Victoria Pass got one look at the Orioles’ new uniforms, and her mind went right to Lil’ Kim.

“Might not be who you expect me to say when you’re talking about the Orioles’ uniforms,” she acknowledged with a smile.

As a professor of fashion history at Maryland Institute College of Art, Pass is uniquely qualified to assess the aesthetics of the Orioles’ orange-on-orange uniform combination. To her, the look conjures images of 1990s hip-hop stars such as Lil’ Kim decked from head to toe in a singular color.

“She was doing these totally monochromatic looks, where she’s wearing all one color,” Pass said. “She’s got a fur in the color, like lavender or lime green, and she has a wig in that color. That was this really iconic kind of look associated, I think, in the ’90s with R&B and with hip-hop.”

The Orioles’ all-orange outfits might not be as revealing as Lil’ Kim’s, but they’re just as eye-catching as they were when they debuted in 1971, inspired by Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson. Perhaps the most iconic image featuring the outfit was of Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar and Pat Dobson — the first quartet of teammates since 1920 to each notch 20 or more wins in one season.

The design disappeared from the O’s rotation after the 1972 season, reappearing only once for a throwback game in 2010. But on March 10 the team announced the return of the uniforms for select home games during the 2025 season.

Pass did notice a change to the uniforms, aside from the updated script lettering.

“In the ’70s there were these kind of racing stripes on the sleeves, which makes it very ’70s,” Pass said. “It’s very identifiably ’70s when you look at the photographs. And they’ve taken those off, which makes it kind of a sleeker, more modern aesthetic.”

Monochromatic looks are nothing new. After all, men’s suits are, by nature, all one color material. Orange, however, is not a traditional color. But brightly colored clothing began to make its way into popular menswear in the 1980s and ’90s, when Pass remembers seeing athletes on “The Arsenio Hall Show” wearing colors that jumped off the screen.

“They would look sharp,” she said. “They would be wearing amazing colors, like that kind of ’80s and ’90s style of bright, bold colors. I think about brands like Cross Colours. I feel like that’s kind of what this is pointing back to a little bit.”

Recently, Pass has noticed famous men appear less afraid of donning “adventurous” outfits in public. Last July, the Orioles’ five All-Stars — Anthony Santander, Jordan Westburg, Gunnar Henderson, Corbin Burnes and Adley Rutschman — worked the red carpet resplendent in bold ensembles.

“There are so many athletes who are fashionable, who are at Fashion Weeks, who are appearing on red carpets, and a lot of them are starting to wear brighter colors of suits,” she said.

Pass never uses her expertise to critique or applaud fashion choices — “I’m a historian. I am not an advice giver.” Still, she’s looking forward to seeing the striking orange uniforms against the backdrop of a perfectly manicured field at Oriole Park at Camden Yards when they return April 12.

“They’re gonna look really good against the green,” she said. “You know, on television, that’s gonna be a really compelling image.”

This story has been updated to note the Chicago White Sox had four 20-game winners in 1920.