In Canada, Thanksgiving is long over by the time the American version arrives. The turkey has been eaten in October, the leftovers are a memory, and the fourth Thursday of November is just a work day. Yet in a fair number of Toronto living rooms and sports bars, that Thursday afternoon still has a ritual attached to it: the Dallas Cowboys are on television, as they have been on American Thanksgiving almost every year since the mid-sixties.
That tradition gives vintage Dallas Cowboys clothing a particular kind of occasion. It is not a stadium outing or a tailgate. It is a long, warm, food-filled afternoon on a couch, often with family who may or may not care about football. Dressing for it calls for comfort, a little effort and pieces that can survive gravy. This guide is about exactly that.
01. Why the Cowboys own Thanksgiving
The Cowboys began hosting a Thanksgiving Day game in the sixties, and apart from a couple of early exceptions, they have played at home on the holiday ever since. Alongside the Detroit Lions, who have an even longer Thanksgiving history, they became a fixture of the American holiday, and for many fans the game is as much a part of the day as the meal itself.
Because of that, Cowboys Thanksgiving games have produced plenty of memorable moments, from the Landry years through the nineties dynasty and beyond. One snowy holiday game in the early nineties, decided by an unlucky touch on a blocked kick, is still replayed whenever someone wants to talk about strange football weather in Texas. Those memories are part of why people dig out their old Cowboys clothes for the day.
For a Canadian viewer, the appeal is slightly different. Our own holiday is done, so the American Thanksgiving game becomes a bonus, a reason to gather a few friends on a Thursday evening in late November. It is less about tradition than about an excuse, and old team gear is half the fun.
02. Dress for the couch, not the stands
The first rule of Thanksgiving dressing is to remember where you will be. Indoors, near an oven, possibly in a crowded room. Big satin jackets and insulated parkas are wonderful pieces of vintage NFL apparel, but they belong outdoors. Indoors, they make you hot, they rustle every time you reach for a snack, and they need somewhere to live once you inevitably take them off.
What works better is the soft middle of the Cowboys wardrobe. Heavy cotton crewnecks, hoodies, ringer tees and long-sleeve shirts are comfortable for hours and look right in a living room. A navy crewneck with the star on the chest is about as close to the perfect game-day garment as it gets: warm enough for a draughty basement, relaxed enough for a long meal and recognisable without being loud.
Think about your trousers too. A large dinner is not the time for your stiffest raw denim. Broken-in jeans, relaxed chinos, corduroy or soft work trousers all make sense. If you are travelling to someone's home, choose something you will not mind sitting in for six hours.
03. The family-dinner version
Not everyone at a holiday table wants to watch football, and there is an art to wearing team gear in a way that does not make you look like you showed up only for the game. The solution is to dress the Cowboys piece up slightly, so it reads as part of a considered outfit rather than a fan uniform.
A few combinations that work:
- A grey Cowboys crewneck over a white or light blue oxford shirt, collar out, with dark jeans and leather shoes.
- A navy star sweatshirt under a camel or charcoal wool overcoat for the trip, with grey trousers once the coat comes off.
- A white Cowboys ringer tee under an open cardigan in navy or oatmeal, with chinos.
- A vintage team knit sweater on its own, with plain trousers and boots.
Each of these lets the star sit quietly inside an outfit you could wear to dinner anyway. Navy, silver and white do most of the work here, since they already behave like the colours of a smart-casual wardrobe.
The right holiday team shirt is the one your aunt compliments before she notices the logo.
04. Knits and the cosy end of the closet
Team knitwear is an underrated part of vintage Cowboys clothing, and it is ideal for Thanksgiving. Over the decades, licensed sweaters in navy, grey and white have appeared with stars knitted in, stripe patterns at the chest or yoke, and sometimes the helmet as a motif. They tend to be acrylic or a wool blend, which is warm without being scratchy and handles a bit of indoor heat better than a heavy wool fisherman sweater.
