What is a Jill in hockey? Is it a type of hockey stick? A type of skincare routine? A combination of the two?
Well, ladies and gents, meet your new best friend: the Jill.
No, the Jill is not a hockey player’s girlfriend or spouse. As you might have guessed, the Jill is a feminist take on the sport of hockey. In other words, the Jill wants to give women the chance to play hockey. But that’s not all she wants to give women. As the name implies, the Jill wants to give women the tools to succeed in hockey – from the most practical to the most fun. So let’s take a closer look at what exactly the Jill is and what makes it special.
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The Story Of The Jill
If you’ve been following the news over the past year, you might know that the NHL is looking to expand its audience beyond the traditional hockey circles. Specifically, the NHL is looking to reach more females. So in the interest of increasing female viewership, the league has launched a new, limited-edition line of accessories and apparel for women called “Jill.”
The design studio behind the product line, Heatherwood Creative, set out to create a line of clothing that breaks away from traditional hockey attire and offers a new take on femininity.
According to Heatherwood Creative, the product line’s design is heavily inspired by the 1956 movie “Rocky IV.” You might know the film. It’s the one with Paul Newman. Besides being an all-time great actor, Paul Newman also happens to be one of the founders of the NHLPA and is credited with introducing the sport to the general public. So it makes sense that the PA and NHL would want to pay homage to the great man by designing a shirt and hat based on his character’s fashion style from the iconic film.
Newman’s character, Rocky Balboa, was an unlikely hockey player. Despite being labeled a “gym teacher,” Balboa was actually more of a dance instructor. He didn’t even play hockey growing up. So it comes as no surprise that the shirt and hat designs draw inspiration from both the movie and Rocky’s dance moves. What makes these clothes unique is the combination of tough and feminine silhouettes. These aren’t your usual hockey shirts or hats. So let’s take a closer look.
The Classic Look
If you’ve ever seen the movie “Rocky IV,” you’ll know that Paul Newman’s character always wore a white shirt, gray slacks, and brown shoes. So that’s the look that the girls from Heatherwood Creative aimed for with their new line of clothing.
Whether you call them slim fit shirts, band tees, or white shirts, you can probably find a similar jersey style if you take a closer look. These types of shirts are fairly common in today’s hockey world, but the designs and colors on the shirts vary from team to team. So while some teams opt for a classic look with white and maroon in various sizes, others choose to go for a more modern look with pastel colors. You’ll also notice that some teams don’t wear shirts at all, choosing to wear a tie, vest, or sweater instead.
Another iconic style that you’ll see commonly in the hockey world is the flat-front khaki slacks. These too are fairly easy to spot if you’re looking for designs that fit the bill. The designers at Heatherwood Creative drew inspiration for these slacks from the movie as well.
The outfit is pretty self-explanatory. The main differences between the character’s style in the movie and the real-life version are in the color and design of the shirt and the type of pants. Rocky’s outfit in the film is maroon, white, and yellow. These are the same colors as the Chicago Blackhawks’ uniforms, so it’s no coincidence that the Blackhawks are one of the NHL clubs that sport this look. (And yes, the movie “Rocky IV” was definitely inspired by real-life hockey player Rocky Marciano, who played for the Blackhawks in the 1950s and 1960s.)
More Than Meets The Eye
Aside from the fact that the Jill line of clothing is inspired by two of the most iconic outfits in movie history, the shirt and the hat draw inspiration from something more than meets the eye: the game itself.
As you might know, in hockey, it is a common practice for teams to give their ice girls (or ice wives as the case may be) special outfits and accessories to wear during game days. These outfits are a reflection of the teams’ colors, with the exception of the Detroit Red Wings, who opt for black as their main color.
It’s interesting how the design studio behind the new Jill line of clothing noticed this trend and decided to give their take on the classic look above and beyond what the average fan would consider normal.
Heatherwood Creative knew that it wasn’t normal for women to wear pink jerseys and tights during games. So they decided to give their take on the classic look a feminine twist by adding a touch of red and black.
This is exactly what makes the Jill line of clothing so special. It breaks from the conventional wisdom that you’d find in most sporting arenas. While most sports apparel companies would have gone the usual route and designed women’s apparel that imitates the traditional look of a man’s jersey, Heatherwood Creative did the opposite. They took the opportunity to show off their creative side and put a unique spin on the classic look.
If you’re a hockey fan and you’ve been waiting for a product line that breaks away from the norm, then look no further. Not only does the Jill line offer a new take on the classic look, but it does so with an emphasis on practicality, not pure fantasy. When it comes to fashion and style, the NHL has always been ahead of their time, so it comes as no surprise that they would opt for a more unique and creative look when it comes to their women’s line.
How Does The Jill Fit?
So now that you know what the Jill is, you might be wondering how it fits. Is it tight fitting? Does it have a high neckline? Is it long enough to cover your knees?
Heatherwood Creative designed the shirt and hat to fit comfortably and naturally, but with a bit of a sporty fit. They wanted to give the item a bit of a worn-in look, so they placed the collar and the center of the back in a slightly higher position. This puts the shirt and the hat on slightly different planes, creating more of a slouchy appearance. (For reference, the designers used a Brandywell 9.8 oz [300ml] folding bike shirt and a brimmed hat from New York brand Acne Studios.)
The idea is to create something that has a more modern yet classic look. So while the designers drew inspiration from two of the most iconic outfits in movie history, they also wanted to make it look like something that a real-life person would wear out on the town. It’s a unique blend of practical and creative, smart and stylish. (Which, of course, is how we know the NHL and its fans best…)
Modern Yet Classic
In addition to being practical and unique, the Jill line of clothing is also quite functional. Specifically, the hat is equipped with a chin-length bobble-knit beanie that not only looks stylish but also keeps your head warm on cool days. (The same designers used a similar beanie design with the words “I’m a Mac” on the front in an homage to the classic 1960s TV series “The Millionaire’s Club.”)
What makes the Jill line of clothing unique is that it doesn’t just focus on style. As we mentioned, practicality is one of the main points of the line. So the designers had to think about what would be the most practical way to design a woman’s shirt and hat. For the shirt, they opted for a slim fit with a pointed collar and a small notch at the bottom of the front collar. (This not only helps keep the shirt intact when slouching, but it also allows you to wear it open on a cool day – something that would be difficult to achieve with a standard hockey shirt.)
For the hat, the designers used a brimmed cap style with a unique pattern of flowers on a white background. It’s a simple yet effective design that allows for ventilation and keeps the head warm on cool days. (This design is similar to one that the Toronto Maple Leafs’ current team mascot, Leafie, wears.)