Well I figured I'd look around and see what else I could find, but they are sooo perty, and they are actually pretty comfy! Someone did tell me to bring flip flops and wear those while going from house to house, but I don't know if I'd really want to do that.

they might be comfy in the short run, but if you're going to be wearing them ALL day and walking a lot, you may end up regretting it. If it's second party, that's still a lot of walking. Do you want your feet to be bleeding from blisters and in pain? If you do want to wear them, I think it would be VERY wise to wear flip flops between parties

With the 10 or so different chapters I have worked with in different regions, campus atmosphere I can say even in casual formal recruitment I rarely saw shorts.

Girls are taught how to sit in a skirt they should be fine, after all if its an outfit that fits well, you are comfy in, youd wear it out and dont show the undies... it will be ok for rush.

I've been following this thread and do have a few comments:

Having gone through rush at UF, the advice here is right on target. UF tends to be a more "formal" school.

I now live in the north, and helped out at Fairleigh Dickensen's rush. I was absolutely appalled at what the rushees wore to pref night. The sisters looked fabulous-- all wearing very pretty black cocktail dresses-- but there was not a single (what I consider) "appropriately dressed" rushee there.

I saw denim skirts, jeans, skin-tight "bar clothes" and crop tops with belly button rings. Many were wearing sneakers! I was just blown away.

Has anybody else seen this in the "smaller" schools?

I have two green/white floral dresses, and I am wearing them with white heels now. It depends on the school - you could also wear a cute neutral or metallic instead if you were worried about the white issue.

Yep, it's quite common. Thinking back, I don't know why I wore the dress I did to pref... ick.

As a generalization, in the north, most people don't come from a greek tradition. They have no education on it. Also, rush in general is a little more laid back and casual. Emphasis on dress isn't all that much. That's why I said earlier that shorts during the first round would be perfectly acceptable at some schools. It also stems from the panhel's lack of direction to the PNMs as to what to wear.

I went to a big Midwestern school and we would have NEVER noticed or cared about white shoes. That said, the rushees tend to wear clothing that is more trendy than traditional even though our rush was somewhat large and competitive, so I can't speak for a school with a more formal rush.

GP is right -- if you're really worried that it might be a problem, you could go with a neutral or metallic. But chances are that no one will care. I don't know anyone in my generation who actually cares about the no-whites-after-Labor-Day rule.

When I went through rush I followed the guidelines given to me before the week started.

On the first day we wore jeans/shorts w/ the recruitment t-shirts & it got a little dressier as the week went on. I only wore a skirt the day of pref & on the third day into recruitment I was still wearing jeans w/ sandals & a very nice button-up shirt. I remember one of the girls in Sigma Kappa approached me & said "You look comfortable" & I thought she had meant it in a mean way. But after I accepted my bid she came me & explained that she really liked how I wasn't trying to overdress just to impress them. :D

Hmmm, a nice pair of metallic shoes could look cute with it. I'll have to look around. I know rush at my school is pretty competitive - but from talking to people in houses there that I know and some people I know that just graduated who were in houses, I think it's a little more trendy than formal. And I know a lot of people on here have said to steer clear of black dresses for pref, but I've been told by numerous girls on campus to wear black - so I think it kinda depends on the school.

If they tell you to wear black something that can work really well to make you stand out while still fitting in is a fun sash/scarf/etc - wear a simple black dress with a great hot pink scarf, or a flower in your hair, or something to make you a little more memorable for the girls who are preffing you! :D

Good idea, I will definitely keep that in mind when I buy my accessories.

Re: halter dress
 

I have a smaller top region and sometimes halter tops make me look odd. Almost like I'm trying to show off more than I actually have. Perhaps it's unusually low cut they have. I have better luck finding strapless dresses and throwing a sweater or shrug over it. Or maybe even a lightweight suit jacket.

We usually tell our potentials NMs to go "business casual."

Odd thing about the black dresses though. I remember when I was a freshman, I walked by the dorm quad where girls were waiting to be escorted to Pref Night and it was a SEA of Black Dresses. I think girls were under the impression that THAT was the thing to wear. But I agree about wanting to stand out.

the advice about accessories is a great one. I would try and steer clear of the all black pref dress as a rushee but if you find something cute thats like black/white or another color with black try and spice it up with some silver jewlery......

Again, its not just what you were but the confidence you wear it with. Ever noticed the girl everyone pays attention to in a room or is the "best looking" is not always the prettiest or best dressed she just has a confidence that she knows she looks good and it radiates from her :)

All of this advice seems pretty on target, but I just want to remind everyone not to feel like they have to fit that cookie cutter mold of what you should wear. It's alright to have things that make you stand out as long as they're appropriate. In fact, I'd recommend buying pieces or jewelry that's different or unique so the girls who are rushing you will have a more clear memory of you and what you're all about. What you wear is supposed to be a reflection of who you are, so remember that when shopping.

Also, for my prefs ceremony I wore black dress pants and a bright red top. Not only was I the only person wearing pants, I was the only person wearing color in the entire room! I don't know if I'd recommend pants to anyone, it's deffinately safer to wear a dress, but don't be afraid to throw in a bit of color because it makes you stand out in a room full of girls wearing black.

And, if you go to school in a state like Florida where it rains all the time, I'd HIGHLY recommend bringing an umbrella. It rained during my preffs and my umbrella saved my night!

Another vote of agreement with the accessorizing idea - when I preffed, I wore a black dress, but added a red cardigan and a red ribbon in my hair to "stand out".

Ribbon sashes are really "in" right now, and it seems like something you could make yourself that would go with any dress.