WAG WARS: HAILEE STEINFELD’S ‘GO-TO’ GAME DAY GIMMICKS
The NFL season is back, and so is the ruthless scrutiny of the league’s most high-profile wives. Hailee Steinfeld, who married Buffalo Bills starting quarterback Josh Allen in May, just dropped her “go-to formula” for game day outfits—and the highly specific details suggest a calculated attempt to manage the savage demands of NFL WAG fandom.
Writing in her personal “Beau Society” newsletter, Steinfeld confessed her secret weapon isn’t designer labels, but a massive collection of curated vintage gear: “I have a lot of fun leaning into my vintage collection (which has turned into a real treasure trove in our basement).”
A “treasure trove” in the basement sounds less like a casual hobby and more like an expensive, highly organized effort to maintain relevance and authenticity with the notoriously intense Bills Mafia. The question is: Is this a genuine style choice, or an aggressive defense mechanism against critics who expect perfection from the QB’s wife?
THE VINTAGE VENEER: EXPENSIVE ‘AUTHENTICITY’
Steinfeld’s formula is rigid: start with a vintage Bills T-shirt or sweatshirt, pair it with basic pants or a skirt, and top it all off with a Bills baseball cap. She claims to find percent of her gems from a local Buffalo store, Queen City Vintage, and percent from eBay. This isn’t cheap. Vintage, especially game-specific gear, costs a fortune, often racking up hundreds of dollars per piece.
This commitment to “leading with vintage” reads suspiciously like a PR directive designed to achieve an illusion of “local charm” and “authenticity.” The former Sinners actress is actively trying to prove she’s not just a Hollywood transplant parachuting into the freezing temperatures of upstate New York. She insists that warmth is the “big priority” for the freezing temperatures, but the layers of vintage clothing are far more about brand protection than body heat.
LAYERING UP: HIDING BEHIND TURTLENECKS AND BEANIES
Steinfeld provided a detailed blueprint for her most common look: “A typical outfit might include a turtleneck bodysuit under a big vintage Bills sweatshirt, a comfy pair of jeans, high socks, sneakers and a beanie.”
While practical for Highmark Stadium in December, this formula leaves little room for individual flair or high-fashion moments. It feels like a stylistic surrender to comfort and conformity, prioritizing blending in with the Bills Mafia over standing out as the A-list actress married to the team’s biggest star. This is a choice designed to prevent any misstep that could lead to fan backlash.
She’s terrified of being seen as too Hollywood. The vintage gear and the “turtleneck bodysuit” are her armor. Good luck finding a Bills fan who actually wears a turtleneck bodysuit.
THE COMFORT VS. CONFIDENCE CONTRADICTION
Steinfeld concluded her style manifesto with a saccharine philosophy: “My philosophy on styling is that when you’re wearing something you feel good in, you look great. It’s as simple as that.” She claims to value comfort and confidence above all.
Yet, the rigid structure of her “go-to formula” contradicts this free-spirited image. When every piece of clothing—down to the socks—is meticulously chosen from a “treasure trove” and paired in a specific sequence, it suggests deep-seated anxiety about public image, not carefree confidence. She may get inspired by what “other people are wearing,” but she’s translating it into a highly controlled celebrity uniform.
The pressure on a newly minted NFL wife is intense. Any fashion mistake, any hint of being too “L.A.,” or any outfit that doesn’t scream authentic fan could lead to an immediate social media pile-on. Steinfeld’s “formula” is a transparent attempt to preemptively silence the critics.
THE FIRST TEST: CAN THE FORMULA SURVIVE?
Josh Allen’s NFL season kicks off on Sunday, September , with a home game against the Baltimore Ravens. This is the first official test of the season for Steinfeld’s rigid style formula. Will she debut a killer vintage piece that thrills the fans, or will she stick to the “jeans, a T-shirt and a hat” basics she promises?
The aggressive focus on authenticity and the deliberate highlighting of her “treasure trove” suggests Steinfeld is highly sensitive to the public image demands of being married to a franchise QB. The question is, how long can she maintain the facade of low-key, vintage-loving WAG before the pressure to dress like a Hollywood star snaps? We’re watching closely to see if her fashion formula survives the freezing temperatures and the even colder glare of social media scrutiny.
