What to wear for rush?
 

I was looking on the website for rush at UF and for prefs it said formal dress that you would have worn to prom or homecoming. It didn't say anything about color, but a lot of people talking about preferentials on here have said they wear black dresses and all the girls in the picture on the site are wearing black dresses. Unfortunately my dress is cream colored with black trim. It's gorgeous, but I'm worried it may be inappropriate. Any opinions?

Also, we have 2 days of casual (shorts or casual skirt) and 2 days of "dressy" (something you would wear to church). So I'm thinking for the two casual days I have these two cute skirts from American Eagle that are casual, but fun and girly and really me. Plus I feel really comfortable in them. But I'm not sure about the what you would wear to church days...that could be so many different things......suggestions would be appreciated.

I've read a lot of posts that say you wear bid day shirts on bid day, but I think I remember girls having to wear black dresses last year...has anyone else had to do that?

Sorry this is so long, just want to get some questions answered so I can go shopping (YAY for payday :D )

I think your pref dress is fine! It's usually a good idea to wear something non-black so as to stand out from the sisters, who usually all wear the same color, often black.

If you receive a bid, the first thing you'll get from your new sorority is a lot of gifts, including a t-shirt. You'll probably get the chance to change into it, then there will be lots of pictures taken. :)

Hopefully one of the ladies from UF will be able to help you with your other questions.

Good luck! :)

on philanthropy day
 

you may be sitting on the floor so shorts may be more comfortable for getting up and down. my daughter has a few skirts from a.e. and they do have cute stuff, but i don't know if they would be comfortable to sit on the floor in.

church dress suggests something you would wear to an afternoon wedding or to a family members graduation or other solemn occasion. it would be a bit dressier than a sundress.it would not be something that you would go clubbing in.
auburn u. and fsu panhellenic websites in the past have had girls modeling appropriate outfits for recruitment-you might check them out. i am sure that other schools do also. have you tried the uf panhellenic website-maybe they have pictures too.

calling all u. of florida sisters to answer this young lady's questions!!!

best of luck to you for a fun recruitment. please keep us posted if you can!! lisa

Thanks!
 

Thanks you guys for your advice. FSUzeta, I'll definitely check out the sites! Thanks!

I thought the modeling the clothes sounded so neat that I looked it up! Here is the one for FSU (scroll to the bottom):

http://www.greeklife.fsu.edu/index.a...al=npc-faq.asp

ETA: Here is Auburn's!

http://www.auburn.edu/panhellenic/schedule.html

Bama has a page like this as well.

http://bama.ua.edu/~npc/what%20to%20expect2.htm

Good advice!

Even though i'm not a florida gal, i wanted to add my suggestions...i totally agree with aephi alum, it's always good to stand out color-wise because sisters will be able to recall you immediately as someone who stood out visually....and i would err on the side of dressy-ness; the potential new member recruitment wardrobe for my school sounds similar to yours but we usually see girls in skirts and nice shirts on the 'casual' days rather than shorts and t-shirts. RCs always tell the girls that you always want to look your best, so i don't really see the problem with going for a nicer look unless it's a ball gown or something ;)

good luck!

Dress up more than what the Pi Chis tell you....believe me at UF it makes a difference...If I were you I would wear a skirt and cute top or sundress to rounds one and two and then kick it up a notch for round three and then the dress you have for prefs sounds good....do not listen to the BS they give you to wear shorts and tennis shoes to the first two rounds...I am not trying to sound harsh but thats just the way it is, especially when you have 1300 girls coming through you talk to them for 10 minutes and you have to cut your numbers in half...a lot of times if you are dressed nicer you make the better impression...its shallow but thats how UFs rush is....if you have any questions about it let me know...I was a DZ there and some of my closest friends where DDDs, KDs, ADPis, AOTTs, DGs, and ZTAs there and I am happy to answer any questions you have.

yea, for uf56!!!
 

thanks for answering this pnm's questions. answers are so much better from someone who has "been there and done that!!"lisa

