Lifestyle
'Every time I wear this, they win': What 22 Dodger fans wore for the World Series
The last time the Dodgers were in the World Series, it was in the thick of the pandemic. So all the games were played at a neutral site in Arlington, Texas, and the capacity was capped at 25% of capacity. The big ‘fit that year was face masks.
Which is to say, Dodger fans weren’t able to show out in their usual way, showcasing a blanket of blue-and-white colors for their boys. This time around, they are getting their chance.
Dressing for a Dodgers game comes down to a simple formula. You have to make sure you’ve got enough blue. “Dodger Blue” is Pantone 294, a vibrant hue that is somewhere between perfect game-day sky blue and Pacific Ocean blue. Go any darker and you start to look like a Brewers fan. Add to that any item or accessory that says “L.A.” or “Dodgers” — “Doyers,” IYKYK.
Beyond that, make sure you’ve got that lucky piece on — if you aren’t wearing that puka shell necklace you wore the first time you sat in the nosebleeds during a midseason win back in 1997, and the Dodgers lose the Series this year? We’re not not saying that’s on you.
Here’s what 22 people wore to watch Game 1. We caught some of them outside Dodger Stadium while they headed to the game, and some at nearby bars.
Oscar Alexander Rodriguez and Angelica Andrade Martinez pose in front of the Fernando Valenzuela memorial at Dodger Stadium before the first World Series game on Friday in Los Angeles.
(Stella Kalinina / For The Times)
Oscar Alexander Rodriguez and Angelica Andrade Martinez
What part of town do you live in?
Oscar: East L.A.
Angelica: I work down the street. We are born and raised. I’m a mail carrier, so I know the Ravine.
What makes this outfit fit for the World Series?
Angelica: You have to wear your Converse. And I always wear my bow. Every time they play and I wear this, they win.
What’s your prediction for the World Series?
Angelica: I hope they win on Fernando Valenzuela’s birthday, which is Nov. 1. Go Dodgers!
Lizette Duenas poses in front of the Fernando Valenzuela memorial at Dodger Stadium before the first World Series game on Friday in Los Angeles.
(Stella Kalinina / For The Times)
Lizette Duenas
Where are you from?
I’m from Sonora. Fernando and me are from the same area. I was born exactly where he was born. I traveled 14 hours just to be here.
Why do you have on a Dodgers cap and Yankees jersey?
I wore both because I want both teams to be friends. Fernando hugs the Yankees, but the Dodgers are in my heart. Fernando said that baseball is just a game and that he wants everyone to be friends.
What’s your prediction for the World Series?
Neither. Both.
Jennifer and Miguel Guerrero pose in front of the Fernando Valenzuela memorial at Dodger Stadium before the first World Series game on Friday in Los Angeles.
(Stella Kalinina / For The Times)
Miguel and Jennifer Guerrero
Where are you from?
Jennifer: I’m from Riverside. During the Freeway Series, my parents are Angels, so I went for the Dodgers.
How long have you been a Dodger fan?
Jennifer: My whole life.
Miguel: Seven years.
Tell me about your husband’s chain.
Jennifer: We got it in Vegas. We got that and a Raiders one for me. He got that tattoo and he became a Dodgers fan because of me. I made him.
Are you wearing anything lucky for the Dodgers?
Jennifer: I’m wearing my old Kiké [Hernández] jersey. Every time I’ve been wearing it, they’ve been winning, so I wore this and not my Ohtani jersey.
Miguel: And I got a lucky Dodgers tattoo.
What’s your prediction for the World Series?
Miguel: Dodgers in 6.
Jennifer: I would say 6.
Andre and Margarita Daniels pose in front of the Fernando Valenzuela memorial at Dodger Stadium before the first World Series game on Friday.
(Stella Kalinina / For The Times)
Andre and Margarita Daniels
Where are you from?
Andre: I’m from L.A. I was raised in Watts. We live in Compton.
Tell me about your outfits.
Andre: She’s amazing. She puts together her own outfits. With me, I just had mine together already. I love my boots. My chain represents the Dodgers. Big Fernando fans as well. I grew up a Dodgers fan, so we’re just here to beat New York and hopefully take the World Series.
