Can you stand another retro thread?
 

The pnm's are being admirably discreet and are not posting threads live with lots of commentary. So, until a few more recruitments conclude so that we can enjoy reading some of the play by play, how about another old one?

The groups at my school were:

St. Elmo’s Fire
Sixteen Candles
Pretty in Pink
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Some Kind of Wonderful
Footloose
Valley Girl
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Breakfast Club

GREAT!!! My favorite movies!! You forgot Dirty Dancing though LOL jk

There is a special place in my heart for Footloose, but the Molly Ringwald movies... SO HARD TO CHOOSE!

Well, Dirty Dancing was the late 80's, and this was in the early 80's. Ferris Bueller was in '86, so I did stretch my definition a bit since I love that movie. :p

A little background first...

I grew up in the same town as a large university that I’ll call Big State U. Every year when the pledge classes of all the sororities were printed in the paper, I’d study it to see who I knew from school, who I knew from the department store teen board (this was a group that did fashion shows and promotions for the store) had pledged where. I had a pretty good idea that Sixteen Candles and Some Kind of Wonderful were the best, based on the girls who pledged.

My decision of where to go to college was based on four things: whether there was a good mall in town, if there was a Greek system, the annual snowfall – it had to be minimal, and my mother’s insistence that I go anywhere but Big State U. After careful consideration, I selected Small Private School.

Like all of my high school friends who were headed to Big State U, I spent the summer before freshman year getting recs. We all typed up (on a typewriter, of course) resume’s with our senior photos and high school transcripts attached to distribute. One of my mom’s co-workers, an active Phi Mu alum, stepped in to help me prepare the resume and select the photo. Since Small Private School didn’t have a Phi Mu chapter, she felt that she wasn’t unduly influencing me and could be objective. To this day, there is soft spot in my heart for Phi Mu’s because of her generosity.

My best friend was going to Big State U, and her mom was a Fast Times at Ridgemont High alum. Her older sister had also been a Fast Times at Big State U. So, that was one rec down. One of our good friends’ mom was a St. Elmo’s Fire, so there was another rec. The owner of the store where I’d worked for three years said she’d like to write me a rec for Pretty in Pink. She added that her sister, a Sixteen Candles, would also send one in if I could give her my resume. Sixteen Candles!! Oh, they were the BEST, and I was so grateful that I’d have a rec for them, since I knew that you didn’t get invited past the first round of parties without them.

In stepped my dad’s cousin Topsie (a great lady who has since passed away, that’s what she was really called instead of her given name, Frances) who had been a Fast Times at Big State School back in the 50’s. She lived in a different town and we didn’t see her often, but she knew when someone needed help with rush and was happy to come to my rescue. Topsie took copies of my resume and went to work in her small town. Within two weeks she wrote back that recs were being written for me by her friends in Some Kind of Wonderful (yay! I needed one of those), Fast Times, Pretty in Pink, and Valley Girl. I knew that Valley Girl was a not too strong group at Big State U, so I probably wouldn’t be joining them, but it was nice of Topsie’s friend to write a rec for me anyway.

My mom tried to help, but having attended a tiny liberal arts college without a Greek system in a different state, she really didn’t know where to start. She was also perhaps a bit preoccupied since she was preparing to work out of the country for six months, starting the week after I would arrive at Small Private School. (At the time I thought this was really cool and adventurous of her. Now, it seems the antithesis of heli-moming.) We went shopping for rush clothes, and she was really good about supporting me in my life long goal of joining a sorority.

I still didn’t have recs for Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day off, or Footloose, but figured that since I’d never heard of them they probably weren’t going to be ones I’d choose anyway.

I'm a Phi Mu, so even though there isn't one at your campus, I'll root for Pretty in Pink!

Breakfast Club!

Go SIXTEEN CANDLES!!!

"Oh and they are so PERKY" Haha love that one

Arrival at Small Private School…
 

By the time I loaded up my things in the car with the UHaul carrier on top, drove 500 plus miles to Small Private School with my mom, and moved into my dorm, Best Friend had already finished rush at Big State U. She was a Fast Times pledge, along with a group of our good friends from high school. Another cluster of friends had pledged St. Elmo’s fire. I was so, so ready for rush, and it was deferred for three excruciating weeks into the first semester.