Your first round is the sorority's first impression of you. The handbook will say you can wear shorts but I recommend you get a little more dressy. UCF is pretty much the same in terms of recruitment dress code as UF so I pretty much know what they're looking for. You're going to want to stand out so I would wear a cute sundress the first day.
As for round 2, DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT, wear a skirt or a dress. This is craft day and many of the sororities will have you sitting on the floor doing a craft. You will probably be nervous enough so the last thing you need is to worry if you're sitting correctly so that no one can see up your skirt/dress. A cute pair of linen capris with a nice shirt would be good during this round.
The third round, a nice sundress would be appropriate. This is UF so a Lily dress would be great to wear this day. ;)
The 4th round (prefs) is when you should dress it up more. A black cocktail dress or something you would wear to a wedding would be good. No gowns!

Thanks
 

UF56, thank you so much! It is so nice to have advice from someone who's been through it at UF! I was planning on wearing skirts on all the days (I think I look really bad in shorts)...do you think that's a bad idea....I know a lot of girls have said no for the philanthropy round, I was just wondering what your opinion was.

How about one of those skirt in front/shorts in back things? That way you would have a clean line in the front from the skirt but nothing will hang out when you sit.

LILLY PULITZER

Can't go wrong with Lilly. Its starting to go on sale at different places.

should you wear a (casual) skirt for the first two days (ice waters) even if the greeklife website lists it as a "don't". ?something tells me a lot of girls at my school will be wearing skirts...

FSU
 

I looked at those pics and the ice water girls, particularly the one on the right, look WAY too casual...I know it's Florida and hot but a ribbed tank top doesn't seem like it would be appropriate for rush anywhere.

If your gut tells you girls will be wearing skirts and dressier than what the site says....I would definitely go with that.

and once again, I just wish the Greek life sites would stop with the PCness and say "you can dress to be comfy in a tank top and boxer shorts, but there is no chance in hell you'll get a bid. Wear a Lily for crying out loud!" :D

jasboleen, i agree with 33girl, the clothes on the fsu website look way too casual: for the ice water days, wear a cute sundress, skirt and top or capris and top.think cute, but conservative(no bellybuttons showing,please!) i think that panhellenic is TRYING to get pnm's to dress this way, but everyone continues to dress up to impress.. now that i have listened to everyone else i would suggest that on philanthropy day you wear a skirt that is easy to get on the floor in(gracefully) or capris, but many of the sororities will be in shorts for that day. on skit day wear a dress or cute coordinated skirt and top and for prefs. a dressy dress-not long and not clubby, but something that you would wear to an evening wedding or some other dress-up event.i've seen some panhel websites suggest that for prefs. you wear a dress like you wore for the prom. don't do it! if possible, avoid black on pref nite, most chapters will be in black dresses-you want to standout, not blend in. and have all our pnm's purchased their basic, plain white(no colored trim) dress and shoes for their pledging ceremony?happy shopping to all and best of luck.

I'm glad you said that...I know prom dresses have changed a lot but that seemed like too much, unless your prom was more like a semiformal.

Although someone on here said that their school (was it U of South Carolina?) does have sorority women and PNMs in long prom-ey attire.

If you are plus sized, like me, try Torrid. Torrid have some of the best dresses. I have already found some dresses. I hope that they are still avalible by August, because I'll be getting my money then. They offer the dresses and other stuff for rush from sizes 12-26. If you want to buy some dresses, start saving, because the dresses cost at least $50. I feel so much better, with the pictures that y'all have shown me for what to wear on rush. I also feel better with Torrid because they offer nice dress for me that are "age appropriate". Most of the other stores have dresses, but they make me old.

Here's the website:
www.torrid.com

I'm not a member of any sorority just yet, but I want to throw in some suggestions. On Philantrophy day, you can wear a skort. It would be much better than a skirt, because the skort have shorts underneath. So if you all want to wear a skirt for that day, try a skort because you might sit on the floor.