Andre and Margarita Daniels show off their Dodger-themed boots in front of the Fernando Valenzuela memorial at Dodger Stadium before the first World Series game on Friday.
(Stella Kalinina / For Los Angeles Times)
Are you wearing anything that is lucky?
Andre: Nothing lucky except my wedding band. [laughs] We’re just out here representing, wearing our colors. We just love being here.
Margarita: Well. Yes. I can’t tell you what it is.
What’s your prediction for the Series?
Margarita: I think that we will win in 4.
Andre: I’m predicting we take it in 6.
Alfonso, Christian and Gael Torres pose in front of the Fernando Valenzuela memorial at Dodger Stadium before the first World Series game on Friday.
(Stella Kalinina / For The Times)
Alfonso, Christian and Gael Torres
Where are you from?
Christian: We’re all from L.A. This is my dad and my brother.
Alfonso: I’ve been a Dodgers fan for 30 years. I was a young boy when Fernandomania happened in 1981.
Are you wearing anything that’s lucky?
Christian: The hat.
Have they won while you wore it?
Christian: No, not yet. Hopefully today they will.
What’s your prediction for the Series?
Christian: I think the Yankees are going to win.
Alfonso: Nooooo. Dodgers in 4.
Edilia Morales poses with her sons Raoul Aguilar, Edwin Aguilar and Allen Aguilar in front of a Dodgers mural on Friday.
(Stella Kalinina / For The Times)
Edilia Morales, Raoul Aguilar, Edwin Aguilar, Allen Aguilar
What part of town do you live in?
Edilia: East L.A.
Are you all big Dodger fans?
All: Yes!
Are you wearing anything lucky?
Edilia: Yes, the shirts.
Raoul: This jacket is a lucky jacket.
What is your prediction for the World Series?
Edilia: Dodgers in 8.
Raoul: Dodgers in 6 or 5.
Colby Wagenbach, left, and at right are Nikki Blizzard and Colby Wagenbach on Friday in Los Angeles.
(Stella Kalinina / For The Times)
Nikki Blizzard and Colby Wagenbach
Where do you live?
Colby: I’m living in Village Green.
Nikki: I’m living in Miracle Mile off La Brea, near the Grove.
Are you both big Dodger fans?
Nikki: I am now. I just moved to L.A. three months ago.
Colby: Lifelong Dodgers fan.
Where are you watching the game?
Colby: We originally were going to watch it at the Short Stop, but I think the crowd will be there after the game, so we’re going to go to the Douglas.
Are you wearing anything that is lucky for the Dodgers to win?
Nikki: I guess these pants are my lucky Dodger pants.
Colby: This shirt and the necklace — I had them both on the last time I went to a playoff game and they won. I wear the necklace every day, so I don’t know if it’s especially lucky.
What is your prediction for the Series?
Colby: Dodgers in 5.
Nikki: What he said.
Amy Farrar and Blair Paley show off their Dodgers style on Frida in Los Angeles.
(Stella Kalinina / For Los Angeles Times)
Amy Farrar and Blair Paley
What part of town are you in?
Amy: I live in Virgil Village.
Blair: I live in Echo Park just down the street.
How long have you been Dodger fans for?
Blair: Since I was born.
Amy: I guess since I moved here. Mostly, I really love the blue color.
Where did you find the hat?
Amy: The Instagram account is @methfountain. It’s this guy in New York that does plays on Birkin bags.
Blair Paley shows off her Dodgers hat on Friday in Los Angeles.
(Stella Kalinina / For The Times)
Are you wearing anything that is lucky for the Dodgers so that they win?
Blair: Not specifically only for the Dodgers. These boots are lucky, but not specifically for the Dodgers.
Amy: I want to believe that this child’s jacket that I found at a thrift store is lucky.
Not for the child. But for the Dodgers.
Amy: (Reads the name written on the tag) Poor Justin.
What’s your prediction for the Series?
Blair: The Dodgers are going to go all the way.
Amy: I think the Yankees are going to win two games.
Ralph Gomez and Kristen Hagen pose in their hot dog and glove costumes on Friday in Los Angeles.
