Juniors always makes me think "about 16" - is there not a "misses" department, or heaven forbid you cross the line into being a "woman".

You are 18, you are an adult and occasionally you may have to dress like one

No, there is no misses department in the malls in the city I go to college. There's the juniors' which I still find old women perusing through and there's the section which consists of clothing made for women twice, three times my age. I'm quite aware that I'm 18 and an adult, and I think it's my reservation on where I want to shop. If you decide to tell me that I should search through the "misses" section, tell it to the elderly women that are flipping through the racks at Forever 21.

the elderly ladies flipping through the racks at Forever 21 are not shopping for preference dresses

you asked for opinions, in my opinion (and following your link) there were more appropriate dresses for preference under the "womens" section than under the "junior" section.

you can shop wherever you like the rest of the time - knock yourself out

All of the dresses are beautiful.

I respect your opinion, but what's online isn't necessarily at the stores. Finding preferences dresses in a city like this is like finding a needle in the haystack. I kind of have to make do with what I have. In the city I live in, there's only three tiers of clothing stores: you have your department stores like Forever 21 and Macy's, the high end department stores like Nordstrom and Sak's Fifth Avenue, and the high end boutiques like Chanel and YSL. There really isn't a middle section. Or any choice selection for that matter, for college kids.

I COMPLETELY understand where you are coming from. My town is this way too. I have to do a lot of shopping around when it comes to finding a semi-formal/formal dress and a lot of driving to other cities and malls. If you have a car and the time, you might take a little trip to a really good mall a few towns away. You might have better luck there.

A few towns away would be a small town that people don't really frequent to...I'd have to take a 5 hour road trip to go to somewhere decent...Literally, there's nothing but dirt if you were to drive out! So I'm talking to my Rho Gam tomorrow on the first day since it's just casual and discussing how exact of a semi-formal dress they want. I've seen past pictures from my older friends in sororities now, they wore sun dresses, some girl wore a floral maxi dress, and someone wore a blouse and a pencil skirt.

Sorry to say, but you DO have LOTS of options for finding dresses at the stores you mention. You just have to actually look at what is available. "Juniors" versus "Misses" is about sizes, not always style. You are lucky to have the types of stores you mention - I have to drive across the state to find stores anything close to what you are mentioning (3-4 hours each way). If you are so concerned with 'age appropriate' styles and none being available to you, learn to sew and make you own!! Or, start not looking at actual dresses and go for the mix and match of two-piece outfits. A nice blouse and a skirt goes a long way. . . But then again, I'm old and am out of touch with the 'younger kids' despite working in retail (clothing) for quite a long time - as well as sewing my own vintage clothes (yes from patterns from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s).

Actually, really I don't. The main mall I frequent to here is also the tourist-y mall, which caters to many of their tourist-y needs. And it's not very conservative...I'd go into detail but I'd rather not give away the college I attend. And no, I'm not really lucky to have stores like Dior, Chanel, Hermes, or Tom Ford...That'll be a sight to see a college kid walk in and shop there...

And I was not at all refering to the high-end retail boutiques. Go for classic styles, not trends. Trends you find in the junior department. Classic is typically found in the misses department of MOST retail establishments. You can't tell me you can't find a nice blouse and a skirt in ANY store, whether you are in a tourist destination or not?! I can find that in my town, in my local walmart! From your description of the 'fashion show' semi-formal equates to a nice go-to-a-wedding outfit. If you have an outfit from an awards ceremony from the past spring, why not reuse it? Or find a LBD that is just above your knee - that is classic and you can wear it for years, unless your size changes. But then again, I'm old and go for classic styles which can be worn for more than a year or two rather than trendy.

And I would get over calling yourself and your classmates 'kids' (college or otherwise). You are adults, will be treated like them, and should act like them. 'Kids' are in elemetary and middle school.

It's what I'm planning on doing. I have a dress from my high school senior awards night and I have my other dress from graduation which I'll consider the options on which works best. Thank you for you opinions. And for the reference on kids, I was merely pointing out on what people refer to college students in the most common way. That's what I've been called since I've started college, I've heard that when my older sister was in college and it simply sticks. Seldom do you hear the phrase "college adults." I certainly don't feel the need of getting over myself in using the phrase because it's used so often and it doesn't necessarily depict the image of elementary and middle school...the proper word would be 'children.'

Again, maybe it is the generational difference. I refer to those in college as 'College students' or 'Undergrads' - to differentiate graduate or postgraduate students. 'Kids' is pre-teen and younger. Teen or high school students are pretty self-explanatory too. For me, to refer to anyone older than 12 as a 'kid' is derogatory - and I will use it that way, usually based on behaviour. Jokingly I use the term in such phrases as 'kids these days' (to mimic what my grandparents' generation used) or 'if it weren't for those meddling kids'. . .or referring to my younger brothers (or much younger co-workers I get on well with) as 'kiddo'. And, for the English/Anthropology lesson of the day, 'kids' is the slang version of the term 'children'. They are used interchangeably in most English-speaking cultures.

OP, when I went through rush many years ago, our pref parties didn't require cocktail dresses. I wore the dress that I wore to high school graduation. It was fine.

Talk to your Rho Chi. She'll know what to do.

Good luck!

Yeah, I was going to say, at my college we would have KILLED to have that many things available!! We had KMart, Fashion Bug, a regional department store w/ very little selection, and the overpriced stores in town. It was pretty common to go to a party and see 15 girls in the same Fashion Bug top in different colors.

peacelovegreek - I'm 40+ and not afraid of the junior department, I just know how to pick what's appropriate and what's not. It goes both ways. Don't be afraid of the misses department - you might be surprised what you find there. INC at Macy's always has nice things. Personally, I'm tall, so I've been pretty much cross-shopping juniors and misses since I got to be this height around age 14.

Although I am not doubting you about the possibility of a suck Macy's, my friend and I went in one (Century 3, yinzers) and there were like 2 dozen pairs of shoes total, most of them for 65 year olds taking their daily walk.

I think you meant prerogative not reservation. Anyway, wear your dress if you want to. No one can make you shop for a new one. You're the one that asked for advice. BTW, Forever 21 is not a department store. Macy's has departments, like shoes, menswear, silver, hosery, etc. Forever 21 is a cheap clothing store.