Raising Eyebrows On the Putting Green

Golf enthusiast Willow Wayne, unable to find athletic apparel on par with her sense of fashion, had resorted to wearing boys’ polo shirts when she took to the putting green. Out of her aversion to the plaids and pastels that make up the bulk of women’s golf wear, she enlisted her twin sister, Cassie Wayne, to create a fashion collection, targeted at young, hip golfers.“Golf is a traditional game, but the people who are playing have changed a lot,” Cassie told The New York Sun. “It doesn’t have that elitism anymore, but the clothes haven’t evolved to reflect that.”So last year, the 32-year-old Wayne sisters came out with Death to Argyle, a rebellious brand that meets the dress codes of some of the strictest of country clubs — the shirts have collars, the shorts cover the knee — but manages to raise a few eyebrows, nonetheless.(In a send-up of club rules, they had the words “mandatory collar” printed at the neckline of some shirts).The 7-month-old line, which recently released its second collection in time for spring — as East Coast golfers return to local courses after a winter hiatus — features rock ‘n’ roll-inspired polos with prints of score cards, records, devils, and the queen of clubs, among other avant-garde designs. It comes in a color palette of sage green, antique white, navy, black, and red, and is available for purchase at deathtoargyle.com.In what some in the clubhouses may consider a brazen display, pieces such as surfer-inspired, relaxed- fit black pants with contrasting color piping feature the outline of a hand on the back pocket with its fingers crossed. A track jacket in white with two red hearts at the left chest area features puffed shoulders and a heart-and-arrow design at the bottom bearing the words “defiant forever.” The sisters tended more toward designs on the clothing rather than patterns because, as Cassie said: “We want stuff you can mix and match with your own wardrobe.”When golfers first hear about the brand, some are skeptical.“Golf is such a traditional sport and people like the tradition of it, so that instead of embracing the younger people they assume it will just take away from the tradition of it,” Willow, who, along with her sister, grew up on the country club circuit in Santa Barbara, Calif., said.The merchandise manager at Montecito Country Club in Santa Barbara, Carey Seggerman, said the Waynes’ line is very different from the more classic golf gear that the club carries in its pro shop. “We couldn’t get away with it here,” she said, noting that the line would be sure to turn heads in Montecito.Death to Argyle offers two levels of merchandise in order to accommodate consumers of varying budgets. On the lower level are silk-screened polos (the design is basically printed right onto the shirt), which range in price between $30 and $60. The upper tier, the core collection, includes jackets, shirts, capris, and pants with embroidery accents that are custom cut and sewn. This line ranges in price between $60 and $132.The sisters didn’t only take into account a downtown aesthetic when designing the clothing; factors such as length — the shirts are made long so they don’t ride up when you’re swinging that 9-iron — and thickness (clothes are made thick enough so a little sweat or rain won’t render them see-through) were also important components. And while the women didn’t try to compete with retail giants such as Nike or Adidas for technology awards, special materials were also taken into consideration. The jackets, for example, are made of a fabric called Diamond Knit, designed to keep moisture away from the golfer’s body.For Death to Argyle’s latest collection, the Wayne sisters’ love of Americana is apparent; images of vinyl records, toy soldiers, and horseshoes are all in abundance.In its latest line, the brand made its entrée into menswear, offering a handful of logo T-shirts and polos.The Wayne sisters plan to expand those offerings for men , and to add knitwear for men and women to their repertoire.Still in its infancy, Death to Argyle is already receiving buzz in the golf community. A 22-year-old up-and-coming golfer, Mollie Fankhauser, will be wearing an ensemble by the brand during the LPGA tour, which runs through November.And for the record, the Wayne sisters don’t actually hate argyle.“It just kind of stood for the pastels and traditions of what was there before,” Cassie said, noting that she and her sister are considering an argyle line of their own.

Raising Eyebrows On the Putting Green

Raising Eyebrows On the Putting Green

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