Rush attire....
 

Hey everyone!

Ok...I'm not too sure if I should direct this question directly at UA girl, or if it's the same everywhere, but right now I'm trying to pick out my clothes for rush. UA has delayed rush, so it's not until Sept. 2, so I don't know whether to go with summerish colors or fall colors...I pretty much have a general idea of the kind of clothes needed. For my black dress for the final night, should I go with something simple and classy. Or should it be something unique, like to help express "me". I found a cute one at Dolce & Gabbanna, but it had fringe and stuff...didn't know if it was too much. I have Mikimoto pearls, so I have the jewelry covered...but the actual attire is confusing me....do any of you know any good websites to go to for designer clothes that might be appropriate for rush??
Any help or advice on the clothes would help soo much!! thank you guys!!

Forgive me if this sounds rude, but I just wanted to remind others that designer clothing is not mandatory for Fall Recruitment. Looking good is a must, but one can do that without the designer and brand name clothes.

Again, I can't speak of how Fall Recruitment is conducted at UA, but I just wanted to clear things up for prospectives who start freaking out. I was that way during Rush (as it was called then), but I learned that everyone has their personal style...and if their style called for extra $$$, then great...but the girls who didn't invest in as much $$$ on clothes were just as successful.

Good luck with Fall Recruitment (typing Rush is much easier!).

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A single seed...becomes a Rose of incredible beauty.

A single grain of sand...becomes a Pearl of great worth.

A single great idea...becomes a Century of success.

Go Alpha Gam!

I think that when you are choosing your black dress for final parties, you should definitely stick with something classic and elegant. Think Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's if you are familiar with that film? Pick something that, when you look at the pictures of you 20 years from now, you won't be like "Eww, WHAT was I thinking???"

Good luck in Rush and have fun! (I'm sorry, I refuse to call it recruitment!!!)

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@~Tracy~@

By the light of the lamp, by the light of the lamp, by the bright shiny light, by the light of the lamp...if you are a DeeZee, you're the best that you can be, by the bright shiny light of the lamp!

I'd say express yourself in a formal way. We were told to wear something appropriate for an evening wedding. My dress was black knee-length & sleeveless, with black sequins spaced out near the waist and they got less spaced as they went to the bottom. It wasn't flashy at all, but it made it a little different from a plain black dress. I could undoubtedly (sp?) wear it again to a nicer diner. I had two, and decided the day of which I would wear. They were Byer Too and Rampage if that helps any. I got both of them a department store. Just like everything, find a happy medium. Not too out there, not too boring. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif Have fun
Heidi

Hey Tidegirl!
I'll be rushing at UA this fall too! About the summer/fall colors, I wasn't sure what to do about that one either, but I went ahead and got summer colors (except for my Serious night dress, which is black). I really think either one would be ok and I bet that you'll see a little bit of everything!

Check out bluefly.com, they have lots of designer stuff. Some of it is kind of out there, but they do have lots of more classic stuff like Nicole Miller. Plus, it's all discounted!

Heidi is right! Express yourself, in a way that fits. You can buy the standard black sheath that everyone and their sister has and you will be appropriately dressed, but you won't make much of an impression.

If it has subtle fringe, not like bad cowboy shirt fringe, and you feel comfy and look nice in it, that sounds great. That shows you know what you look good in and didn't just check off the clothes on a check list.

I think you should wear something you like. Personally I feel comfortable in black but I also know that the chapters often wear black and you stand out more in a different dress in a sea of black.

I was lucky because my school provided us with pictures of what to wear for each day, right down to the shoes...It really helped cause I did not know what to expect...I think the simple black sheath is great...that's what most of the sisters will be wearing ...if you would like to stand out a little more try to throw in the colors of the sorority you are thinking about preffing the last day..throw in a silk scarf or a black dress with some colored flowers...I have seen girls wear grey suits with teal tanks underneath and a black and teal scarf for ZTA or black with pink flowers for Phi Mu...I know I would totally notice a girl that added some red into her wardrobe for the week of rush ...I am an AOII of course...you can be traditional and still express yourself and be noticed...but just be careful for you never know if one person just makes a big deal about fringe or something...I would not do it..but you never know who is on the other side...best of luck..AOII Georgia Southern

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IF I PAID FOR MY FRIENDS, I DID NOT PAY ENOUGH

No, designer clothing is not mandatory. I think everyone realizes that. What most people often realize, especially in the South, is that those things are often considered. I have acquaintances in chapters of various sororities in the South who do take note of that sort of thing--taking note of designer clothing, jewelry (whether pearls are real or fake), and whatnot. This, from what I know, is not an anomaly. I'm not saying that this is right (because it's not), but it's something that most Southern women are aware of when going through Recruitment.

