How to Dress up the Recruitment T-Shirt
 

Hey guys! I have a quick question. Our school is giving us a recruitment T-shirt to wear to open houses. It is navy.. and I am wondering how I could dress this up. Would one of those bubble statement necklaces be too much or should I go with pearls? I'm not very good with the jewelry department so anything would be helpful!

Thank you!!!!!
~Turtlelover

Is it a French cut or just a regular t-shirt?

No bubble necklaces - per my daughter who is in a southern sorority..... too much for a tshirt and they are fashion from a couple of years ago. A long casual necklace might work.

They are regular t-shirts! Not fit. They are like any southern t-shirt. A little bit oversized, usually a cute pastel, kind of print on the back.

You might want to go easy on the jewelry (no large-ish statement necklace or anything) and find some really cute shorts and sandals (a navy shirt should be easy to work with).

Check the websites of your school and schools with similar recruitments for examples -- the PNMs at Mississippi State are wearing Panhellenic-issued t-shirts for all rounds except pref, and there are a lot of examples of shorts with tees on the MSU Panhellenic site (keep scrolling):

http://www.panhellenicmsstate.com/#!about1/cqct

Cut the sleeves off and get a sweet upper arm tattoo.

Hahahahahaha!!!

Pearls - single strand

I'd be kinda surprised if you see a lot of girls wearing pearls with their t-shirts -- IMO a long casual necklace (as suggested up thread) would be better. You don't want to look like you are trying too hard to achieve a stereotypical sorority look, and besides, perspiration is really terrible for pearls.

Of course I don't know what is customary on your campus, but you might look through photos on the websites/facebook of chapters located on your campus.

ETA: If the front design of your shirt is really busy, or if you will be wearing a hanging name tag, it might not be a good idea to wear a long necklace. If you wear a necklace, perhaps something shorter/less obtrusive would be a better choice under ^these circumstances.

I would go with a small silver or gold necklace that's something meaningful or sentimental, if you feel like you need a necklace. Depending on your campus, you could skip the necklace and go with bracelets: bangles or Alex & Ani type.

I wouldn't wear pearls with a tee unless it's your thing and you wear them every day and don't take them off.

You know we never perspire - we glisten!

My university issues a t-shirt too! Last year it was a deep V American Apparel one and if it's the same design this year then I'm planning on wearing a very thin gold chain with a very small charm. The necklace is almost choker length, with the charm laying kind of in between my clavicle. I'm planning on pairing the shirt with a pair of J. Crew chinos (they're on sale online now!)

Is your shirt like the Alabama recruitment Comfort Colors one from last year? I don't remember exactly what it looks like but I don't know about wearing any kind of necklace with a pocket tee. Kendra Scott is a very popular jewelry designer in Texas (I actually know her - she's a very sweet lady!) and they make really trendy earrings and long necklaces.

These might be a bit "basic" but they're still a good way to jazz up an outfit for a decent price: http://m.kendrascott.com/danielle-ea...not%20provided

http://m.kendrascott.com/fashion-des...-necklaces?p=1

My daughter says those script monogram necklaces are still popular, and they'd be the right length for a t-shirt, although you wouldn't really stand out as unique. My daughter wears a lavaliere now, but freshman year she had a gold chain with a small pendent/charm of our dog breed...that was kind of a good conversation piece during recruitment because college kids love to talk about the pets they're missing back home.

kendra scott earrings or monogram necklace or good watch like kate spade or michael Kors plus a couple of bangles like alex & ani. i would not do too much as the shirts probably have a lot of typography. also, lily or other bright shorts. jack rogers sandals or other cute sandals, sperries, etc. good luck!

I cannot imagine wearing Jack Rogers for recruitment. They are not comfortable if you're going to do a lot of walking. It took forever to break mine in and I still can't wear them if I am going to walk a lot. I agree on the comfortable and cute shorts like Lilly, J Crew or Vineyard Vines!

Also depending on how bold you are, I know my friends and I are looking at maybe doing some of the less "bling bling" nail art designs here, all in neutral shades: http://opi.com/nail-art#llQ0iZ5X2d5Kw1iW.97

Or cut it to look like a Hooters girl!

Ditto on the Kendra Scott necklace and earrings. Also, Tory Burch or similar sandals, but not the ones with raised logo inside the sole. . .. .those are killer pain for many hours on your feet.

That is a real surprise... t shirts and shorts for all rounds Monday-Thursday. Really nice way to take off a lot of pressure on PNMs, though. I sure as hell hope those girls get more than 1 shirt, because I don't see them doing laundry during rush!

lol no kidding! Checking on that -- the MSU Panhellenic Recruitment Guide shows a different shirt for each day -- looks like white for Monday, light blue for Tuesday, a stone gray color for Wednesday, and black for Thursday.

