Last updated: June 8, 2026·🔄 Guide reviewed and refreshed ahead of Halloween 2026.· By Seckin Peker

Outfit Guide

Pope Heyward From Outer Banks Outfit Guide

The smartest Pogue. The most ignored advice. Four seasons of scholarship anxiety.
Jonathan Daviss Casual Hat Netflix Teenage Summer
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Quick Answer: Pope’s look is a beach-casual build where the black cap and wooden bead necklace carry the character recognition.
  • Black Vintage Baseball Cap (essential)
  • Wooden Bead Necklace (essential)
  • “Obey” Tee
  • Gray Cargo Shorts
  • Paracord Bracelet
  • adidas Alphabounce Sandal

Pope is the only Pogue who had a concrete plan for his life, which Outer Banks begins dismantling in the pilot and does not stop. He is the brains of the operation, the voice of reason that no one listens to, and the only person who consistently knows what the consequences are before everyone ignores him. Jonathan Daviss plays him across all four seasons of the Netflix series, which has had a large audience since it premiered in 2020 (Wikipedia). The look is recognizable to Outer Banks fans and readable as OBX beach casual to anyone who has not seen the show.

Items Total6 Items
DifficultyEasy
VibeOBX Brains-on-a-Budget
Cost$40-$90

Pope Heyward Outfit Items

Pope Heyward from Outer Banks outfit guide infographic showing Obey tee, gray cargo shorts, wooden bead necklace, paracord bracelet, black baseball cap, and adidas sandals as a flat lay

Pope Heyward Outfit Items

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Pope Heyward Jonathan Daviss Outer Banks OBX Pogues
  • 1 “Obey” TeeThe base layer on top. The Obey brand fits the OBX working-waterfront aesthetic without reading as a fashion statement, which is exactly right for Pope. Leave it untucked. He dresses like someone whose mind is on a scholarship deadline or a shipwreck, not his outfit.
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  • 2 Gray Cargo ShortsLoose, practical, and plain. Pope’s shorts read as functional rather than considered. Check your closet first, since most people own something close enough. Avoid anything with a tailored cut or fashion details.
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  • 3 Wooden Bead Necklace (essential)This is the piece that moves the outfit from generic beach casual into OBX Pogue territory. A plain tee and shorts without the necklace is just a summer outfit. With it, you have the layered coastal accessory look that defines the Pogues as a group. Wear it so it sits naturally at the collar, not pulled tight or hanging too low.
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  • 4 Paracord BraceletGoes on one wrist and should look like it has been there for a while. A brand-new paracord bracelet has a slightly stiff, just-purchased look that is the wrong vibe. Wear it for a few days beforehand or just accept that a slightly off detail will not undo the rest of the look.
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  • 5 Black Vintage Baseball Cap (essential)Pope is rarely without his black cap, and it goes on backward. This is the single most consistent and recognizable piece of his look across all four seasons. The fit matters: a cap with a very structured, high-rise front panel reads as costume. A softer, slightly worn vintage-style cap reads as daily wear. Get the cap right and the rest of the outfit follows.
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  • 6 adidas Alphabounce SandalComfortable, low-profile, and practical. Pope is not thinking about his footwear. The Alphabounce sandal is the right call precisely because it is the kind of sandal you put on without thinking about it, which is exactly how Pope would put it on.
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Jonathan Daviss as Pope Heyward in Outer Banks wearing his signature black backward cap, graphic tee, cargo shorts, and beaded necklace coastal outfit

How to Style the Pope Heyward Look

The black cap is what places this as Pope rather than any other OBX beach teen, and it needs to go on backward with a slight natural tilt. Without the wooden bead necklace, the tee and cargo shorts combination reads as any beach casual outfit. The necklace is what puts you in Pogue territory. If the whole outfit looks too clean and pressed, it reads like Pope is on his way to his scholarship interview, which is not the vibe, and also a sore subject.

In Season 2, Pope finds out that Denmark Tanny, the enslaved man who survived the Royal Merchant wreck and carried the gold ashore, was his ancestor. He is standing in the middle of a treasure hunt that is simultaneously his own family history, and the rest of the Pogues are treating it like another adventure. Pope is the only one who fully understands what he is standing in. He does not pause to say so. He just gets back to work, which is Pope in every season.

Get the cap fit right before anything else

A cap with a very structured, high front panel and a flat brim reads as a deliberate fashion choice, which is not Pope’s register. A softer cap with a slightly curved brim worn backward reads as daily wear. If you are ordering new, bend the brim gently and wear it around the house for a day or two. The difference between “Pope’s cap” and “a black cap” is in the fit and the wear, not the color.

The bracelet should look worn in, not just put on

Paracord bracelets come out of packaging looking stiff and intentional. Pope’s bracelet looks like he has had it for a season or two and stopped noticing it. If you are buying new, wear it continuously for a few days before you need it. The material softens and the fit settles. It costs nothing and makes a noticeable difference. This applies to the beaded necklace too: a necklace that is clearly brand new sits differently than one that has been worn in.

Pope Heyward Group Outfit Ideas

Couples Idea

Pope Heyward & Kiara (Outer Banks – The Pogues’ Unlikely Romance)

Excellent couple concept, though the show’s relationship timeline is complicated enough that you may get questions. Pope crushed on Kiara for most of Season 1, she kissed him, they briefly dated in Season 2, and then she ended it by telling him she only ever saw him as a friend, which is a statement that should not be delivered to someone you just kissed. For a couples outfit, both costumes are well-defined, and the dynamic between the careful scholar and the passionate environmentalist is visually interesting without needing explanation.