Pardon me if this sounds rude, but I'm honestly just trying to help. If you are spending a lot of effort to find designer clothes, you are wasting both your time and money. First of all, VERY FEW people in Tuscaloosa wear Dolce and Gabana. Secondly, I doubt highly that anyone is going to notice that you are wearing Mikimoto pearls during a ten minute party unless you tell them. And if you had gone on to me about all the designer duds you were wearing, you would be dropped that night. Sorority girls at Alabama are stereotyped as a bunch of rich daddy's girl debs, but that is 95% not the case. These girls are going to see straight through you if you walk in like you just got back from fashion week in New York. And trust me, there is NOWHERE to buy D&G in that town. My advice is to stay simple and comfortable. When I went through, I got all of my outfits from shops in Tuscaloosa. Also remember that in Tuscaloosa in September it is still brutally hot, so make sure you dress for the weather. Obviously you want to avoid all the "after labor day" fashion rules, but other than that, buy sensible clothing for rush, and save your money for going out after bid day.

i can't say for sure how it works in all chapters or at all colleges, but once you've made it to a house's pref night party, they've already decided where you are on their bid list. my house does not vote at all after the pref night parties. spots on the list are assigned before rushees even walk through the door on pref night. the purpose of that night is to make them choose us... if we didn't already want them, they wouldn't be invited back to that round. so still dress to impress, but don't think that your outfit will make a world of difference because by that point in rush, it won't. if i were you, i'd buy a black dress that's not so trendy that you won't ever want to wear it again. if you make it to pref night, you have already made yourself stand out to those girls. it's your chance to relax and let THEM try to impress YOU.

Worriedsenior,

I don't recall seeing multiple outfits on PNM but with several hundred going through, it's hard to keep track sometimes. In all honesty, you probably already have something appropriate in your closet. Always look there first! However, if you feel the urge to go out and buy something, buy clothing that you KNOW you will wear again. Don't forget you can always borrow clothing from your friends. My biggest piece of advice is to avoid hemlines that tell the world, "Hello," when you sit down. Examples of classic styling are Carriages Fine Clothiers (in Baton Rouge), Talbot's - www.talbots.com, and Ann Taylor - www.anntaylor.com. (Fun trivia - the head designer for Ann Taylor is a man from Baton Rouge!) If these don't exactly fit your budget, look for similar styles at places like Steinmart.

You probably have some cute little boutiques in your hometown. Where's do you live? You can e-mail me if you like.

worriedsenior,

Where are you attending school?

LSU, and very excited too!

SensativAF, I believe Wine & Blue presented a very informative post about Recruitment at UA. Being that she IS from UA herself, her tips probably helped the many girls on GC who are planning to Rush at UA this Fall.

Nothing is wrong with wearing designer clothing...and if you have the bucks then go for it! It's important to look great for the sisters, but in all honesty, a rushee should concentrate more on being as comfortable with the sisters as possible!

Also, I noticed that your post was re-posted many times. When you have the time, it would be great if you could delete the repetitive posts (Barbara-Rush Forum mod is on vacation).

Good luck and best wishes on a very successfull Fall Recruitment.

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A single seed...becomes a Rose of incredible beauty.

A single grain of sand...becomes a Pearl of great worth.

A single great idea...becomes a Century of success.

Go Alpha Gam!

[This message has been edited by OohTeenyWahine (edited July 16, 2001).]

