Oh yea, I admit it.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/.../fair_isle.jpg

<3

:)

Hey, that's a cute sweater! What I was thinking of was more like this, only in itchy shetland wool, and with a placket with pearl buttons in the front:
http://s7.landsend.com/is/image/Land...4_AE07_LF_XEX?

Pref night

I wore an outfit that I’d tried on a dozen times before I left for school. My dress was light grey raw silk and had a straight skirt with kick pleats in front with pink inside and a pink collar. I had a charcoal grey UltraSuede belt, and some fabulous charcoal grey Caressa pumps with big leather bows.

First was St. Elmo’s. We met and talked in the chapter room, and when it was time for the program we all turned to face the front of the room, standing. The lights were dimmed slightly, and on the front table was a decoration that was the sorority’s symbol made of mums, with candle holders in the middle of it. It looked a little like an arrangement you’d see at the front of the church for a funeral. The Rush Chairman had a reading on sisterhood, and lit two of the candles with the one she was holding, saying something like one was for the sisters, and one was for those who would join. When she went to place the candle in the center holder, there seemed to be so much wax build-up from prior uses that it didn’t stay upright. She fiddled with it, it toppled, and she said “Well, that one was for St. Elmo’s.” Still, not losing her composure!

At Fast Times, we started off in the living room, and were given glasses of sparkling cider. Pastries were passed on trays, and I said “no thank you” since I didn’t want to spill on my dress. When it was time for the ceremony, we moved into the chapter room which was darkened except for candles and twinkling lights around the ceiling. The walls were draped in white, there was lattice at the front of the room, and it was magical. The sisters all wore navy blue taffeta dresses, and I found myself imagining myself wearing one next year. We were given the sorority’s flower as a favor, tied with ribbons in their colors. Had I not loved this group all week long, this ceremony would have made my decision.

After the parties we walked in silence to the student center to sign our bid cards. The line snaked around the room, and Rho Chi’s were making sure we didn’t talk. I saw my roommate, who had preffed Fast Times and Valley Girl. We were holding the favors that we’d received at our parties, and she held up her favor from Fast Times and looked away. Cool! She wanted Fast Times too!!

When I got up in line to fill out my card, I put:

1. Fast Times
2. St. Elmo’s Fire

^^^I don't know why I didn't think to go right to LLBean, I just googled and picked one that was sorta representative from the images. But mine at the time definitely looked more like the version/pattern in your pic.

And come on, out with Bid Day already, please!

Ahhh Malia sundresses -- I can still see the one I wore to Skit round...

Not this, but similar!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2300/...cabf30.jpg?v=0

Great story!



FWIW, my favorite fair isle sweaters are a pale blue one with navy & white accents, and a pale pink one with white, rose, and taupe accents. I can't find pictures of either.

This thread is great!

The waiting is the hardest part...

Bid Day
We had to wait in our rooms until 11:00 when our Rho Chi was come to give us our bids. 12:00 came, and we still were waiting. We were told that the alums had messed up the bids and they had to start over. At that moment I vowed that when I became and alum I would be much more careful with such important things. We waited, and waited, and couldn’t even go in the hall to talk to our other friends who were also on pins and needles. Roommate and I sat on our beds, trying to study for a distraction. Finally, at 2:45, our Rho Chi came in with envelopes for my roommate and me. We opened them together … mine said …







































































































http://assets.hulu.com/shows/key_art...emont_high.jpg

And so did hers!

We then went to "Walk the Row," as bid day was called, to be greeted by Fast Times. We were given our first letters in the form of visors, and all hurried into cars to go to the restaurant where we were now several hours late for our luncheon. We dined on chicken salad croissants, the first of our many sorority chicken banquet meals. (Not sure why I can remember this but not who preffed me at either party.)

That evening, wearing letter shirts loaned to us by our heart sisters (I wore the president’s), we met and walked over to Fraternity Row, which was in the midst of Wet Function. This is when the fraternities gave out bids, and it was, as the name suggests, full of beer and other beverages that would be considered a risk management nightmare. Wet Function was especially wet for SAE pledges, because afer accepting bids they were thrown in the SAE pool. But, no one had yet coined the term “risk management” and the legal drinking age was 19, so it was all fun. I was so happy with my new group of soon to be sisters.

Because the passage of 25 years makes you much wiser...
 

Because the passage of 25 years makes you much wiser...
(We are not going to say "older." No we're not!)

What I know now that I didn’t know then, even though I was a really smug 18 year old who thought she knew everything:

1. I went prepared for a really competitive rush, and instead had one that wasn’t overly competitive. All those girls who didn’t have recs somehow managed to join sororities.
2. The pretty red head who introduced herself at the first meet and greet knew exactly who I was when she walked up. The chapter had been studying recs for over a month.
3. That I felt so welcome and felt I was a shoe-in at the group where I ended up was due to their excellent rush skills. I could have just as easily felt this way and had my heart broken, and wouldn’t have taken it well because I wasn’t as open-minded as I should have been.
4. I would have been just as happy being a member Valley Girl, St. Elmo’s Fire, or Pretty in Pink instead. I made great friends in all the groups, and found that there were really terrific people in every chapter. I just didn’t meet them during rush.
5. I didn’t transfer to Big State U, and stayed at Small Private School for the remainder of my college career. High School boyfriend and I broke up by Thanksgiving. Best friend and I are still best friends, although we live in two different states, both far away from Big State U. Even if we hadn’t joined the same sorority, this would probably still be the case, though having that bond does make buying birthday and Christmas presents even more fun. And thanks to Facebook, we are in contact weekly.
6. Pink and grey worn together is not as fabulous as I once thought.

I loved the story! You rushed when I did. But what sorority did you join????

Sigma Kappa?

****Waving****

This was positively the most entertaining retro thread I've read in a long time! Probably because it reminded me so much of going through recruitment during the same era, it just struck such a chord. Just the other day, I was writing recs and thinking about how ridiculous I must have looked, going to a rush party in a sweater vest, blouse, a wool skirt that hit at the knee, and navy pumps--hello, Mallory Keaton). I guess I just didn't recall that many of us wore this type of outfit.

Pappagallo-that was IT back in the day! I still wish I had saved my bermuda bag from back then. Thank god Lilly has been resurrected. Now, tell us what house it was!

Well, that's half right! I'm a Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Thanks everyone, for reading and reminiscing!!

Yay, another Kappa who rushed in the 80s! You have brought back a lot of fond memories with your outfit descriptions...

Yay Kappa! Hee. I wondered with the pref ceremony you described. I think they were still suggesting that in the Leadership Guides when I was an active in the late 90s. Heck, they still might have that in there now.

I knew it when you said they wore navy taffeta dresses at pref!

GREAT story -- thanks for letting us all reminisce.

I wondered if anyone would pick up on that. The navy dresses only lasted one more year, then we went to our choice of white dresses with either light blue or navy blue chintz sashes. (I have a photo of four of us who bought the same Liz Claiborne dress.) Now that really would have given it away!

Your story made me go back and re-read my retro thread from last year -- I was curious how I described what I had worn in 1979.

Well, bump your thread up so we can read it too!

Yayyy, Kappa!

I saw a Fair Isles sweater in a "what not to wear" section of People Style Watch magazine today. Hehe, I thought of this thread.

Fun thread. My Initiation dress was a Gunne Sax with lots of ruffles and lace!

Ahhh, the wool skirt... mine was maroon and gray in a large plaid pattern, worn with a maroon sweater of course.