Pope Heyward Kiara

Duo Idea

Pope Heyward & JJ Maybank (Outer Banks – The Brains & The Wildcard)

Excellent duo and probably the most naturally funny pairing in the whole show. Pope explains the exact consequences of every dangerous decision in clear, specific detail. JJ listens, nods, and does it anyway. Pope is then present for the consequences he predicted. They are also capable of saying “Woogity woogity woogity!” in perfect unison, which tells you everything you need to know about where their friendship actually lives. Both costumes have dedicated pages here.

Pope Heyward JJ Maybank

Group Idea: Outer Banks Full Pogues Squad

Pope, JJ, John B, Kiara, Sarah Cameron

Excellent group for Outer Banks fans. The five core Pogues are widely recognized, and the visual variety between the characters makes the group read clearly as a unit rather than five people in beach clothes. Pope’s black cap and necklace, JJ’s backward burgundy cap and jewelry stack, John B’s layered surf look, Kiara’s coastal activist vibe, and Sarah’s kook-gone-Pogue transition all contrast enough to be distinguishable. Every costume in this group has a dedicated page here.

Pope Heyward JJ Maybank John B Kiara Sarah Cameron
Pope Heyward from Outer Banks in his characteristic black cap, graphic tee, and cargo shorts casual outfit used as group costume reference

Pope Heyward Style Tips

Building the Look

This is one of the simpler builds here. Six items, all casual, most of them inexpensive. The main thing to get right is the cap and the necklace. Everything else is already in most people’s closets or can be sourced cheaply.

  • Black baseball cap: check what you already own before buying new. Any soft-front black vintage-style cap works. Avoid structured snapbacks with flat brims, which read as a different aesthetic entirely.
  • Graphic tee: the Obey brand is correct, but any street-influenced or surf-adjacent graphic tee in a neutral or muted color works. Pope does not wear bright statement shirts.
  • Cargo shorts: thrift stores are reliable here. Plain gray or khaki, slightly loose. Skip military-style or fashion-cut versions.
  • Wooden bead necklace: the most important accessory purchase. Do not skip it. It is the difference between Pope and a generic beach outfit.
  • Paracord bracelet: inexpensive, quick to source. Order ahead so you can wear it in before you need it.
  • adidas sandals: check resale apps before buying new. Comfortable sandals in this category are common secondhand and often already worn in.

Channeling Pope

Pope is calm, analytical, and usually right about what is about to go wrong. He is also capable of deep loyalty and occasional sudden outbursts, specifically the “Woogity woogity woogity!” moment with JJ, which requires another person who has committed to the bit.

  • “I’m gonna lose my merit scholarship” can be adapted to fit almost any situation. Someone is doing something risky at a party? “I’m gonna lose my merit scholarship.” Someone asks how your night is going? “I’m gonna lose my merit scholarship.” It works every time.
  • Pope explains consequences. If someone near you is about to do something inadvisable, describe the exact chain of events that follows in calm, factual detail. Then watch them do it anyway.
  • He is quiet and steady until he is not. The sudden shifts are where the character lives. A Pope who is calm the entire time is missing half the performance.
  • He is allergic to bee and wasp stings. If you are outdoors and someone mentions bees, that is your moment. Use it sparingly.

Pope Heyward Outfit Guide: FAQ

The black vintage cap worn backward and the wooden bead necklace are the two pieces that make this specifically Pope. Add an Obey graphic tee, gray cargo shorts, a paracord bracelet, and adidas sandals. The key is that nothing should look new or selected for the occasion. Pope dresses like someone with more important things on his mind, which is accurate.

Yes. The beach-casual combination of graphic tee, cargo shorts, and sandals with layered accessories has stayed relevant as a coastal and summer aesthetic. It is more of a lifestyle look than a trend piece, which means it does not go in and out in short cycles. The beaded necklace and paracord bracelet also fit the current appetite for casual accessory layering.

Three stand out. His philosophical contribution: “Love is five minutes of pleasure for a lifetime of pain.” His peak moment of group joy, performed in perfect unison with JJ: “Woogity woogity woogity!” And his unofficial catchphrase, repeated across four seasons with increasing desperation: “I’m gonna lose my merit scholarship.” He eventually did. He found treasure instead, which is probably a better trade in hindsight.

Jonathan Daviss plays Pope Heyward across all four seasons of Outer Banks on Netflix. It was his first major television role, and he is one of the few characters to appear in every single episode of the series.

He is the brains of the operation, as John B describes him in the pilot. He is also the cautionary voice who explains consequences in detail before everyone ignores him. He was a finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhorst Merit Scholarship before walking out of his interview to help find gold on a shipwreck. The scholarship did not survive Season 1. The gold situation was also complicated.

Relatively, yes. By Season 4 he has his friends, a relationship with Cleo, and a clearer direction than he had when the show started. He is consistently the most sensible Pogue, which in Outer Banks terms means he made it through four seasons intact while a lot of other plans around him did not.

Yes, to bee and wasp stings, which is a medically significant allergy for someone who spends most of his time doing dangerous outdoor activities in coastal marshes. It comes up as a genuine plot point in the show. It is the kind of thing only Pope would need specifically noted on his adventure itinerary, and only Pope would actually note it.