is this ok
 

Would this be okay for a pref dress.? I'm wondering since its not a cocktail dress. It goes to the knee and the neckline isn't deep.
http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/k/.../prefdress.jpg

Also, would a halter-top dress that hits the knees be okay for first rounds? I have limited funds so before I go shopping I want to make sure everything I buy will be alright.

I think that dress would be fine for pref...atleast at my school...

as others have said...make sure you have something unique to set you off, as in a hair decoration or jewelry. you don't want to get lost in a sea of black.

I think I'd go for something brighter if you are a PNM...I've seen many girls going for the black dresses and I just don't think you'll stand out enough. MMCat said it when she said to find some way to stand out...maybe flowers in your hair or something, but I really think that dress looks too much like what the sisters will (might) be wearing...sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear.

blueGBI,

I agree with WhiteDaisy128; I think PNMs should wear something brighter than the chapter sisters (like pastels). You may also want to add a splash of color to your hear or necklace, etc.

Good Luck with Rush!:D

What is the material??? Is your campus conservative? Actually, I like the dress as far as I can tell, but the ladies of the North would be the better judges. If you were going to rush in the South, that dress (right material of course) and some unique jewelry would be great for most houses. Does it make you look youngish or collegiate? That can be a consideration as well.

This year's guide shows 4 girls-two in black , one in a STRAPLESS
PRINT:eek: and...one in a HALTER WITH A SKIRT!!! (double:eek: )
Perhaps they think they are helping people, but when you show up to pref in a skirt and halter top, how comfortable would you feel in a crowd of cocktail dresses...well, you would stand out!

Oh no! My daughter bought a dress at the Nordstrom Sale to wear at Pref that fits this description. JAM's reaction is making me nervous.

The dress is black chiffon-like fabric with an uneven hem that hits mid-calf at its low point. It has a large floral print with reds and I can't remember what else. It is strapless, but it fits snugly, and she doesn't show any cleavage when she wears it. She loved the dress, and got lots of compliments from other moms as she was looking for me when she tried in on. It does look nice on her but...she also has a beautiful dusty pink cocktail dress with off the shoulder straps that she wore to a dance Senior year. I thought she'd wear that, but she really wanted this dress!

She's going to a midwestern state U where rush is supposedly not competitive. I think I'll tell her to bring both dresses with her and she can look at what other PNMs are wearing and decide from there. Any other suggestions?

for the love of macaroni cheese. . .wear shoes that match

there was a girl last year that wore a beautiful dress to pref night with ruffles. . .she wore some penny loafers with heels
i almost gagged when she walked in the room. . .i literally stopped singing and stared at her feet. . .
my whole sorority knows me. . .i will stop them from making any bad shoe mistakes. . .
i know they can't spurlge $80 on shoes like me. . .but TJ Maxx exists for a reason. . .

please. . .for the love of grilled cheese sandwiches. . .rho whatever you are. . .make sure they know that there are some of us who scrutinize outfits. . .

You know what I don't understand...
 

It seems that at many schools the clothes you wear to recruitment are just as important as your personality, why isn't there a guide from each of the schools that tells the PNM what exactly is appropriate or inappropriate for recruitment??? :confused:

Re: You know what I don't understand...
 

Because NPC keeps swearing up and down that it doesn't matter. Which is ridiculous, of course.

justamom is from a deep south school where an outfit like that might be a bit too much. I think your description of your daughters dress sounds lovely and will work just fine, if she isn't off to one of the big south schools...

The dress is a polyester/cotton blend. I wore it to a wedding and I looked nice without looking too grown so I guess I look collegiate in it. At Penn State, some sororities can be really conservative and some aren't.

WhiteDaisy128:

I think I'd go for something brighter if you are a PNM...I've seen many girls going for the black dresses and I just don't think you'll stand out enough. MMCat said it when she said to find some way to stand out...maybe flowers in your hair or something, but I really think that dress looks too much like what the sisters will (might) be wearing...sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear.

I really like this dress so if I can find something similar to it in another color, I may buy it. I'll either wear my pearls with the dress or a teardrop ruby necklace with it. But since I'm black, I don't have to worry too much about if I stand out enough because I'll probably be the only black rushee.

White_Chocolate- for the love of macaroni cheese. . .wear shoes that match

I just found that funny... :D

I personally think it's fine. I'm not as concerned about color as I am about the overall appearance. Well, that sounds differently than what I'm trying to say. Let's put it this way - I'd much rather see a PNM dressed appropriately in black than see her looking like she's at a club in a brighter color. Does that make any sense?

