Grove En Vogue: Rebels Stun vs. Vanderbilt

Members of the Ole Miss family from around the country and the globe gathered to cheer on the Number 3 Ole Miss Rebels as they took on Vanderbilt University Saturday evening. Fans came decked out in their brightest Rebel reds, and some dared to be different in shades of blue and white as well.

Aika Ibayashi and Noe Tsuji bring their Eastern style to the South all the way from Osaka, Japan.

Aika Ibayashi and Noe Tsuji brought their Eastern style to the South all the way from Osaka, Japan. They put together these outfits from home. “We saw a poster that said to wear red, so we wore red,” Ibayashi explained.

The girls prepared for the colder fall weather we’ve been feeling this week by wearing tights and carrying a sweater. Ibayashi and Tsuji like to use their time in the Grove to practice their skills for school. “We like chatting with the foreign people, so we enjoy speaking with the people here,” Ibayashi said. They both have been enjoying their time in Oxford. “There are very kind people here,” Tsuji added.

Janu Patel is a sophomore from Water Valley, Mississippi and got her outfit from Belk.

Janu Patel is a sophomore from Water Valley, Mississippi and got her outfit from Belk.

She describes her style as “dressy” and said “I always like to follow the color rule assigned for each week.” She also likes to get input from her friends before going to the Grove. “I usually pick out some options and they help me decide which one to wear,” Patel said.

She loves going tent to tent in the Grove, talking to friends and meeting new people. “Even people that don’t go to Ole Miss come for the Grove, you get to see everyone and just have a good time,” she said. Her favorite accessory for the Grove is her button, and it says it all: she loves the Rebs. “I’ve never felt this way about a place before!” she said.

Travis Logan of Oxford and Deon Stewart of Kosciusko, Mississippi are seen here in bold blazers with their friends Cenee Jackson and Victoria Hudson, both from Starkville,Mississippi.

​Left to right: Travis Logan, Cenee Jackson, Victoria Hudson,and Deon Stewart.

These four are students at the University and love it. “What’s better than Ole Miss?” Stewart said. He got his flower printed blazer from Macy’s and tries to be a fashion innovator. “If I haven’t seen it, then I want to wear it,” he said. “Yeah, I want to be a leader,” Logan agreed. He got his ensemble from Belk. The ladies, wearing crop-tops which have been very popular recently, described their style as “saucy.” Jackson and Hudson say they can’t come to the Grove without lipstick for touch-ups. When asked what trends they see in the Grove this year, the group replied in unison, “Winning.”

Lynley-Love Jones describes her style as different and bohemian

Lynley-Love Jones, a junior from Oxford, Mississippi, has grown up coming to the Grove every Saturday. “You’re going to see all kinds of different people, I love meeting new people and that comes very easily here,” Jones said.

She describes her style as different and bohemian. “I don’t always like to follow the color trend, I kind of just do my own thing,” Jones said. Her biggest inspiration is celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe, but she also gets ideas from several fashion blogs. Her favorite pieces are “chunky heels and chunky rings,” she said. She predicts seeing a lot of flare jeans, suede and platform heels in the Grove this football season.

Bella Gonzalez is inspired by fashion blogs and Free People.

Bella Gonzalez from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi is out and about in the Grove with her friends and family before the game.  “My style is less conservative and more indie and laid back,” she said. I like to be comfortable when I’m in the Grove.”

Her outfit is from Urban Outfitters, and she is inspired by fashion blogs and Free People. She loves the “perfect college experience” she gets out of attending Ole Miss. “You get the small town feel of Oxford, with the big-time University experience with football games,”she said.

Marc and Robyn Beaudreau are visiting from Washington, D.C. where they are both Marine Corps officers.

Marc and Robyn Beaudreau are visiting from Washington, D.C. where they are both Marine Corps officers. Marc is an alumnus of the class of 2000 where he was a part of the Marine ROTC, and Robyn married into the Ole Miss tradition.

“Her initials are now R-E-B,” Marc pointed out. He’s wearing the classic khaki-and-tie look with a special accessory, his hat that he’s had since he was a freshman. Robyn’s scarf was a gift from her husband, and she matched it with her rebel red converses. “I know I’m not going to last all day in heels,” she said of her sneakers. The couple’s favorite memory in the Grove was Robyn’s first visit to the Egg Bowl a few years ago. “I got to introduce her to the Grove and the rivalry, and then we beat Mississippi State, and it was pretty awesome,” Marc said. “We’re only able to come back here every few years, we still feel like we belong here,” Marc said, “it’s like a homecoming.”

Olivia Morgan is a HottyToddy.com reporter and can be reached at olmorgan@go.olemiss.edu.