If you haven’t seen the new “futuristic Teletubbies” look sported by some of the younger Orioles players over the weekend, the clock is ticking on getting in on this fast fashion trend.
At Friday night’s opening homestand, Ryan Mountcastle, Colton Cowser, Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson exited the Camden Yards tunnel looking color-coordinated, chic and fly.
While it’s not exactly a style that screams summer in the stands at Camden Yards — there’s no O’s insignia, for example — the outfits do have a certain Baltimore bonhomie. A kind of “you do you” vibe that we can all get behind.
For those who’d like to sashay onto the O’s fashion bandwagon, here’s a quick drill on the “futuristic Teletubbies” drip.
Sure, people were wearing tracksuits before that in a range of fabrics and styles, but it wasn’t until Jennifer Lopez, the ageless JLo, wore a bright pink Juicy Couture velour hoodie and shorts in her 2001 music video for the pop hit “I’m Real (Remix)” that the clothing item hit its stride, becoming an iconic hip-hop and fly-girl signature piece. (It was even her go-to piece for date nights with Ben Affleck in the early 2000s.) The original Juicy Couture still sells tracksuits in a dozen colors — but sadly, not orange. Another option is to do what the Orioles players did: search Amazon to mimic the look.
IFYKYK. But if not: Tinky Winky, Laa Laa, Po and Dipsy are the names of the quartet of characters known as The Teletubbies, and based on a British children’s TV series that PBS aired for about a decade from 1998 to 2008. Teletubbies, who looked like oversized and colorful babies, lived in Teletubbyland and spent most of their time eating toast and watching the TVs embedded in their bellies. The show, a favorite among toddlers but sometimes controversial among adults, is marking its 25th anniversary with a reboot on Netflix that started in 2022. Maybe the O’s players were thinking of the show’s opening tune: “Over the hills and far away, the Teletubbies come to play!”
If you were lucky enough to snag the Captain America-inspired Adley Rutschman bobblehead back in June, it’s no surprise that baseball and comic book superheroes go hand-in-hand. So Ryan Mountcastle owning a collection of cyclops sunglasses, the kind worn by the X-Men character Cyclops played by James Marsden, is quirky but on-brand. (He could also be a fan of the 80s music group Devo, who rocked the mono-lens style even though they were through being cool.) You’ll need a pair of the futuristic sunglasses to complete your look. While Amazon offers variety, you could also try a local thrift store or eBay.
It seems everyone is throwing it back to the 90s, from fashion to sports. And one of the enduring cultural phenomenons of the era were boy bands, including New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Boyz II Men and 98 Degrees. Some of the boy band attributes include synchronized dance moves, matching outfits, coiffed hair and of course, the bromance. The groups were a success because the band members liked each other and when they didn’t, well it was over. It’s clear, though, that this year’s Orioles team has that same kind of squad vibe. Now, all they need is a name: O’Boyz?
The Orioles’ all-black City Connect uniforms were immediately panned by many fans as boring and dull when they debuted in May. Among the 20 teams who have released City Connect uniforms so far, the Orioles ranked last in terms of design and fashion appeal, according to ESPN. If you turn the jerseys inside out, a colorful lining is revealed — an homage to the city’s neighborhoods. “If the O’s had used the jersey’s lining for the outside, it would have aligned more with the ethos of City Connect,” Joon Lee wrote on ESPN’s website. With their colorful coordination, the young Orioles stars may have given Baltimore fans just what they needed: a futuristic vision of success in full-color.
