i still like your burgundy dress for prefs.

I think you can have success at Marshall's et alia if you go in on a regular basis. Last time I was there they actually had Vineyard Vines (D's current favorite). I had seen that brand in men's clothing for awhile in several different stores but nothing for us women until now.

Depends hugely on the individual store. There is a TJ's near me that has great designer stuff all of the time, but the one a town a way is dirty and has crappy stuff.

You have to be a pretty committed shopper, I think, even at their good stores. (I agree that they vary in quality a lot.)

I think they are great places for people who love the experience of shopping and/or have a lot of time and a great flexibility in what they are looking for.

You might have good luck if your category was as broad as sundressess.

I've been seeing tons of white dresses every where lately. Marshalls, Ross, Target, etc!

The cleintale that the store caters to determines what they have. The better areas get the better stuff.

While reading the continutation of this thread I remembered a cute American Eagle dress I ordered offline about a month ago also came in white. So I checked back on the site and sure enough, they still have it and several others. Plus they are on clearance! These might serve a dual purpose- white initiation dress and just a cute summer staple for not an excessive amount of money :-) I posted the link below to the one with the most sizes left but take a look at the other options on the site, too.

http://www.ae.com/web/browse/product...ctId=1396_9909

I agree J.Crew can be expensive but personally I believe their classic, simple lines and durability make worthwhile purchases in many cases. And when they put things on sale, it's as much as 70% off in season items. Plus their mainstays like cotton tank tops come in the best color palette I've ever seen at very reasonsble prices. Just my $0.02 :)

Are there any groups that don't allow strapless dresses for initiation? I'm thinking that AOII might be one.

Yes Ms. Carnation. That's true. We are not allowed to wear strapless dresses for any kind of ritual. A sweater, or something with sleeves must be worn over it.

Oh OK, I thought I remembered that right from my oldest daughter's initiation..here we were in October shopping for a shortsleeved white dress, closed white shoes, white hose...not easy! I don't have any idea what our other AOII did because she didn't come home to shop.

But ufpiphi, you're right--it's a great dress!

For AOII, is that a national thing or a chapter thing? With SK it's up to the chapter if they want to ban a dress that is strapless, sleeveless, short, etc.

In my chapter we allow strapless or thin strapped dresses as long as the girl wears a sweater over it. Her shoulders must be covered during initiation.

This is so true. Plus, I think it has a lot to do with regions. The TJ Maxx near my office has a Lilly Pulitzer DISPLAY up right now. There's another store not too far away that has none of that.

I should go to Marshalls to see if they have Vineyard Vines.

Also, I've never needed a white dress for any sorority-related activity. Not sure if it's AXO or my specific chapter, though. Just a little reminder, lest anyone think that owning a white dress is a sorority prerequisite...:D

If you live near DC or Boston and like Vineyard Vines:

I have seen VV items for men at the Filene's Basements in Newton, MA and Tyson's Corner, VA (both nice suburbs) and at the Off-Saks and Nordstroms Rack at a dreadful outlet mall in Woodbridge, VA. VV for women were spotted at Marshall's in the City of Fairfax, VA.

We must have shoulders covered (so you could wear a white cardigan over it). They also must be below the knee for us. Some of those are very close, depending on how they fit you. I'd try for a couple inches below the knee to be on the safe side. This is a new thing for us, they used to have to be tea length or longer.

I'm originally from a very populated metro-suburb and am used to incredible finds at stores like Marshalls, Ross, and TJ Maxx buttttttt not so much around here :rolleyes:.

JW, but how taboo is it to wear a sorority's colors to pref? It seems practically unavoidable according to the sororites on my campus and the dresses I love are in those color families!

Thank you all, again, for such helpful tips!

The key is the combination. You can wear "cardinal", but don't wear "straw" with it. You can wear "scarlet", but don't wear "olive" with it. And, I would say that this applies to the more "blatant" color combos. Red & white or purple & white wouldn't completely SCREAM a particular sorority like other more obvious combinations.

royal purple and white-sigma sigma sigma

Yes, I know that. I was using the example of sorority colors that are commonly used in clothing together that wouldn't stick out like Cardinal and Straw would.

If a woman showed up at Prefs in this:
http://store.corsetmaking.com/Mercha...iolet_blue.jpg
You probably wouldn't automatically think Sigma.

If a woman showed up in this:

http://www.tdrinc.com/images/photos/st12c.jpg

You would probably assume that she was leaning toward ChiO.

Ok I definitely wouldn't think that at all unless the PNM was a nutcase to begin with.

And why is the woman fixing her car barefoot?

Why is she wearing a dress with a hood on it?

I AM FINALLY ALMOST DONE! PRAISE SWEET JESUS!


Just need a white dress and that's it!

I got my cocktail dress today and some accessories. I found a great deal at a little boutique here, it's gorgeous. It totally fits my personality and looks so fabulous. I keep putting it on and strutting around my apartment haha. :D

I had never been in that boutique before, but thanks to some urgings from various GC'ers regarding boutiques- I decided to stop in.

A Chi-O wannabe, and batshit crazy besides.

/I'm dying to know how you find all these hilarious pictures.

Google image search...and if they don't have exactly what I want (or close to it), I make it up...

LOL, I guess I'm image search illiterate, I never find anything funny.

Congratulations on finding cute outfits, Soliloquy. I know that there was some debate over whether or not to post descriptions of your outfit but I love fashion/design so if you don't post pictures or descriptions publicly, could you PM me? Anyway, I'm excited to hear how your recruitment comes together these next few months. Good luck!