Also, for days that you'll be wearing dresses and skirts, wear shoes that have flat heels or kitten heels. They are so much better than shoes with 3 inches of heels. Face it, you'll be walking a lot and you don't want for your feet to be in bad shape.

I have a question though, I'm thinking about getting a denim halter dress for the first day, Video Day. The straps are wide. Is the dress appropriate enough? They said to wear a sundress.

I would discourage any pnm from wearing a halter anything during recruitment. Unless the upper body is in awesome condition and the wearer has great posture, it is just not flattering and can even come off as too "clubby" (my chapter's way of saying slutty). Maybe wear a cute little checked shirt or white sleeveless button up over it to make it less revealing and not so casual?:)

What about a halter that has a a high neckline? I found this awesome dress at the Forever 21 store online that I want to wear it to 3rd round, but it's a halter dress. Here's the link to it. Would it be good? Or should I wear a sweater over it?

Cosign. Unless you're on the cover of Cosmo that month, forget about the halter.

And granted that I'm very old school, but I have yet to see a woman over 14 years old look her best in a skort. Yes, you need to wear something a bit more user-friendly for Philanthropy Night, but unless you look sensational in that skort, please think twice.

I agree completely. I also don't like strapless outfits for most of rush. I saw too many girls during 1st/2nd rounds wearing strapless knit tops that looked really "clubby". Not to mention that the PNMs wearing them had to keep adjusting them and pulling them up, which also made them look more self-conscious. I have seen some nice-looking strapless dresses that would be appropriate for pref, though, if you have the right body for them.

That1LoudChick -- I think that that dress is really cute and quite appropriate. Not at all the kind of "clubby" halter I was thinking of.

Co-sign on the halter stuff again. It's not a flattering look to all but a limited body shape, and even then... it's really not something that projects a positive image (I know several people who have connected them to the oft-used "trailer trash" concept).

Classic, clean styles with maybe just a bit of funkiness to them to show off a younger age is never a bad thing. You can have a lot of class and still dress casually. :)

I think a Lilly or J.Crew type halter would be fine, personally - but really, don't worry about being superfashionable. I'd rather talk to a girl in a cute shell and skirt who feels comfortable than a fidgety girl in the latest from bebe.

have you even been to the mall
 

and seen women wearing strapless tops or dresses and watched them? most women look sooooo uncomfortable in them, constantly adjusting the top/dress and pulling at it. i pointed a couple of women out to my teenaged daughter and used it as a teaching tool-i said to her,"if you ever feel compelled to buy an outfit like that, spend a lot of time walking around in the store wearing it....if you are constantly tugging at it, then it might be best to pass on buying it. i would offer this advice to all our pnm's.

Okay, I've seen what y'all mean. Thanks. Let me do a little TLC'S What Not to Wear:

What Not to Wear:

http://www.gap.com/asp/Product.asp?w...05&wpid=237909

http://www.torrid.com/store/product....23&ITEM=594662

The one from Gap is for clubbing and shows too much clevage. The dress from Torrid is not appropriate for Video/ Ice Water Tea day for several things. First off, it is denim. Save it for Philantrophy and Bid Day (gear for Bid Day is different for every schools). Second it's a halter dress. So, that's a no-no.

That denim dress also doesn't look particularly flattering.

Heavy material (which denim is) makes a person look bulkier. All over denim isn't all that flattering.

Another thing, when people tell you to wear nice shorts, they mean nice shorts. NO BOOTY SHORTS. You don't want to wear micro shorts when you take those pictures for Bid Day, if you are allowed to wear shorts for that day. Get some shorts with at least a 3" inseam. If you don't want to wear granny shorts, then 5" inseam will do the trick.

A good rule of thumb for shorts for people of any size:

If they're significantly wider than they are long, they are NOT appropriate.

