We always wear white button down shirts for our composites. I went to Texas A&M this weekend to the ADPi house to visit some friends and they wore pretty much whatever they wanted...as long as it was "conservative".

drapes
 

The gripe we had with drapes was that you had to pull your bra straps aside to take the photo, and since you'd been wearing the bra all day, there was likely a mark on your shoulders from it, which showed up in all the photos. We also had to wear pearl chokers and since I didn't own one, I used a full strand and a twist tie to hold it to the proper length in back. Someone should have taken a photo of the back of me, in jeans, a velcro wrap, bra haning off and wearing a twist tie. Lovely.

I always love looking at the fashion faux-pas of the ages as found on different composites. In our house, the 1958 composite has half the guys wearing the same LOUD patterned sportcoat that looks like Buick seat covers. Mutton chops are my favorite hair don't of the early 1970s, while some of the leisure suit looks are well...interesting? The 80's are fairly tame clothing wise except for the odd Miami Vice look or knit tie. The hair however...

My students love to make fun of my composities in my office. "Mullet, mullet, crimped hair, mullet...":p

i HATED that damn drape. i had to keep my arms pinned to my body so the velcro wouldn't come off. and it's ridiculous if nobody is around to close it for you. they do look better than regular clothes though...

The drape is a PAIN!!! One time it started creeping down my shoulders as the photographer was taking the pics, and by the end I was showing some major cleavage. Just the "tasteful" thing we needed in the composite. :p Luckily that one didn't go in, but it was still ugh to look at the proofs.
My chapter provides us a pearl choker to wear with the drape; we didn't have to provide our own.
My favorite look on the old composites were these nordic-type cardigan sweaters with designs around the collar that seemed to be very popular mid-80s. In some composites, something like 3/4 of the girls are wearing some variation on that sweater.

The drape sounds a little scary. In my chapter we all have to wear black dressy shirts. That's pretty much the only requirement. I think it looks a lot nicer than the older composites where they just wore whatever, but on the other hand, still allows for some individuality.

Sarah

We did the black drapes too. I'm surprised not everyone knows about them. We had to use them in high school too for senior pictures. 'Course my HS yearbook was extremely anal. Everyone had to have the exact same pose and drape or faux tux for the guys. If it wasn't identical they'd lose points in the big yearbook competions. :rolleyes:

The drapes always had velcro but the photographers were usually smart enough to have the massive black paperclip things. So you weren't endanger of the drape sliding down, only up. My lil was extremely paranoid of showing any clevage so she had started with it fairly high. By the time she was done it had slid so far up she was pretty much just a head on a piece of velvet. :o

Our drape didn't even have velcro this past year we had to use a CLOTHES PIN !! Very fun trying to get that to stay on, and you can't move your arms from your sides or it will fall down. All the chapters at my school use the drape and my chapter everyone wears a lavalier. Also NEVER NEVER let the photographer help you choose your pose they don't know what the heck they're talking about !!

wow, the clothes pin is kinda ghetto ;)

in high school my older friends taught me the secret to those darn drapes -- strappless bras and tube tops. no bra lines, no standing half dressed in front of half the student body in the union if it doesnt wanna stay put ;)