I don't think that Wine&Blue was trying to sound smart by making those comments. I know that she's been extremely helpful with us future UA rushees and I'm sure she was trying to let girls out there know that they don't HAVE to spend a ton of money on rush clothes if they can't afford to. I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates her tips!

I never said ALL New Yorkers were into fashion. Actually I know New York very well and was not commenting on the city itself. Since you are from New York, you must know that fashion week is an EVENT that happens there in which designers show their newest designs, which tend to be beyond the budget of any rushee. (And if you are worried about seeming "rambunctious bruske arrogant" then I wouldn't be so quick to accuse people who are trying to help of making "clever" remarks.) I also did not say that people at Alabama do not wear name brand clothing. What I said was if what you are looking for in the clothes you choose for rush is a name brand or a price tag, then your priorities are in the wrong place and you will probably be very disappointed on bid day.

Thank you to everyone who came to my defense.

As moderator, I feel the need to provide an 'official' response to the original post.

Your Recruitment materials will tell you, usually in agonizing detail, the type of clothing that is suggested for each round of events during recruitment.

Do not go out and spend money on a Recruitment wardrobe unless you are purchasing clothes that you would normally use for school.

What is important is that you have high grades, good activities, a personality that fits in with a chapter and that you are well groomed. By well groomed I mean that you are clean, your clothes fit well and are flattering and you present yourself as a lady. If you don't have the body to wear trendy clothes, don't. Wear items that flatter you and your figure and leave it at that. Wear clothes that are tasteful and be sure to wear appropriate undergarments.

Recruitment is not a fashion show.


Barbara
Rush Forum Moderator

[This message has been edited by PnguinTrax (edited July 17, 2001).]

I think this is great advice! I worked at Setinmart in Virginia for a year. You'll save a lot of $$$ by shopping there.

TIP

The Boutique at Stienmart has the designer clothes. (Not knock offs, the actual stuff!)

The women who work in the Bou during the week and during the day work in there for a VERY specific reason. (These women will probably be the mothers of all the girls you're going to be rushed by.) Steinmart recruits these women straight out of the country clubs to work there. They get a great discount and something to do during the day. The Bou Ladies (as they are known http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif ) also put on fashion shows throughout the year for prom, etc. You may want to ask if they'll have one for rush. Steinmart has it's roots firmly in the South so it wouldn't shock me! By all means ask these women for their fashion advice. They're shopping all day while they work so they'll know exactly what they have on hand.

P.S.

Remember, you are dressing to impress girls, not guys! Some rushees forget that. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/eek.gif

OK, to get back to the original topic of this thread. Summer or fall colors - summer! Even at the beginning of Sept it will still be a thousand degrees in Alabama. Pref night - Twin Star made an outstanding point...if you're at the pref party, they already want you. I'm a ZTA, and for pref all Zetas wear black dresses. As a rushee, I wore a simple, classic black dress to pref, and it obviously made not a world of difference. This year, I am wearing a dress with fringe, but it's still classy. As far as pearls go, my rule is "If I'm not wearing heels, I'm not wearing pearls." Great for pref night, but lay off of them earlier in the week. As a rushee, I went to Open House at a sorority known for being big southern prisses (I hate to generalize, but..). The sister who led me through the house was wearing her jersey, a khaki skirt, socks, tennis shoes...and pearls. Um...I would advise against that. It just seemed like a little too much. About wearing the same outfit as someone else - it happened to me. It's one of those situations you have absolutely no control over, so just make a joke out of it. "Hey, you have *outstanding* taste in clothes!" It will show how witty you are, and that you can handle an embarrassing situation with class. The sorority women will notice that a lot more than the actual outfit you were wearing. Designer clothes - I didn't have them. My family is poor. Designer clothes are not an option. I didn't even buy new clothes for rush. I wore cute stuff I already owned, like a cute sundress from the Gap, a classy pantsuit from the junior dept at Sears, etc. My pref dress had been bought 8 months earlier for a wedding. I rushed at a Southern school (College of Charleston) and still got into one of the largest, most active chapters on campus with one of the best reputations. One thing my chapter is known for is being genuine, so when I rushed they probably didn't care what I was wearing, just that I looked put-together and classy. So don't stress about designer clothes. Besides, if certain girls are gonna judge you based on what you're wearing, are those really the kind of (obviously shallow and stuck-up) girls you want to call your sisters????