It's either white or light pink. On my screen, it looked pink when I zoomed in, but my screen may not be calibrated. I think it's a pretty good idea, with the heat and all of the walking, it might be pretty comfortable for the PNMs. I wonder what the chapter women will be wearing on those first four days. I hope they aren't too dressed up compared to the PMNs.

When I think of the amount of money I spent dressing my daughters for rush/recruitment at Alabama ... and knowing that they would have been much happier and more comfortable in t-shirts and shorts.

I Swanee!

There I was, encouraging them to begin to building a professional wardrobe post high school.

I think it's a good idea too, but I'll bet there was some angst on part of the PNMs about what size to order (presumably at registration), since the shirt shown has such a deep v neckline. Having to wear a cami won't contribute to comfort in the heat!

I also wondered if the actives will be scaling down their dress as well prior to pref -- my random guess would be probably not.

I'm outing myself as a Midwestern girl, but I just can't imagine pearls with a tshirt. Too formal.

I'd go with a simple necklace and pendant in silver or gold, simple hoop earrings or simple stud earrings, and cute sandals. I'd make sure my hair was perfect.

Someone told us that the girls who wear belts with their khaki shorts during Open Houses at Texas come off as much more polished and put-together than those who do not. A simple tan leather belt will work with any color shirt they give you.

Not for the South.
Lace shorts, or scalloped hem, tuck in the shirt and wear a nice belt (if the shorts have belt loops).

This thread makes me thankful I went through recruitment in the north/Midwest.

If I were handed a recruitment shirt I'd throw on some jeans and flip flops and go, and wouldn't be out of place.

And this one might be kind of obvious, but it never hurts to mention. Be sure you're wearing a bra under the t-shirt that has no seams and makes it look nice. And stick with nude bras, because white can show under white.

On what Southern campus are pearls currently a popular accessory worn with t-shirts?

Just wondering, because at Bama, you won't see that many worn even with dresses right now.

Also no pearl sightings at Ole Miss. Sorority move-in is on August 15, school starts on the 25th, and they do a mid-term recruitment here, but I'll keep my eyes open. However, I think the shorts and t-shirts my students wear to class will NOT be the norm for how they dress up recruitment t-shirts.

Do they still wear Nike shorts with recruitment t-shirts (from a past thread)?

Ditto here. None of my friends are considering wearing pearl necklaces with their t-shirt, and I don't recall seeing any in past recruitment photos of PNMs. Pearl stud earrings, yes. Gold necklaces, yes. Diamond/sapphire/ruby earrings, yes. But hey, I come from a place where pulling on a fancy pair of cowboy boots is considered "dressed up." :p

The shirt probably has a logo or images, and you will be wearing a functional name tag the first rounds, so I would skip a necklace and concentrate on earrings, bracelet and/or ring. Something you love that makes you smile.

My daughter is struggling with the idea of wearing a necklace with her t's. We scoured twitter and instagram for pictures from last years PNM's, and they all did indeed have necklaces on. No pearl necklaces, though. She asked her girlfriend last night (who is rushing at a neighboring school), and she concurred. While their entire friend group thinks necklaces look stupid...err silly, they are going to wear them siting the reason, "because everyone else's wears them." My daughter is still undecided.

Guess I'm just too Southern - I've worn necklaces with my tees for years...just not to the gym...

To be honest, I lay low during recruitment week on campus. I try to be a nice professor who doesn't schedule tests or have projects due ... and with the large crowds walking around campus, I just steer clear of them. I don't really have a clue what they wear during recruitment.

They do, however, usually show up to class in Nike shorts and teeshirts from various socials. I'm always amazed how at nicely they clean up when I see them in The Grove tailgating before football games.

On the first class meeting, since my students are seniors, I always ask them to tell me something about them that I wouldn't know unless they told me. Invariably, I am told who is a recruitment chair and who is a Rho Chi ... and I also find out if anyone is expecting a baby before the semester is over.

As they told everyone at my new faculty orientation years ago, "At Ole Miss, Greek happens so get over it."

LOL, my students are ALWAYS wearing letters on the first day of class.

Our Panhellenic requires all sorority members to wear stitched letters when out in public and not actively working out before and during recruitment, so PNMs know not to talk to us and potentially cause recruitment infractions (I guess?). It lets all the professors know right away who's Greek and who isn't. Once recruitment is over we all switch right back to tank tops and Nike shorts.

Well, I wear pearls all the time with everything and everyone loves it! It's fun and kind of "old school", but it makes my dd stand out when she wears them with t-shirts because she can tell them how they were a gift from her mom. Now we both wear them daily. It's our connection AND represents Sigma Kappa!

It's not a "gym wear" outfit. It's a nice summer outdoor party outfit. She should acessorize as she would for a casual, but nice summer BBQ. That should include whatever jewelry is appropriate for your region.