I loved my roommate, I loved my classes, and loved everything about Small Private School, though I’d left a high school boyfriend back at home and I missed my friends. A lot of my thinking focused on what I should do “if” I decided to go back home to Big State U for my sophomore year.

As I got to know the girls on my hall, we talked about rush. Most of them were thinking of going through just to see if they’d like to be in a sorority. This seemed crazy to me, since I’d been planning to be in a sorority since I was in junior high. I told them about my recs, and many of them said “What’s a rec?” I was privately horrified for them, since I knew that they’d never get in a sorority without one.

We had early meetings with our Rho Chi’s, and received a Go Greek booklet. If I’d spent as much time studying for my SAT’s as I did pouring over that booklet, I wouldn’t have had to take them a second time. There were two pages for each sorority, one with the composite, and one with candids. Though I knew that sororities had colors, I was intrigued to learn that they had jewels, animals, flowers, and philanthropies too. My roommate and I squinted at the tiny composite photos to find the RAs from our dorm.

This was the first year that rush was deferred at SPS, as it had always been held before classes started. As a result, the sorority members really didn’t know how to act when they were told “no contact, no letters.” They were allowed to wear jewelry with their sorority letters, but no sportswear, once classes started. Unfortunately, this was not explained to the freshmen. The upperclass girls seemed either standoffish or snotty. At one fraternity party, my roommate and I were introduced to two Pretty in Pinks who seemed really nice, even though they were only able to make eye contact and smile at us. They guys said “They can’t talk to you, sorry.” Finally, an explanation!

The first official event was a meet and greet on a Sunday afternoon. I put on one of my bright floral wrap sundresses, espadrilles, and my add-a-bead necklace, and headed over with my roommate.

This event was not particularly well organized, since there were no name tags. As my roommate and I arrived, a pretty girl with curly red hair came over to us and introduced herself. She asked if we were excited about going through rush, and I told her that my best friend had already gone through at Big State U, and I was looking forward to it. She asked where if my friend had decided to join, and when I told her she was a Fast Times pledge she said excitely “I’m a Fast Times too!” I noticed her pin, and had a pang of longing to wear a pin too. I then met another Fast Times from my state, the President of Fast Times, a cool elegant blonde, and they introduced me to some of their friends in Pretty in Pink and Valley Girl, and a St. Elmo’s Fire from my state. I was still squinting to see what letters were on the pins.

I'm picturing the Ferris Beuhlers to look like Sloane Peterson (Mia Sara)

Loving this story - and the code names!

Sidenote - is anyone else put off by the JC Penney commercial that is a rip off of the Breakfast Club? I find it so annoying.

I hate the commercial. The first time I saw it I got mad because I thought it was a remake of the original Breakfast Club. Personally, I don't think any Molly Ringwald originals would be any good without her.

LOL, YES. The first time we saw it, I looked at my husband and said "ugh, why'd they have to mess with the Breakfast Club? The kids they're targeting probably don't even know what it's a take-off from". :p

I know - I think the real reason I don't like it is because it makes me feel old. :)

I love your thread, your descriptions, and the code names! Two thumbs up!


And, nittanyalum, please tell me that kids don't know the John Hughs films! They're absolute classics!! Who can forget all of the phrases that came out of them??


(And I hate the JCPenney's ad, too!)

Yeah...I'm with you on that one--not sure what Penney's ad people were thinking--that "anti-establishment" Breakfast Club era parents, who actually have high school aged kids, are now going to run out and buy stuff there, as opposed to Abercrombie or Hollister? My response to that: Molly Ringwald/Claire's signature eye roll.

Actually they did! With spiral perms. They were a very pretty group of girls.

On to the first round...