(Stella Kalinina / For The Times)
Ralph Gomez and Kristen Hagen
What part of town do you live in?
Ralph: I’m from L.A., born and raised. I live in Long Beach right now, but I was in Hollywood. I was born and raised in East Los Angeles.
Kristen: I live in Little Tokyo.
Is that why you’re a big Ohtani fan?
Kristen: Pretty much.
Have you been a Dodger fan since you were born?
Ralph: Definitely. Rest in peace Fernando.
Is everybody in your family Dodger fans?
Ralph: Everybody is watching the game right now — my mom and dad.
I have to ask: You’re wearing a Dodger Dog?
Ralph: Yes, I am. Tomorrow I’m going to dress as Elton John.
How did you end up in this glove?
Kristen: I had it because when Ohtani was going to hit his 50th home run, we went to the game and I was going to be out there in the Pavilion trying to catch it, but he ended up hitting it at an away game.
Are you wearing anything that is lucky for the Dodgers to win?
Ralph: We have rally towels. The Short Stop is also the lucky place to watch the game.
Is this a lucky glove outfit?
Kristen: We’re going to find out tonight. Because this is the first time I’m wearing it for the entire game. If they lose, I’m never wearing it again. If they win, it’s staying in the rotation.
What’s your prediction for the Series?
Ralph: We’ll see today. The pitching is the thing that worries me, because the Yankees have a good lineup. If they pull today off, I’ll be feeling good. Dodgers in 7.
Christine Doh and Sean Yoo support opposing teams on Friday in Los Angeles.
(Stella Kalinina / For The Times)
Christine Doh and Sean Yoo
What part of town do you live in?
Christine: I’m in Glendale.
How long have you been a Dodger fan?
Christine: My whole life. Since I was born.
Who’s your favorite player?
Christine: Ohtani, obviously. I love Mookie Betts.
Tell me about the hat?
Christine: It’s a Japanese izakaya restaurant. They’re huge Dodger fans, and they created these hats six months ago. I had to get it.
Christine Doh shows off her unofficial Dodgers hat on Friday in Los Angeles.
(Stella Kalinina / For The Times)
And you’re wearing a Dodger blue shirt.
Christine: Just more repping. And it’s my personal uniform — blue is my favorite color. Navy is actually my favorite color, but that’s a Yankees color.
Why are you a Yankees fan?
Sean: I grew up in Jersey. It was the one team my dad instilled in me when I was growing up. But I’ve been in L.A. now for eight or nine years and I’ve adopted the Dodgers. I live in Echo Park, so it’s hard not to root for the Dodgers. I root for the Dodgers as much as I can except when they’re playing the Yankees.
Are you wearing anything lucky?
Sean: I’ve got a Derek Jeter jersey on. I have this classic Yankees 1943 World Series hat. Nothing super lucky, but stuff that makes me stick out as a Yankee fan.
What’s your prediction for the Series?
Christine: Dodgers are going to take it in 5.
Sean: Yankees in 6.
You want to see some real fashion ingenuity? Watch the N.F.L. draft.
I’m not saying it’s all good, but where else are you going to see someone in a double-breasted suit made by a company better known for making yoga pants? Or an Abercrombie & Fitch suit jacket so short that it exposes the belt loops on the pants beneath?
On the whole, the style on display at the N.F.L. draft last night was very overeager senior formal: a lot of suits in colors beyond basic blue. The quarterback Ty Simpson wore a custom suit by the athleisure label Alo, which, I have to say, looked better than I would have envisioned had you said the words “Alo Yoga suit” to me.
I thought it might have been from Suitsupply, but the conspicuous “Alo” pin on his right lapel put that idea to rest. Simpson, smartly, unfastened that beacon before appearing onstage as the 13th pick to the Los Angeles Rams. He had, perhaps, satisfied his contractual obligations by that point.
Earlier in the evening, as the wide receiver Carnell Tate threw up his arms in exaltation after being picked fourth by the Tennessee Titans, his cropped Abercrombie & Fitch jacket revealed a swatch of rib cage. He looked like a mâitre d’ who had just hit the Mega Millions.