I think that is the old page. Here is a newer one
http://bama.ua.edu/~npc/what%20to%20wear.htm

Happy...I think it is okay to wear a skirt for 2nd round because a lot of the houses set it up where you are sitting at a table to do the crafts....but I definitely would wear a dress for third round...lilly is a very good idea for both second and third round..if you have any questions PM me.

I went through formal rush last year at UF and there was a lot of variety in colors in the dresses we wore for prefs night. And I would say that it is a good idea to dress a bit better than the website suggests...just go one step classier. Good luck!

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions!!!
 

Everyone on this thread has been so helpful. I'm still in the process of making actual decisions about what I want to wear (It IS a process, LOL!), so if you girls have any more advice send it my way.

One thing I was wondering about is appropriate jewelry. On the UF website it says "simple jewelry" and I was wondering what everyone's opinion on that is.

-Jessica

I think most any jewelry you wear would be appropriate. What types of jewelry do you normally wear?

Simple, understated jewelry will be a nice accent (think diamond or pearl studs, small hoops, silver bracelet, pendant necklace, etc.) and will tend to blend in with the whole outfit, creating a unified, put-together look. BUT if you have a piece of jewelry that is really beautiful and unique, don't hesitate to wear it (with an outfit that doesn't compete with it for attention)! I have had entire conversations with PMs based on their gorgeous necklace. I'd say use your good taste, and don't pile it on.

Also, I wouldn't suggest wearing ANYTHING that you'd be devastated if it were lost, because you wouldn't want to have to go back to every single house and crawl on the floor looking for your grandmother's diamond bracelet. Not that it would get you cut or anything, but it wouldn't be very fun...

Haha thanks...I lose things a lot so I'll keep that in mind.

My "jewelry style" is normally more trendy with more casual outfits and more simple and classic with nicer outfits. I just got some beautiful pearls for my birthday that I am so excited to wear for prefs!

-Jessica

shy away from jewelry that is like or even vaguely resembles sorority jewelry or represents their symbols;i.e., anchor necklace(dg) crown broach(zta) kite pin(kat), etc. while it might be an heirloom piece handed down in your family for generations, it might appear pushy to the sorority whose emblem you are wearing and might sabotage your chances with that group.(i believe that there was a post a while ago where a pnm wore something like this to a recruitment party and made a big deal about it(even had a tatoo with the emblem). she was dropped!)

dress
 

for the skit round, i heard we are supposed to wear sundresses. i found a dress i LOVE, but im afraid it might be inappropriate...its a tube dress and it has really bright colors in paisley...it doesnt look cheap at all..lol i know it might sound like it.....i dont wanna give the maker b/c i dont want to show up with 3 girls wearing the same dress( small chance i know, but im not gonna take those chances). i heard tube dresses are iffy, but then i looked at the bama sorority dress page and many of the girls are wearing them. what do yall think??

by the way, im not going to bama, it was my 2nd choice school & a ton of my friends are going there so a lot of the information ive heard about rush comes from there.

Re: dress
 

Will you be comfortable in it? Does it support you? Can you wear it the entire day without self-conciously tugging it up every few minutes? If you answer yes to all these, then I guess you could consider it.

However, I still think that tube dresses for rush look tacky. Seems more like something you'd wear on a date. Other girls may think it's fine, though. But if the answer to any of those questions above was no, don't do it!

bump

Go conservative and slightly overdressed than the recommended attire. Wear COLORS and minimal silver jewelry.

Post-recruitment, you should have in your wardrobe one plain white dress with white shoes, and one plain black dress with black shoes for sorority ceremonies. Buy your white dresses now, while it is still summer.

Amen to all of that! :) Especially the part about the white dresses! Just imagine my whole new member class trying to find white dresses in Michigan in February!

Regarding strapless/tube dresses: What about wearing a cardigan with these dresses? I know in Alabama, Florida, etc. it can be hot during recruitment, but a lightweight and coordinating cardigan would look classy AND keep you warm in an air conditioned house - and you could always take it off to walk between houses.

Just a thought. :)