The first night of rush was three parties. Best Friend had coached me about how to act for rush: Be really friendly, make a good impression. Since this was late September, it was time for fall clothes. I wore my navy blue LL Bean button down corduroy shirt dress, a maroon Gant paisley shirt under it, a maroon Aigner belt, and my navy suede espadrilles. There were a few girls on my hall wearing pants, and I looked at them with the same disdain you’d have for someone eating with the wrong fork: they just didn’t know any better.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: This group’s facility was small-ish, so they didn’t have a lot of room for moving around. Chairs for the rushees were on the perimeter of the room, with chairs for the sisters in a circle facing them. We went in single file and were seated, and it was like musical chairs for the members. When the girl to the right moved over, it was time to meet a new sister. This was one of the two traditionally Jewish sororities on campus, and the girls were all sophisticated, pretty and bubbly. My roommate’s older sister had been a member of this group at SPS and had deactivated three years earlier, so she was going to cut them after the first round before they could cut her.

St. Elmo’s Fire: I went to this party excited to tell the members about how a bunch of my friends had just pledged St. Elmo’s at Big State U. The couple of times that I brought it up, the members didn’t seem too impressed. This was a classy, conservative group of girls.

Sixteen Candles: Oh, I was excited for this one! We met a group of alumnae who explained that the sorority would be recolonizing that year. I talked to a nice alum and was sure to follow Best Friend’s advice: Be really friendly, make a good impression. They showed a slideshow, and told us that this would be their only party of rush, and would have events after rush. I was a little confused about why such a great group would have to do this.

Next day, the rest of the parties:

Pretty in Pink: Any of the guys who commented about this sorority talked about how it had the prettiest girls, and the easiest too. I really liked everyone I met, and they were a sassy, enthusiastic group.

Breakfast Club: What a fun group! I really liked all the girls I talked to here, and they really seemed to like each other. This was the other of the two Jewish sororities, though more non-Jewish girls joined here, I’d heard. I could see why. They were a blast.

Fast Times: I was re-acquainted with my new friends from the meet and greet here, and the President stopped by to say hello. I also met the Rush Chairman, who seemed really happy to meet me. I felt so welcome and happy here, I hated for the party to end.

Some Kind of Wonderful: Finally! I was really excited for this one. I learned from their composite in the Go Greek book that they weren’t as large as the others, but I knew how good they were at Big State U. This was the only party with two rushees per sister, and even then there were long lulls in the conversation. I was trying really hard to be really friendly and make a good impression, but it was hard since the sisters I met didn't seem to be able to do the same. I wanted to like it here, I expected to love it here. I just didn’t.

Footloose: Judging by the photos in the Go Greek book, my dorm friends and I had concluded that this was not going to be a group we’d join. Still, the girls were friendly and talkative, and it was a much nicer experience than the let-down of Some Kind of Wonderful.

Valley Girl: This group seemed to have the highest percentage of blondes. They were nice, and the Valley Girl that I’d met at the meet and greet waved and said hello. I liked them, but didn’t really love them. I was surprised that they were so good, knowing that it wasn’t a really strong group at Big State U.

Our Rho Chi met with us individually the next day with our invitation lists, and we could go back to six parties. I’d been invited back to all eight, and I quickly crossed off Ferris Bueller’s Day Off after that weird rotation experience and Some Kind of Wonderful since it was so painful.

L.
O.
L.
I'm sure the under-30 crowd is cringing at the visual, but I know you were STYLIN' in that outfit at the time! :p

No lie!!

I was doing my best to look like I'd just stepped out of a Pappagallo store. I think I succeeded. :)

I don't know what I love more about this thread - the code names or the clothing descriptions. Your rush is sounding a lot like mine, only a few years earlier and smaller school. I guess it's the whole 1980's vibe that's taking me back ...

This is a great thread - please continue, and soon!

Round Two:

St. Elmo’s Fire: This group had a picnic theme. They all dressed in Laura Ashley dresses, and they’d decorated with quilts on the floor and served lemonade and gingerbread cookies. I had a chance to talk to the girl from my state who I’d met at the meet and greet, and she was a lot of fun.