During the N.B.A.’s extended fashion awakening, its draft has become a sandbox for luxury brands to cozy up to would-be endorsers. The Frenchman Victor Wembanyama broke a kind of cashmere ceiling when he wore Louis Vuitton to go first overall in the 2023 N.B.A. draft.
The N.F.L. draft has none of that. The brands you see are often not brands at all, but custom tailors that reach the league’s neophytes through a whisper network among players. The draft is also a platform to raise the curtain on longer-term brand deals that better suit these rookies. We may, for instance, never see Simpson in a suit again. Nearly every photo from his time at Alabama shows him in a T-shirt or hoodie. It makes sense for him to sign with Alo.
Football is the most mainstream of American cultural entities. And it’s one that still hasn’t, in spite of the league’s best efforts, taken off overseas. Few players, save some quarterbacks and a tight end who happens to be engaged to a pop star, feel bigger than the game itself. If you’re a new-to-the-league linebacker, you’ll most likely never harness the star power to grab the attention of Armani, but you might have just the right pull for Abercrombie.
The N.F.L. draft is therefore one of the few red carpets where the brands worn by the athletes may also be worn by those watching at home. How many people watching the Oscars will ever own clothes from Louis Vuitton or Chanel? People may comment online about Lady Gaga wearing Matières Fécales to the Grammys, but how many of those fans and viewers could afford to buy clothes from it?
The Japanese designers changing fashion
Yesterday, I published a deep dive into how a newish crop of Japanese designers are soaking up all the attention in men’s fashion right now. This was a piece I was writing in my head long before I sat down and finally started typing. I remember sitting at a fashion show in Paris over a year ago — I believe it was Dior — and being asked by my seatmate if I’d made it over to a showroom in the Marais to check out A.Presse. That Tokyo-based brand is now part of a vanguard of Japanese labels that, on many days, seems to be all anyone in fashion wants to talk about. I spent months talking with designers, store owners and big-time shoppers to make sense of why these brands have kicked up so much buzz and, more than that, what makes their clothes so great. You can read the story here.
Other things worth knowing about:
Thirty years ago, comedian and actor Tig Notaro didn’t have a clear direction in life, so she followed some childhood friends who wanted to get into entertainment to Los Angeles. Secretly wanting to do stand-up, Notaro decided to try her luck at various outlets in town, which became the start of her successful career.
“I stayed on my friends’ couch near the Hollywood Improv on Melrose, and a couple months later, got my own studio apartment in the Miracle Mile area,” Notaro says. “I love all the options for everything in L.A. — the entertainment, the restaurants. I like to stay active. So many people love the hiking options in Los Angeles, and I’m one of them.”
In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
Notaro appears in Season 3 of Apple TV’s “The Morning Show” and is a series regular on Paramount+’s “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,” as she was on “Star Trek: Discovery.” She’s also a touring stand-up comic and hosts “Handsome,” a comedy podcast, with Fortune Feimster and Mae Martin. The trio will be taping a live show May 4 at the Wiltern with the cast of Netflix’s “The Hunting Wives.” The live shows include interviews, but also “incorporate some ridiculous things,” she says. For example, upon hearing that some of the hosts always wanted to learn to tap dance, Notaro “hired a tap instructor to come to our live show in Austin and teach us how to tap dance in front of the audience.”
Notaro lives near Hollywood with her wife, actor Stephanie Allynne, their 9-year-old fraternal twin boys, Max and Finn, and three cats, Fluff, Linus and Skip. When she’s not touring, her ideal Sundays include sampling vegan restaurants, wandering through bookstores or museums, and doing something physically active with the family.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
6 a.m.: Up with the kids
Because we have active children, we still wake up at 6 a.m. or 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, but there’s not as much of a rush to get going. Stephanie and I will often have coffee and chat in the living room together. I love that part of the day. Stephanie may cook breakfast, but Max and Finn are pretty self-sufficient and can make certain little meals for themselves. Max is really starting to take an interest in cooking, so he’d make breakfast for himself. Our family is vegan, but he eats eggs, so he makes himself an egg sandwich with avocado a lot of times.
