While the East Carolina University football players are suiting up in their pads, protective gear and uniforms, I am preparing my own game day gear for the upcoming Pirate season.

Hot, hot, hot!

When the weather is still warm, white shorts and an ECU T-shirt are my game-day staples. With great Pirate accessories like a purple and yellow Kukui bracelet and Pirate head earrings, my outfit is low-key but still fashionable. My ensemble is complete once I slip on my super-comfortable purple and yellow Jack Rogers sandals!

• Hurley Lowrider white shorts,

Pac Sun, $35;

• “Ruff'em Up” T-shirt, UBE, $14.95;

• ECU Kukui bracelet, Dowdy Student Store, $8.95;

• Pirate Head earrings, UBE, $7.95; and

• Purple and yellow Jack Rogers Navajo sandals, Monkees of Greenville, $96.

Looking cool

Once the temperature begins to drop, I dig my favorite pair of Rock and Republic jeans with the purple R's on the back pockets and my Clark Wallabees out of the closet. My Clarks are so worn and beaten-up that I don't mind them getting muddy from a fall rainstorm or from spilled … beverages. A long-sleeved but thin knit ECU T-shirt is the perfect weight for a fall football game — not too heavy for the early afternoon tailgate but warm if the game ends late. The Southern Proper headband in the purple Jolly Roger pattern holds my hair back and helps me show off my silver Pirate necklace.

• Long-sleeved Tissue Pirate T shirt, Dowdy Student Store, $19.95;

• Rock and Republic jeans, Icon Boutique, $185 and up;

• Silver Pirate necklace, Dowdy Student Store, $11.95;

• Southern Proper “Belle Band” in Jolly Roger print, Monkees of Greenville, $25; and

• Clark Wallabees, Belk, $115.

Cold front

As the Pirate season comes to an end, so do the days of wearing lightweight T-shirts to football games. Layers are once again the best way to keep freezing game-day weather from being miserable. Long-sleeved Under Armour underneath an ECU long-sleeved T-shirt with a hooded ECU sweatshirt on top provides great wind protection and warmth while still showing your school pride. My favorite way to keep my legs warm during a cold game is by wearing leggings under my regular jeans; it makes it a lot easier to visit the bathroom than when you're wearing one-piece long johns, and it's cheaper than purchasing flannel-lined jeans or ski pants. A purple and gold toboggan and scarf also help keep me warm while I cheer on my team — and purple gloves shield my hands so I can clap.

• Purple North Face Denali Thermal Gloves, Great Outdoor Provision Company, $29.95;

• Purple women's mock-neck Sub Zero, Under Armour, Hibbet Sports, $49.98;

• Ladies “I Heart You” ECU T-shirt Dowdy Student Store, $21.95;

• ECU “Jolly Roger NC” hooded sweatshirt, UBE, $29.95;

• Purple and gold striped toboggan, UBE, $9; and

• Purple and gold striped scarf, UBE, $11.95.

No matter the weather, there is always an outfit that will both show my Pirate pride and keep me comfortable while I cheer on the East Carolina football team. Go Pirates!

Lauren Harrell Edmondson, formerly Her... magazine's intern and “June Bride” columnist, lives in Macclesfield with her husband Josh. Both are ECU graduates, and they're expecting their first child in February.