Pretty in Pink: Their theme was really cute and clever, though I can’t describe it without giving away the group. The skit was really funny, too. I met lots of great girls here, though at the end I was one on one with a somewhat quiet girl who nervously picked at her face. One of the other sisters jumped in to save her.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A fun slumber party theme here! I spent most of the party talking to a pretty blonde girl who was a little sister at one of the big fraternities. She was wearing a Lantz flannel night gown, and we sat on the floor on sleeping bags. I wished I could meet more members, though I tried to be really friendly and make a good impression on her.

Footloose: You could tell that this group was working really hard to put its best foot forward, even though they were smaller. They had a French theme, and passed puff pastry hors d’oeuvres and mini quiches on trays. I was sad for them that there had been a short line outside the front door before the party began, because they really seemed friendly and nice.

Valley Girl: I don’t remember the theme of this party, since I was stuck in a corner with another rushee. She was a bit abrasive, and tried to dominate the conversation with every sister that we met. Unfortunately, she succeeded in most cases. (And she became a member of the Valley Girl pledge class.)

Breakfast Club: Again, I had a blast here! These girls were so easy to talk to. Even though it was the end of the day, they had such great energy. They had a sports theme, which was cute, cute, cute. I didn’t think I’d really fit in here, but still had a great time. Roommate was a legacy at Breakfast Club through her mom, and she planned on cutting them after this round so that her mom wouldn’t start to get any ideas about their being in the same sorority. They didn’t have the best relationship.

The next day we met with our Rho Chi’s. We could go to four parties, and I’d been invited back to six. When I crossed off Breakfast Club and Footloose, she said “Well, that was quick.” I replied “Well, I really know which one I want.” After rush I found out she was a Footloose. Ouch.

Note to PNMs: This was really obnoxious behavior on my part, and looking back I'm a little embarrased that I was so sure that I was going to get my choice.

Oh yes...this takes me back!

(I loved Lanz night shirts, but can't imaging rushing in them!)

This makes me think we might be in for a twist in the story!

More please!

Next round: Down to four

I wore my light grey straight corduroy skirt and light grey ruffled blouse with a mauve cable sweater vest over it. I didn’t get pearls for graduation, so wore the Marvella faux pearls that my mom had helped me select at the mall. I don’t remember much of the themes from this round, and I only remember this outfit because I have photos. By then everything was starting to blend together.

St. Elmo’s Fire: The more girls I met, the more I was impressed with how polished they seemed. Their parties seemed like something out of the country club scene in Caddyshack – restrained, yet refined.

Pretty in Pink: This group of girls really seemed to love each other. They didn’t fit any particular mold, as it was a mix of Southern belles, New York tough girls, and everything in between. There were a few upperclass girls from my classes who always said hello to me here, which I liked.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Every time I came here, I met more members who seemed genuine. The President always stopped by to say hello, which made me feel really welcome. At this party, they did the skit twice since the chapter room was small, and I ended up seeing it both times when rotation broke down.

Valley Girl: Everyone said this was a great group, and several of my hall mates really wanted to be a Valley Girl. The adorable RA in our dorm was one, as was the older sister of one of my hallmates who I liked a lot. I hadn't really clicked with anyone in this group. Plus, I couldn’t go home wearing Valley Girl letters, not when Best Friend cut the group after first round at Big State U.

The next day I had to go down from four to three groups. I had invites to all four, and easily eliminated Valley Girl.

No doubt your awesome fashion sense helped you get a full schedule every round. A mauve cable sweater vest?!!?!? To die for!!! ;) :) :)

Oh, how I loved that cotton sweater vest!!! It was from The Limited -- The Hunter's Run (Polo knockoff) line. In the summer I wore it with my cute pink and purple madras shorts.

Of course, it was my fabulous wardrobe that gave me such success. Combined with the "Be really friendly and make a good impression" advice and lots of hair spray to keep the hot roller curls from falling. :p

I can't wait for more! I'm rooting for Fast Times.

The next round: Three parties before preference round.