9 a.m.: Daily morning walk
After breakfast, we usually have a morning walk around our neighborhood. That’s a daily thing I like to do, regardless of what’s going on. Now that I’m not touring as much, tennis is back on the schedule. So I’d go to Plummer Park in West Hollywood and play for a while, then join the family for lunch.
11:30 a.m.: Hike with a side of chickpea sandwich
I love Trails, a cafe in Griffith Park, where you can eat outdoors. It serves simple food, and has good vegan options. I usually get their chickpea salad sandwich. The food there is great. Afterward, we’d visit Griffith Observatory, where there’s lots to see. There are lots of great trails in the park, so we’d go for an hour hike before leaving.
3 p.m.: Browse the shelves for rock biographies
Bookstores are fun, so we’d head downtown for the Last Bookstore, which is in a historic building with lots of vintage books. I really love all things plant-based, and I’m a very big music fanatic. So I love to look for vegan books, nutrition books, rock biographies and autobiographies. It’s just fun to browse around the stacks.
If we didn’t go to the bookstore, we’d probably go to LACMA. Our sons are huge fans of art and want to go for each new exhibit. They love Hockney, Basquiat and Picasso, to name a few.
4 p.m.: Cuddle with cuties at a cat cafe
We’d then make a quick stop at [Crumbs & Whiskers], a kitten and cat cafe on Melrose for coffee, snacks and to pet the cats. It’s best to make reservations in advance. There’s cats all around the place that need to be adopted. You can visit and pet them, or find a new roommate. I’d love to take some home, but we already have three.
5:30 p.m. Italian or sushi, but make it vegan
We’re an early dinner family. One restaurant we like is Pura Vita in West Hollywood. It’s the greatest vegan Italian food, and for non-vegans, nobody ever knows the difference. It’s the first 100% plant-based Italian restaurant in the United States. They make an incredible kale salad and I love the San Gennaro pizza. It’s got cashew mozzarella, tomato sauce, Italian sausage crumble and more.
Then there’s Planta in Marina del Rey. It’s right on the harbor and you can sit outside and look at the boats coming in and out. They have sushi, salads and other plant-based entrees. They’ve got a really great spicy tuna roll that’s made out of watermelon. They are magicians.
Or there’s Crossroads Kitchen in West Hollywood. They play the best classic rock, and the atmosphere is upscale, fine dining. The appetizers that we always get are called Moroccan Cigars, which are vegan meat substitutes fried in a rolled batter. I really like the grilled lion’s mane steak, their mushroom steak with truffle potatoes, or the scallopini Milanese, that has a chicken or tofu option. I get the chicken with arugula on top. I always love to have a decaf espresso with dessert, which is either a brownie sundae or banana pudding.
7:30 p.m.: Comfort watch or word games
After dinner, the kids often like to watch an episode of “Friends,” a show that all ages enjoy, sports or “The Simpsons.” Or we’d play a game where each of us will add a word to a sentence and create a weird or funny long sentence until one of our sons says period. Then they’ll try and remember the whole sentence and repeat it back.
9:30 p.m.: Bubble bath then bed
The boys usually go to bed at 8:30 p.m. and bedtime for us is 9:30 p.m. Stephanie and I would read or chat. I like to take a bubble bath, if people must know. The best Sundays for me mean finding a good balance of relaxing and being active. I feel very lucky that my family and I can do those things together.
When Marian Sherry Lurio and Jonathan Buffington Nguyen met at a mutual friend’s wedding at Higgins Lake, Mich., in July 2022, both felt an immediate chemistry. As the evening progressed, they sat on the shore of the lake in Adirondack chairs under the stars, where they had their first kiss before joining others for a midnight plunge.
The two learned that the following weekend Ms. Lurio planned to attend a wedding in Philadelphia, where Mr. Nguyen lives, and before they had even exchanged numbers, they already had a first date on the books.
“I have a vivid memory of after we first met,” Mr. Nguyen said, “just feeling like I really better not screw this up.”
Before long, they were commuting between Philadelphia and New York City, where Ms. Lurio lives, spending weekends and the odd remote work days in one another’s apartments in Philadelphia and Manhattan. Within the first six months of dating, Mr. Nguyen joined Ms. Lurio’s family for Thanksgiving in Villanova, Pa., and, the following month, she met his family in Beavercreek, Ohio, at a surprise birthday party for Mr. Nguyen’s mother.
