials. There is even an absolutely adorable Puppy Bowl for dog lovers that takes place right before the main event of the day. Along with many others, I always find myself captivated with the many Super Bowl fashion statements. From the entertainers and celebrities, to the cheerleaders, to the fans themselves, the outfits are a creative extravaganza of fashion that rivals the Red Carpet at The Academy Awards. This year was no exception and the outfits on display were eye popping and brilliant in many different ways.

The Super Bowl is always kicked off with an American celebrity singing the national anthem. This year the national anthem was a duet with Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan. The decision to have these two sing was in extremely good taste and timely. Super Bowls traditionally showcase one artist to perform the national anthem, such as Lady Gaga and Demi Lovato. The Church and Sullivan duet was a much needed symbol of unity for America. 2020 will forever be viewed as a year when Americans become painfully aware of the racial injustices in our nation. Unnecessary police brutality towards black Americans sparked outrage, protests, and a conversation surrounding BLM that is still steaming today. The performance of a black woman and a white man singing our country's anthem together beautifully symbolized our unity towards fighting injustice. What makes this idea more perfect is that Eric Church is based in Nashville, Tennessee, a Republican stronghold; and Sullivan was raised in Pennsylvania, a swing-state that went Democrat in the last election. While both singers have expressed their disapproval of Donald Trump, the representation of their states that they bring to this performance is a reminder to America to stand in unity for justice regardless of where you're from or what you look like.

Eric Church was dressed in a purple denim jacket along with a simple black shirt and jeans. This effortless and unassuming outfit with a flash of color gave Church’s performance the appreciation it deserved while allowing the majority of the attention to be on Jazmine.  Jazmine Sullivan rocked an elegant white suit created by designers Beckett Fogg and Piotrek Panszczyk. Sullivan also wore a stunning silver headpiece by the same designers, the inspiration for which she credits to the late Whitney Houston. Pop Sugar fashion noted, “Many noticed similarities between her Area headpiece and the one Whitney Houston wore in her iconic film, The Bodyguard.” With all that is currently happening in America, a dedication to this late, great singer seems quite fitting. In 1991, Houston gave her own iconic Super Bowl national anthem performance, sporting a red, white, and blue tracksuit similar to that of Sullivan’s. Through fashion, Jazmine Sullivan was able to honor a previous and incredible performance, whilst adding her own spin related to the current state of the U.S. 

The Super Bowl’s Pregame Show also contained a number of exciting moments. Miley Cyrus performed as the headliner of the TikTok Tailgate. Miley’s outfit was simply amazing and very much fitting with her fun and spirited personality. Miley wore a black two-piece cheerleader uniform with pink and bedazzled gems to compliment the set. FTW (for the win) was patched onto the top of the outfit with pink, sparkly fabric and Miley was also styling black boots, bedazzled knee pads, and silver glitter eyeshadow. Miley rocked an electric, colorful outfit that almost gives off 80s vibes but is clearly a product of the modern world. This outfit can certainly be added to the long list of looks Miley has given that reminds us to always be true to oneself and dress however you want, no matter what. What made Miley's performance even better were the cameos of Billy Idol and Joan Jett. Both Idol and Jett wore mostly black attire, which when paired with Miley’s outfit of sparkle, made the performances flow together nicely. An independent young woman of today along with two elder members of rock’s older generation singing together and thanking the frontline workers is a great reminder of the unity we should all strive for. 

Miley Cryus wasn't the only one sporting a cheerleader outfit on Super Bowl Sunday. Both Kansas City and Tampa Bay have a roster of talented cheerleaders. While writing this article, I was sad to find so little on the cheerleaders. As I type this piece, not even 24 hours has passed and yet there are already hundreds of articles on the game results, the singers, and even the commercials. To see so little coverage focused on these hardworking and talented women, especially in light of the vast focus on the event’s other aspects, seems a bit of an injustice. Both teams' cheerleaders work tirelessly to add to our enjoyment of the game and it would be nice to see their dedication appreciated.  

This year's Pepsi Halftime Show was performed by The Weeknd. With Covid social distance restrictions, there was much curiosity as to how The Weeknd would do after following years of often controversial Halftime performances. Rather than worry about what Covid will prevent him from doing, The Weeknd used Covid to make his performance original, creative, and highly entertaining. The Weeknd wore a red blazer while his backup dancers wore matching attire and white bandages around their faces and mouths. The dancers’ face Coverings were ode to The Weeknd’s album, After Hours, in which facial bandages are featured heavily. This fashion decision was indeed a great way of incorporating the many aspects of The Weeknd's career successes into this brief half-time performance, which definitely added to its uniqueness. On the other hand, this creative direction surely left viewers not familiar with the artist a bit on the outside looking in, perhaps struggling to fully appreciate a show which should by design be able to excite all audiences. Despite this, the dancers in face bandages was a cool move. The bandages substituted for the traditional Covid face mask and allowed for art to not be compromised due to the pandemic. 

The winner of the Super Bowl commercials was undoubtedly Timothee Chalamet in the hands-free Super Cruise Cadillac advertisement. In this commercial, Chalamet is the son of the famous Edward Scissorhands named Edgar. Chalamet is dressed remarkably similar to the original Sissorhands, though his own twist is clearly visible. The commercial was both entertaining and a fun blast from the past. Adding a bit of irony is that Chalamet is playing the son of a character that was played by Johnny Depp; Chalamet’s ex-girlfriend, Lily Rose, is Depp’s daughter.

It would not seem right to fail to mention the most talked about person of the Super Bowl, quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tom Brady. Winning seven Super Bowls including this one, Brady has certainly become one of the most recognizable people in the professional football world. After winning the Super Bowl, Tom Brady can be seen with his children holding the Vince Lombardi trophy. Fashion lovers might enjoy noticing that in his post-game interview, he is no longer in his game uniform, instead opting for a Super Bowl LV Champions T-shirt. The Tampa logo is clearly seen on this shirt and therefore was pre-made in the case of a win. Though perhaps a minor detail, it is interesting to see how these professional event organizations prepare for positive outcomes and have appropriate apparel ready to fit the situation. It is equally interesting to wonder what they do with the shirts in case of a loss. 

Overall, Super Bowl LV was able to carry on the tradition of American football premiere event, despite the chaos the world is in. Watching the show was a great and much needed opportunity for viewers to turn off their troubles and just savor the entertainment and relaxation. 

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Upon finishing this article, we gained knowledge of the fact that 25,000 people attended this year's superbowl despite the pandemic. 7,500 of those people were vaccinated health-care workers and we enjoy the fact that their tickets were for free and their hard work honored. However, most of the world has not yet received vaccinations and too many lives have been lost due to Covid-19. By writing this article, Haute does not endorse or support a 25,000 person gathering of any kind until everyone is safe and healthy to do so. For more information onto the Covid procedures of the superbowl please refer to this link: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/super-bowl-covid-policy-tickets-attendance/1gza3eja6btz614xk5hxivlvyr