What to Wear to the Cricket

There is no dress code at most cricket grounds. This is both the beauty of the sport and, on occasion, its undoing. A day at the cricket can mean anything from a Test match at Lord's to a village game in a field next to a pub, and the sartorial expectations vary accordingly. But there are principles. There are always principles.

The mistake most people make is dressing for the weather they hope for rather than the weather they will get. A day at the cricket in England is, by definition, a day of meteorological variety. You will experience sun, cloud, a sharp breeze, an unexpected warm spell, and at least one moment where you wonder whether you should have brought a coat. The answer to that question is always yes.

The case for layers

Cricket is a long game. A day's play runs from 11 in the morning to 6 in the evening, with breaks for lunch and tea. The temperature at the start will not be the temperature at the end, and the temperature in the sun will not be the temperature in the shade. This is why layers matter more than any single garment.

A good base is a t-shirt or a light shirt. Over that, a sweatshirt, a sherpa gilet, or a light jumper, something you can pull on when the clouds come and pull off when they go. On top of that, a jacket that fits in a bag. This is not complicated, but it is surprising how many people arrive in either a vest top or a parka and spend the day either freezing or roasting.

"Dress for the tea interval. If you get the tea interval right, everything else follows."

What works

A well-made sweatshirt is the single most useful garment at a cricket ground. It works in the morning when the ground is still cool. It works after lunch when the sun disappears behind the pavilion. It works in the evening when the temperature drops and the spinners are on and everyone is two pints in and slightly philosophical. The fabric matters: organic cotton, mid-weight, something that breathes when it is warm and insulates when it is not.

Chinos or relaxed trousers work better than jeans. Jeans are fine in the morning but uncomfortable by mid-afternoon, especially if you have been sitting on a plastic seat in the sun. Trainers are perfectly acceptable at most grounds. Anything you would wear to a good pub on a Saturday afternoon will serve you well at the cricket.

Hats are underrated. A good cricket cap or a bucket hat keeps the sun off and gives you something to fidget with during a slow over rate, which is most over rates. Sunglasses, obviously. And if you are sitting in the stands all day, a cushion is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of experience.

What doesn't work

Fancy dress. It was funny once, at the Ashes in 2005, and it has not been funny since. If you are dressed as a banana at 11am, you will still be dressed as a banana at 6pm, and by then the novelty will have worn off for everyone, most of all you.

Football shirts. This is not a football match. The cultures are different. Nobody is going to ask you to leave, but you will feel slightly out of place, like wearing a dinner jacket to a barbecue.

Anything you cannot sit in for six hours. Cricket is, fundamentally, a sitting-down sport for spectators. Comfort is not optional. It is the entire point.

The ground matters

Lord's has a dress code in certain areas: jacket and tie in the pavilion, smart casual in the members' areas. The Oval is more relaxed. County grounds vary but are generally come-as-you-are. Village cricket is whatever you happen to be wearing when someone asks if you fancy watching for a bit.

The best-dressed people at any cricket ground are the ones who look like they belong there without having tried too hard. A good sweatshirt, decent trousers, comfortable shoes, and the quiet confidence of someone who knows that the third session is where the real cricket happens. That is the look. That has always been the look.

Our Grove Cap and Groundsman's Gilet were made for exactly this: watching cricket in comfort, looking like you belong, without trying too hard. See the full collection →