This was a looooong time ago and I didn’t take notes, so I can’t really remember the themes very well. I wore a pink cotton blouse that had tuxedo tucks down the front and a high collar with a tie made out of the same fabric, and the grey flannel straight skirt from the suit that my mom had insisted I would need.

http://www.dvdbooty.com/images/st-el...re_220x321.jpg
St. Elmo’s Fire: That they were a bit more low-key made them more desirable. It was almost like there was an air of “we’ll select you if we want you.” That I kept getting invited back here made me feel special, even if I hadn’t really bonded with many of the girls I’d talked with.
http://www.movieposter.com/posters/a...in/14/MPW-7372

Pretty in Pink: Though this group was bouncy and fun, I was still trying to leave the guys’ comments of their reputation out of my decision making. They had a Cats theme, and one of the girls with a really awesome voice sang Memory – it was touching. I talked with a pretty, polished senior, and asked her why she chose Pretty in Pink. She enthusiastically told me that Pretty in Pink was just "her" and she loved everything about it, and her best friends were the ones she had met there. I wanted to love a sorority as much as she did, but wasn’t sure that Pretty in Pink was "me."


http://www.weblo.com/asset_images/la...fd80996032.jpg
Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Their skit had a 50's theme, and they served Coke in the small bottles with straws. For decorations, they had 45 records hanging from the ceiling. I’d met so many girls that I wanted to be friends with forever. That Best Friend had pledged this group at Big State U was a bonus. I really felt like I belonged here.

I was invited to all three for prefs, and could only go to two. This was the first time that I had to think twice. Fast Times was definitely on the list. I just couldn’t see myself as a Pretty in Pink, as much as I’d tried and as hard as they’d rushed me. Since I might transfer back to Big State U, wanted to have my friends in St. Elmo’s there to fall back on. So, Pretty in Pink was the one I cut, though with a twinge of doubt if I’d done the right thing.

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/i..._in_pink_l.jpg

Awww, you cut Duckie. :(

I think I have seen your outfit on approximately 346384682364 of the girls on our 80s composites. :p (I was on them too, just not THAT preppy.)

Yes, and sadly I dumped Duckie for Blaine.

This was my go-to resource for my pre-college shopping:

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/image...._AA240_.L.jpg

I drew the line at Fair Isle sweaters, however.

I have to say I love your thread. I was out of college at that time - but not by much so I loved those movies because they reminded me of NOT being married with a kid :D and I was young enough to wear what the college kids did.

I say FAST TIMES! Is it the uncut version?

And I always loved the preppy look too as I wasn't the ruffly type. My sis worked at the Limited and got me lots of monogrammed sweaters, too!

OK, I hate to go on a tangent, but with the oldsters in this thread I thought I might get an answer. Does anyone know when the Limited stopped having Outback Red, Forenza etc and just started branding everything The Limited?

Yes. :o

Excellent tangent! I can remember buying an Outback Red top in '86, and I'd forgotten all about Forenza. I think they still had Forenza in '89? The 90's are a fashion blur... and when did it start being all about Express, to the point that you couldn't find a Limited anymore?

I'll continue the digression....
Since I worked for The Limited, here is the scoop. Forenza was moved over to Lerner in the late 80s, and could also be purchased by Vict Secret Catalog. OBR was the big house line for "Cut and Sewn" which Limited-Speak for casual. The other big line around the late 80s/ early 90s was Paul et Duffier (aka Paul and Duffer, by the sales associates), which was more of the Career line. Axxess was the Limited's accessory line

Express began in the early 80s and was originally placed to be the Limited's "tweener" line. When they first opened, all of the accessories were neon. At the same time, The Limited also carried Liz Claybourne.

BTW...when I worked for the Limited, we had so many Greeks working there that we joked we were all members of Lambda Tau Delta. One girl even had a letter sweatshirt made.

Now, back to the 80s

I remember hearing that the GAP stood for... "Greeks Are Purchasing!"

ACK!! We actively sought out PNMs in Fair Isle Sweaters! I remember a composite when we had to have fans going, since everyone was wearing at least two sweaters!

Oh, so true!!

The Preppy Handbook ! Will anyone else admit to buying a copy? Being from Chicago, I was pretty unpreppy although I tried. Ganz nightgowns, Fair Isle sweaters and Pappagallo! I worked at a Pappagallo shop for awhile, and loved their shoes and clothes. I remember when pink and green Malia dresses were what to wear during rush. The 80's were such fun.