Ms. Lurio, 32, who grew up in Merion Station outside Philadelphia, works in investor relations administration at Flexpoint Ford, a private equity firm. She graduated from Dartmouth College with a bachelor’s degree in history and psychology.
Mr. Nguyen, also 32, was born in Knoxville, Tenn., and raised in Beavercreek, Ohio, from the age of 7. He graduated from Haverford College with a bachelor’s degree in political science and is now a director at Doyle Real Estate Advisors in Philadelphia.
Their long-distance relationship continued for the next few years. There were dates in Manhattan, vacations and beach trips to the Jersey Shore. They attended sporting events and discovered their shared appreciation of the 2003 film, “Love Actually.”
One evening, Mr. Nguyen recalled looking around Ms. Lurio’s small New York studio — strewed with clothes and the takeout meal they had ordered — and feeling “so comfortable and safe.” “I knew that this was something different than just sort of a fling,” he said.
It was an open question when they would move in together. In 2024, Ms. Lurio began the process of moving into Mr. Nguyen’s home in Philadelphia — even bringing her cat, Scott — but her plans changed midway when an opportunity arose to expand her role with her current employer.
Mr. Nguyen was on board with her decision. “It almost feels like stolen valor to call it ‘long distance,’ because it’s so easy from Philadelphia to New York,” Mr. Nguyen said. “The joke is, it’s easier to get to Philly from New York than to get to some parts of Brooklyn from Manhattan, right?”
In January 2025, Mr. Nguyen visited Ms. Lurio in New York with more up his sleeve than spending the weekend. Together they had discussed marriage and bespoke rings, but when Mr. Nguyen left Ms. Lurio and an unfinished cheese plate at the bar of the Chelsea Hotel that Friday evening, she had no idea what was coming next.
“I remember texting Jonathan,” Ms. Lurio said, bewildered: “‘You didn’t go toward the bathroom!’” When a Lobby Bar server came and asked her to come outside, Ms. Lurio still didn’t realize what was happening until she was standing in the hallway, where Mr. Nguyen stood recreating a key moment from the film “Love Actually,” in which one character silently professes his love for another in writing by flashing a series of cue cards. There, in the storied Chelsea Hotel hallway still festooned with Christmas decorations, Mr. Nguyen shared his last card that said, “Will you marry me?”
They wed on April 11 in front of 200 guests at the Pump House, a covered space on the banks of Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River. Mr. Nguyen’s sister, the Rev. Elizabeth Nguyen, who is ordained through the Unitarian Universalist Association, officiated.
Although formal attire was suggested, Ms. Lurio said that the ceremony was “pretty casual.” She and Jonathan got ready together, and their families served as their wedding parties.
“I said I wanted a five-minute wedding,” Ms. Lurio recalled, though the ceremony ended up lasting a little longer than that. During the ceremony, Ms. Nguyen read a homily and jokingly added that guests should not ask the bride and groom about their living arrangements, which will remain separate for the foreseeable future.
While watching Ms. Lurio walk down the aisle, flanked by her parents, Mr. Nguyen said he remembered feeling at once grounded in the moment and also a sense of dazed joy: “Like, is this real? I felt very lucky in that moment — and also just excited for the party to start!”
-
News1 minute agoRubio’s Absence From Iran Talks Highlights Stay-at-Home Role
-
Politics7 minutes agoKushner and Witkoff Traveling to Pakistan to Resume Iran Talks
-
Business13 minutes agoThe ‘Lasting Damage’ of Pirro’s Investigation of the Federal Reserve and Powell
-
Science19 minutes agoVideo: Scientists Solve ‘Golden Orb’ Mystery
-
Culture37 minutes agoBooks Our Editors Loved This Week
-
Lifestyle43 minutes agoN.F.L. Style Will Never Beat N.B.A. Style
-
Education49 minutes agoThe A.A.U.P. Is Growing Fast as It Ramps Up Its Fight Against Trump
-
Technology55 minutes agoMicrosoft will let you pause Windows Updates indefinitely, 35 days at a time