Another rush fashion question!
 

Hey there, everyone. I really appreciate the info and advice given to me previously so here's another question I thought of in the middle of the night.

Is white acceptable after labor day?
What if it's a white dress with a black design on it, but the majority of the dress being white? (Don't worry, I have other dresses as options, but this one is the most flattering and my favorite. I'm not just now starting to dress shop!)

I'm sure it varies from campus to campus, but perhaps you could help.

That's partially going to depend on what part of the country and how conservative the school is. Being a Midwesterner, in general I'd shy away just to be sure, but in Florida or Southern California I doubt they'd care or even notice. Especially if you're talking still the heat of summer regardless of what the calendar says. Maybe someone else can put their 2 cents in.

Of course, if you feel the most comfortable and think you're putting your best foot forward in this dress, wear it! How you FEEL in a dress is at least as important as you look in it.

The "white" rule generally only applies below the waist (pants & shoes...or suits - no white suit jackets in the winter), so I would think that you'd be good with a dress...especially since it's not solid white.

I live in the southwest and we wear white all the time. I do think this is more of a regional thing though.

The only white article of clothing I don't wear after Labor Day is shoes. (I'm from Alabama). I think these days it's like AlphaFrog said...no pants/shoes/suits. Your dress should be fine...but since you've got some back ups, ask your Recruitment Counselors if you're still nervous about it so you'll get an answer specific to your campus.

Thanks! =)
The response I received when asking about dress code was "it's very laid back," and that on Pref you should wear a dress of some sort. If it matters, the info was given to me by an active in an info session.

It will still be very hot (and humid :() when recruitment happens. I'll be bringing lots of blotting papers, I'm sure.

on the topic of fashion, i was wondering if it would be okay if i wore a black, high waisted skirt to the open house day? we would be getting an all-Panhellenic t-shirt that day and i thought it would be kinda cute and different if i tucked it into the black skirt that i have and wore some cute flats and bracelets and whatnot. any input?

Unless the Panhel t-shirts are French cut t shirts (which they usually aren't) this won't look very good. Stick to what's advised in the recruitment guide.

gotta go with 33 on that. The graphic would probably be bunched up into the skirt and just make you look thick. Take any regular t-shirt you have with a big graphic, and try it on with the skirt. Don't assume the t-shirt you'll be given will look or fit any better than whatever you wear to work out in.

so do you have any other ideas rather than jeans or daisy dukes? i just want to be a little different and separate myself from all of the other girls, but still in a tasteful manner

Depends on when and where you're rushing.

A school that goes for classic and preppy? Maybe sailor pants or linen pants (as long as you can keep them wrinkle free).


http://www.tigerrag.com.au/images/(12)_LRG.jpg

http://s7ondemand7.scene7.com/is/ima...253_016?$prod$




A school that's more trendy?

http://www.google.com/url?source=img...JYoIllBUQOBlpQ
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Whatever you get, take 33's advice about trying it on with a large graphic tee. The choices I put out there may or may not work, depending on your body, with a tshirt. (The sailor pants especially - you would probably have to wear the tee untucked, which would ruin the effect.

I really like this idea, and I see girls doing this all the time - but then again I'm in so cal so I think it really does depend on your region

This is a time for your personality to outshine your clothes because everyone looks more or less the same. Your clothes should accentuate who you are, not BE who you are. What would you normally wear with a t-shirt? A nice pair of shorts, jeans, khakis, a little skirt. I'm sure you'd look perfectly cute in any of those. If Panhel has selected a t-shirt, their plan is for it to be casual, so I wouldn't try to turn it into a fashion design or a craft project. Remember that sorority life isn't always dress up and be fancy-time. This is an opportunity to show your more laid-back self.

But, um, no on the daisy dukes.

Re: Daisy Dukes

Why have we (collective we) forgotten that there is something between pant and ass-hanging-out? Bermuda, walking short, capri, flood...all cute with the right outfit. There is middle ground.

Ok, I'm done now...heading back to my rocker. Someone pass a lemonade.

I got a great pair of bermudas this summer that I wear probably 2-3 times a week (I wash them, OK, I just love them a lot).

Before that I hadn't worn shorts in 4 years (outside of pajamas). Not even to work out.

I think capris have jumped the shark to soccer momland.

But yeah, Bermudas would be fine.

I had a pair of black Bermudas that I wore quite a bit...but they're too big now.

This could go in the "Adult" thread, but I realized at the beginning of this summer that I hardly had any workout/scrubby clothes...everything I had bought the last few years had been office clothes. When I first started in the "real" world, I had the opposite problem.

I resent (and resemble) this comment. :p

Lately, I've been buying nicer casual clothes. Well-fitting (dark wash) jeans, bermudas instead of short shorts, sleeveless shirts/knit tops instead of tank tops/t-shirts.

I am constantly cycling out and donating work clothes though. After my mom passed, my dad found over 50 of the same button up work shirt in various colors/sizes in my mom's closet. I'll keep scrubby clothes forever, but I really try to keep my work wardrobe fresh.

Of course, that means I spend WAY more money on clothes than I can afford. TYG for outlet malls, TJ Maxx with a good selection, Nordstrom Rack, and sales!

Me too! But I have an excuse. I live in a place where there's no way I'd wear jeans in the summer (mom jeans or otherwise), and anything above the knee is frowned upon in public, like the mall. So capris it is! 2 years ago I owned zero pairs. Now I own, I don't know, maybe 10.