I personally think it's fine. I'm not as concerned about color as I am about the overall appearance. Well, that sounds differently than what I'm trying to say. Let's put it this way - I'd much rather see a PNM dressed appropriately in black than see her looking like she's at a club in a brighter color. Does that make any sense?

ME TOOOOOOO!

blueGBI-I like the dress. I AM from a conservative area! If you got compliments on it and YOU like it then I'd go with it! :)

For some reason, the teardrop ruby sounds very pretty. Ruby's catch the light so nicely!

edited here-momoftwo-I couldn't even guess what they think is OK in the Midwest! I HAVE to believe that ANYWHERE, if the dress is elegant and the girl is charming, the CHARMING part will be remembered more than the dress. It would be much easier if you had other Moms with active daughters you could talk to. I guess what I mean is it depends so much on what the OTHER girls are wearing as to how conservative she would look. Some of the dresses they wear to Pref down South could look WAY OUT of the norm in California. I guess a better way to say it is
classic versus trendy. Some strapless/halter dresses are very classic in their design IMO.

White_Chocolate...That just breaks my heart! That poor, poor girl! Maybe she broke a heel or something. I know a Rho Chi would be in a sticky situation to say something, but GEE, unless the girl was unable to have new shoes (or at least shoes that matched) how could she afford dues??? I feel soooooo sorry for those young things that have no one to help them. :(

I don't even know a single person in the state she's going to school in, much less other moms of PNMs on the campus :-(

I worry too much--she'll be fine.

What school and state??? It's likely someone on here is from there and can help better geographically

I personally am planning on wearing a nice spring dress with some color and a cute little sliver neacklace and a maching bracelet...for now anyway unless I change my mind lol. but I wouldnt want to wear a black dress only b/c I know thats what most of the actives wear and i dont wanna look like just another gal in the crowd. but thats just me might I add. I wish clothing wasnt such an important acpect of going through recruitment. but it is!

Nichole

The only role clothes really play at my university is to make a girl stand out. This can certainly be in a good or bad way. It's not used to judge a girl, other than, is what she is wearing fitting of the occation. Like I said, it's mainly for remembering girls...I can't count how many times during membership selection one of the sisters says, "Oh, was she the one in the blue dress?!" - it just makes you easier to remember.

Speaking as someone who goes to a midwestern state university with a not-very-competitive rush (not Southern-style competitive, at least), both of those dresses sound perfect for pref. Strapless, prints, and other more "flashy" elements are perfectly acceptable here as long as they don't look trashy, and your daughter's dress sounds just great. I think most Big Ten rushes (with the exception of maybe Indiana) are pretty much on the same wavelength as ours, so I wouldn't worry too much. If it looks classy to you, I can almost guarantee you that none of the sororities will have a problem with it.

I think your suggestion to have her bring both dresses might be a good one, though, just in case she realizes she'd feel more comfortable in the pink.

I like that dress. The ruby necklace sounds nice and more original than a pearl necklace.

This thread made me think about a girl that came through my first rush on the other side:

She was an AGD Legacy, which we normally don't get many of- and so we were so excited, and she showed up second rounds in a strapless ZEBRA PRINT dress, hugging her everywhere (and she was busty and full figrued).... it looked awful- plus she so much makeup on she looked like she should be on a street corner.... we didn't want to invite her back to prefs, but her looking like a streetwalker wasn't going to be reason enough to cut her and contact her mom and tell her (her mom was an AGD alum from another chapter).

Can you imagine, "Sorry Mrs. AGD we have decided not to invite your daughter back to preference... oh, uhm, why? Because she looks like a streetwalker!"
Thankfully she declined her return invite She muist have gotten the hint when one of our sisters couldn't resist and said "And where does one find a strapless zebra print in your size" Keep in mind, this sister is a size 16- and she was appalled this girl would wear such a thing! We all wanted to burst out laughing at the comment.

Anyway, she pledged another group- thank god! I guess she was happy, but everytime we saw her we were thanking god not to get that legacy!

BluGBI -
I think I have that dress! If it's the same one, it is, quite possibly, the most comfortable dress in the world! Always a plus when rushing!

I think it's fine. Especially with the ruby necklace! And if you could get some sort of bracelet or dark red shoes I think you'd stand out just fine!

Good luck!

WOW. I have a good friend whose clothes are always at the height of fashion, quite expensive, cute as they can be (on the hanger) and about 3 sizes too small. She's not a little girl, and she's very pretty, but you can't tell because of the fact that her clothes are painted on and often show areas that shouldn't be shown by anyone. I tried to help her pick out more modest clothing for rush last year, but that didn't work...