For my bid day & when I pledged I had to wear a dress that sounds very similar to what you described. I'm sure the dresses you wore are beautiful but the dress I wore had a large skirt on it-almost a train. My mother had made it, and I had to wear it so it wouldn't hurt her feelings. :( I looked so different than all of the other girls in their (much) prettier white dresses. But honestly, I was just so happy I didn't care. :D

We can wear pretty much anything, I think, as long as it's in good taste. There are girls who have floor-length long-sleeved dresses, some girls who have strapless knee-length ones... there's a lot of variety, perhaps even a little too much. Everything's tasteful, though. We also keep the fact that we wear white for ritual a secret on campus. The other sororities don't, but we do.

if u research it we have policies on how to wear your whites and its pretty much no strapless, so spaghetti straps and WHITE not off white not ivory.

If you have ritual questions read the ritual book. If it says to do it then you do, if it does not say it then dont do it!!!! Just do what it says. As we were told at convention through the ritual workshop, ritual is spelled out. If you say "well its does not say in the ritual book if we can do XYZ then dont do it! If you should be it will tell you.

SNAPS TO THAT!!

At convention there were numerous girls wearing strapless and spaghetti straps. The length of dresses is only dictated to those participating in the ceremony. It does say it must be white and not ivory it also says no pants.

one of my collegiates wore a strapless and was told by a former member of National council (forgive me cant remember whom) that it was inappropriate. Many did get by the "dress checks" that were done but I did see numerous girls approached by seasoned SK people regarding their dresses.

Its a ritual not a fashion show, modesty is appropriate.

I can guarantee you that no one from my chapter was wearing a strapless or spaghetti strap dress as we have very strict dress codes. So strict that when girls go to convention or cots for the first time and see others dresses not so appropriate they want to change our dress code. We had girls asking us why all of our dresses are long. I saw some extremely unappropriate dress at convention strapless and short everything hanging out like they were clubing.

Bumped to add that five of us in my pledge class had the exact same dress. One of the girls bought it in New York because she couldn't find anything she liked here only to come back and find four of us wearing it! :p Great minds think alike.

Haha, I don't have a dress at all, I wear a midcalf length pleated skirt, a white tank top and a white cardie. White was not in style when I was looking for clothes...but then it was February-March time so...

I have a full length strapless dress. I've never had anyone say anything to me about it being inappropriate.

You're lucky, my chapter is strict on dress code which eliminated a lot of choices.

If you did a strapless dress at our chapter, you needed a white cardigan.

Mine was a strapless sundress...but I had to wear a cardigan and panty hose :(. My real dress (the one that didn't come in time for initiation) has little sleeves and is calf length. The only thing is that it's totally see through so I need to find a slip. haha.
Lol everyone still has the same dresses here. There's not too much selection in gainesville...

hmmm
 

My chapter didn't allow any cardiagans or anythig like that. The dress absolutely had to have a 1-inch thick strap, at least.

I roomed with one of your alumna who was an advisor at MIT during convention in 2004. I'm blanking on her name though. Both chapters collegiate delegates were very jealous of what some girls are allowed to wear. My own chapter pretty much let everything fly as long as it was white (cream passed) and was past your fingertips. We did have to wear white hose though. UGH! I think they may have gotten rid of that rule. I'm not sure.