Yeah, uh-huh...justify it all you want. We're June Clever 2010.

Oh, I didn't say I don't have them myself.

I think capris can be quite cute.... Just not on my super short legs.
My school also wears a provided t-shirt for a day, I've been debating if I should wear regular jeans, dressier black jeans*, or dress pants. I've heard a few people talking about just regular jeans and the info session said it's super laid back. They didn't provide pictures on what to wear, but they did talk about it.

*They don't really *look* like jeans, have NO fading, but they certainly feel like jeans.

In SoCal we wear white (and winter white) when the weather dictates. Capris are really a disaster for almost all: they cut you in such a way that you look shorter and potentially chunky. I don't think that I've seen college kids here with bermuda shorts unless they are on the golf course. Pleated short shorts are adorable and give the illusion of length.

Please note: I do not wear shorts. My girls do...I have reached the age and thigh where I feel a social responsibility not to expose my thighs to the world.

Love winter white. Alabama be damned, I wear it.

Capris make me my short legs look even stumpier. I only know this because I wore them when I was young and naive. I personally love Bermuda shorts, and hate short shorts, both because I feel exposed and because my legs are not my best feature so I look a hella lot better with a little bit of covering. My "short" shorts are still not tiny, and for any ladies built like me (my bottom half is a little larger than the top and I will never have itty bitty legs) I recommend Old Navy and Gap for affordable shorts in different lengths. I think women like myself look better with a little length in the shorts, and a little room. My legs look infinitely smaller this way than if I wear itty bitty shorts.

how about grey jeans for the open house round? and for open house and house tours, should i wear heels or should i just save my feet by wearing flats/sandals for those days? at my school, both rounds are two days long since there are 17 sororities in our greek system. i like wearing heels because i'm short and i love the way i feel in them, however i don't want to be in unbearable pain by the end. advice?

Do NOT wear the heels. You will be crawling by the end of the first day with a whole week in front of you. Save them for Preference.

If you can handle it, do it but absolutely bring flip flops to wear in between parties. I'm short too and sympathize...I can go 8-5 in heels in a day, but my feet are basically numb by the time my shoes come off. Don't let your feet get to that point or the next day will be very unpleasant.

I wouldn't pick stilettos, though, until pref both to save your feet and because they could be overkill anyway.

a couple more questions:
1. on the days when we're given a tshirt to wear, would it be okay if i wore a cardigan and/or necklace with the shirt? or would it be seen as disrespectful since it's not uniform with all the other girls?
2. would it be okay if i wore a skirt and blouse for pref night? the outfit is mostly black and is still really formal.

thanks for all the advice!

1. A simple necklace would be fine. (I'm thinking of a charm on a chain or something similarly simple.) Anything large might look silly. The cardigan would depend upon your campus, if I were you, I would bring it with me and take it off/leave it with my Rho Chi if I was the only one wearing one.
2. Not on my campus, but there may be places where it would be okay. Honestly though, if you can wear a black cocktail dress at your school, you're going to need one anyway at some point/it's a nice thing to have in general. If you go to a color-only school, there are plenty appropriate things that you can wear more than once for significantly under $100.

Also, on my campus, a lot of chapters do some variation of a skirt/blouse/heels combo for the round before pref, based upon my friend's at other schools outfits, it seems as though it's fairly common in at least three regions. It may seem a little off if you're basically wearing what the sorority girls wore for philanthropy for pref night.

Remember that you should dress for pref as you would for a cocktail party (or day wedding if you have a day pref). And you really want to confirm if black is a good or bad choice on your campus. But I agree with 2013 - this is a good time for you to get a nice dress. Don't drop a fortune, but a simple classic cocktail dress is a very good idea. On the other hand, if you want to post a picture of your outfit, we could be picturing something totally different. The dress I wore to pref was in 2 pieces, but you'd never call the top a "blouse."

As far as the cardigan, I would follow the weather, but you don't need to worry about making yourself stand out by your clothes/accessories. This is a good day to let your personality shine and not beat yourself up about personalizing your outfit.

1. I don't think that would be disrespectful, and you probably won't be the only one doing that. As long as you aren't cutting the t-shirt into a different design or hiding it completely, I would think it would be a good idea to personalize the outfit a little bit.
2. On my campus, that would not be appropriate. If you get a bid you'll have activities where you'll need a nice dress, so you might want to go on a quick shopping trip and get a cocktail dress that is appropriate for several occasions.

If you want a black dress, something like this would be appropriate. Though if you're in the south I wouldn't go shorter than this with the hemline.

A dress like this is a good choice because it can be dressed up or down depending on the accessories. For pref you should wear heels and some nice but not overwhelming jewelry. (Pearls, simple silver or gold jewelry). But if you go with a pair of flats and some casual jewelry it could be appropriate for more casual occasions.

A dress like this is a good choice because it can be re-used later for something like a semi formal.

Here are two more choices that could be re-used for formals/semi formals if you get a bid. Black or color.

I LOVE that green dress, and at that price, I'd be getting it because you WILL have a use for it, one way or another! Good catch Alumiyum!

Haha I know I kind of want it! It's bookmarked on my wishlist now.

I'm trying to figure out if it's 1-too young for me and 2-appropriate for any events I will have this winter. I have my charity ball gown made, but I'm sure there will be a Christmas party or something I'll need a cocktail dress for.

You could get it in the purple or red...I'm thinking about getting it in Wine.