I had THE MOST FUN getting my first white dress for alpha initiation. We had less than 24 hours to buy white dresses, and at the time, there were 7 sororities all holding new member initiation the same night!

I went to 4 different stores with one of my new Alpha Sisters, Jenni, and we ran into so many girls we had met during recruitment, who now needed a white dress for their sorority. Jenni, who is really tiny, ended up getting a children's size 12 dress!!!

And my white dress later saw 3 ADPi ceremonies, a KD initiation and a Tri-Delta initation. (UCF is very Panhellenic, and we're all good friends in the chapters--- and man, if that dress could talk, it would be a Panhellenic Ritual Bomb!)

PS: I forgot to mention that the dress ended up in the closet of an Alpha Xi who wore it for her initation and later passed it her little sis!

PPS: I went to ADPi convention this summer and needed a white dress. I'm an IO, so I wanted to look nice and spent $50 on a dress from Macy's... A week before I was to leave for convention, I was wandering through Ross, and lo and behold! MY $50 dress was hanging on the rack for $10! It was a travesty! I am now a slave to discount department stores. I've been very happy with my DKNY, Ralph Lauren and BCBG finds! I am loud and proud to admit I am a label snob, but I'm also proud to share when I've hit a good bargain!!!!

And yes, I do shop at Target. But I'm also an Ann Taylor girl :) Who says you can't have your cake and eat it, too?

BUMP!

Dillard's has a TON of white dresses on sale for $29.99 right now. I know that recruitment is already on or pretty much over, but there are those of you who might not have inductions for another few weeks, or there are those alumnae who may need a new white dress b/c they *cough* grew out of *cough cough* their old one....;)

I gave mine away about 2 yrs ago thinking I would never need it again...boy was I wrong! I found one today at Dillard's that wasn't too awful. There are some very bejeweled ones that I would recommend staying away from, but they did have several plain ones.

Whites are so much fun. I was shopping with a sister who was going to convention this summer, and need a white suit. (reccommended by our nat'l because it is more profession I guess) that was tough! Suprisingly, Sears had a great suit for like $60. it is all in the patience...

I have found the following stores to have great whites-especially in the spring and summer months:

Target
Sears
Banana Republic
Ebay-always has something cute!!
Petite Sophisticate/ Casual Corner

Good luck!

A good place to find whites is Davids Bridal. I had to have a white dress for my high school graduation and that $100 bridesmaid dress (all white!) has also worked well for whites. You know you'll get your $100 out of it and they have free alterations so that it fits comfortably. It may be more than some people want to spend but it worked extremely well for me.

May I just add this last bit of white-dress for initiation etiquette ... please, please, please ladies ... if you're wearing white and it's kind of a thin material ... don't wear the black thong underneath. It just kinda seems wrong to be going through a old, classic ceremony and see someone's black thong through their dress. Kinda kills the mood.

OK ... now back to the pros and cons of Target. Personally ... I dig Target. Anyone who would look down on someone for shopping there is just whacked in the head and should be ignored.

Thanks for listening. I feel better.

I have always been told it is what is on the inside that counts... granted most of my clothes come from stores like Gap, Abercrombie, Old Navy, etc.... I also buy clothes at places like Target and K-Mart.... I have a little cousin who is a freshman in high school that buys her clothes at a store called Family Dollar and I can honestly say I like some of the clothes she has bought there better than stuff I have purchased at the mall... but that is just me!

If you like catalogs, definitely hit Newport News
http://www.newport-news.com

I got my dress there.

I say if you are even THINKING about rushing, make sure you have a white dress handy, cause it is a biatch trying to find one in November or February

Oh yeah, cosign on the color of panties...

We don't want to be calling anyone Thong-a-lina! :D

If you're going to wear a white dress, having undergarments in a nude or skin tone color shows less than those in white. A full slip is a good idea, and if possible, take those items with you and wear pantyhose/stockings and bring the shoes you plan to wear under the dress. Same goes for trying on formal gowns. Makes things a lot easier. If you don't have the items, many stores will let you try those on at the same time, and you can be sure there are no seams or anything else showing through.

If you're handy with a sewing machine, or have family members, friends, or sisters/alumns that are, you can make a dress. Or check with a local seamstress/dressmaker, as a group you may be able to buy fabric in bulk and save money, plus your dress will fit perfectly for you.

Just wanted to comment on the wear nude underthings. This is a must! I can't tell you how wrong it is to be going though initiation or watching it when someone forgot and wore a red (lacey) bra, a red thong, black thong, black bra..... the list goes on (mostly with respect to color).

Pure white underthings often show through when the dress is of thin material, so stick with whatever is closest to your skin tone.
:)

Amen to the above!Also, my friend just got a cute simple white dress from Casual corner on sale this week, you can find it on the website if not in the store.

Ugly is okay, but don't buy anything with a lot of lace near the neck or wrists, or anything elastic or itchy. Think long-term comfort - something you would be okay standing around in for a while.

Another thought for those looking, is a material that won't wrinkle a lot. Low maintenance is a wonderful asset in a white dress. I don't know how many times I'd throw off my dress before running to breakfast, put it in a bag and forget to hang it up right away. Never needing to iron it was wonderful.

Also, something that is easy to get in and out of. If you are unwilling to walk outside in your dress (aka january in Wisconsin) and you need to change in the house, don't count on the luxury of having the bathroom to change in, usually it was the living room. :) the joys of an overcrowded house, ahh but the wonderful memories. :)

the other day i was surprised to see wal mart had levis