A knit has an advantage over a sweatshirt at a dinner table: it looks deliberate. Even a fairly busy pattern reads as a sweater first and a team piece second. If you find one with a decent shape, wear it with a collared shirt underneath in colder weather or a plain tee on milder evenings. Check the cuffs and hem for stretch, look closely for small holes and pulls, and give pilling a gentle pass with a sweater comb before wearing.
Knitted toques and scarves are the outdoor partners to these sweaters. You might wear them only for the walk from the car or the streetcar, but they finish a holiday outfit and give you a way to wear Cowboys colours into the winter that follows.
05. Pick an era, then build around it
Cowboys gear is plentiful enough that you can choose an era for your outfit and stick with it. Seventies and early-eighties pieces are slimmer, softer and lighter, with ringers, raglans and simple star prints. Nineties pieces are bigger and bolder, with oversized crewnecks, heavy embroidery and championship graphics from the Aikman, Smith and Irvin years.
For a Thanksgiving outfit, the older, softer pieces lean cosy and understated. Pair a seventies-style ringer with a heavy flannel overshirt and you have a look that suits a slow, food-heavy afternoon. The nineties pieces suit a louder room, a bar full of friends or a house where everyone is wearing jerseys. A big crewneck with relaxed jeans and chunky sneakers fits that energy.
You do not have to keep everything in one decade, but choosing a lead piece and dressing the rest around its era makes the outfit easier to get right. Because the star has barely changed, mixing a little across decades rarely looks wrong.
06. Fit for a long afternoon
Comfort over a long day comes down to fit in a few key places. The shoulders of a sweatshirt or sweater should sit at or slightly below your own, so you can reach across a table without the whole garment riding up. The body should have enough room for a large meal, which is not a joke; a crewneck that is snug at the waist will feel tight by halftime.
Vintage sizing varies across eras. Older ringer tees run small and short, while nineties crewnecks run large and wide. Measure the chest and length of a sweatshirt you already like, then compare. If a nineties piece is long in the sleeve, push the cuffs up to the forearm, which looks relaxed and keeps them out of the mashed potatoes.
Jerseys are the one item to approach carefully. A big replica jersey over a hoodie looks great at a sports bar and very odd at a family table. If you want to wear one, keep it over a fitted long-sleeve tee and bring a plain sweater for the meal.
07. Gravy, cranberry and other hazards
Holiday dinners are hard on clothing. Grease, wine, cranberry and gravy all find their way onto sleeves and chests, and white or grey Cowboys pieces show everything. A little preparation helps. Roll your sleeves before serving yourself, keep a napkin on your lap and choose darker pieces if you know the meal will be messy.
If something does land on your shirt, act gently. Blot rather than rub, and use cool water, since hot water can set protein and grease stains. A tiny drop of dish soap on a greasy mark, worked in with a fingertip and rinsed with cold water, often lifts more than you expect. Avoid scrubbing over a screen print, which can crack and lift the ink, and keep stain removers away from metallic silver prints until you have tested them on a hidden spot.
When you get home, wash the piece inside out on a cold, gentle cycle and let it air dry. Check the stain before you put the garment anywhere near a dryer, because heat will make whatever is left permanent.
08. Your Thursday checklist
American Thanksgiving is a small, odd holiday for Canadians, and that is part of its charm. If you plan to spend it in front of the Cowboys game, a little preparation makes the day easier:
- Choose one soft, warm Cowboys piece as the centre of the outfit.
- Plan a collared shirt or cardigan if you will be at a family table.
- Pick relaxed trousers and comfortable shoes for a long sit.
- Keep a dark layer handy in case of spills.
- Bring a toque or scarf for the trip home in late-November cold.
Old Cowboys pieces turn up regularly in vintage sportswear, including at our Queen St and Square One shops, though no particular item is ever guaranteed. When you find one that fits and feels good, it will earn its place on more than one Thursday a year. Vintage Dallas Cowboys clothing was made for watching football in comfort, and few days put that to better use.