Sorry for such a long post, but I wanted to clear some things up.

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"Seek the noblest."
Zeta Love! <3

It's so ironic that you say this. A few years ago I went to a summer "Go Greek" event sponsored by the LSU Panhellenic Council and part of the program was a fashion show. All the clothes came from Steinmart and the coordinators were Bou ladies and their sorority daughters.

To any rushees going to UA... Tuscaloosa has a great Steinmart. I've been to several around the state and the one in Tusc. is by far the best. I would definitely look there for rush clothes at reasonable prices.

Most schools will tell you in advance what types of clothes you need. For our first day, i wore khaki pants and a sleevless blouse. Second round of parties I wore a sleeveless dress, that was dressy casual (it was my graduation dress), and then the final night every girl wears a black dress. Don't buy something just for Rush, but if you can't find something in your closet, then buy something that you'll be able to wear again for other events. Be comfortable in whatever you chose. Although girls aren't looking specifically at how you are dressed, a nice appearance never hurts.

Wine&Blue-
What are some good shops in Tuscaloosa to buy rush type outfits at? I'm not very familiar with the city (yet!).

Effie's, just off campus, is really nice. Part Two in the Tuscaloosa Galleria is good too.

Exactly how commonplace are black dresses on pref night? In my rush materials, they make absolutely no mention of it! I'd hate to go up there dressed improperly. Is it something that the sisters usually do, or is it generally expected of rushees as well? Or is it one of those things that just varies from school to school?

At my school only the rushers are required to wear black dresses. A rushee may wear a black dress. My rho chi just said to dress nice for pref she had never told us what the rushers wore for pref so I am sure there were girls who also wore black. Just look nice. I looked like such a dork bc I wore black shoes with this suede outfit bc I didn't have a car to go shopping and i couldn't find any shoes to go with my outfit- Oh well I still got a bid!

First of all, to explain the fashion show thing: This got controversial at my school 'cause people were offended that we had a fashion show (this is University of Houston, obviously in Texas). So we stopped having the Rho Chis do a fashion show. But they weren't doing it because they wanted people to think they had to go and buy a whole new wardrobe at Nieman's or anything...it was just to let people know what the level of formality was for each night, just as you would need to know for a job interview, wedding or other event.

So my advice is to get a general idea of what to wear for each day and then walk into your closet and start pulling outfits and lay them out to look at them. You probably already have clothes that will work just great! If you are blessed financially and can get new stuff, that's your prerogative, but to be honest, the sororities will only be "ohmygosh look at that" if you show up in cutoffs or something or if you show up to pref in a prom dress. Common sense would tell you not to do those things, so I think that everyone should stop worrying and just wear comfortable, nice-looking clothes that they already have...if not, get together with another friend who is rushing and raid each other's closets until you all find stuff you can wear...this is supposed to be fun, not stressful!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am sure that everyone will look beautiful and have a great time!!!!!!!! Don't forget your best fashion feature, your smile http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

dzsaigirl

[This message has been edited by dzsaigirl (edited August 09, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by dzsaigirl (edited August 09, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by dzsaigirl (edited August 09, 2001).]

Speaking of Rush Attire, I have a quick question.

All of the pictures of Pref dresses I've seen are heinous. However, pretty much all of them are black/dark colors, and worn with heels.

I have this absolutely GORGEOUS dress from J Crew (it was never in the catalog, it was a store only item). It's a strapless dress that hits a little higher than my knees and is in this gorgeous blue and white flower, almost vintage looking, print. There is boning in the bodice which gives it a very elegant silhouette. I thought with some pretty jewlery and nice heels, I could pass it on Pref night. I'm worried that the color scheme will make it inappropriate. If this dress were black, I wouldn't even be posting. So, any advice?

Molly

My two cents:

Molly, I think your dress sounds very elegant, although since it's strapless you might consider putting a little short-sleeve sweater over it (if it looks appropriate that is). I wouldn't worry about the color because it'll just set you apart from others and make you more memorable.