Clothes for "Spring" 2014 Recruitment
 

Hey guys,

I know it's a bit early, but since I'll be doing a fair amount of shopping over the upcoming winter break in preparation for spring recruitment, I wanted to ask a bit of fashion advice. I go to a northern school with a pretty large and established Greek system, but recruitment here isn't quite as cutthroat as in the south. It is also very, very cold during "spring" rush, and cute tank top/shorts combos & sundresses aren't the norm. I'm a bit more sure about what I'm going to wear during the casual rounds, but for the last three (house tours "business/snappy casual", skit & philanthropy "business", and preference "semi-formal) I'm less set in my choices. I put together some combinations and I would like to see what you think.

I'm trying to be fashionable and memorable, but I don't want to cross any lines. Also, I've chosen a lot of flat shoes not because I have anything against heels, but because I'm 5'10" already. I walk quite well in heels, but they make me somewhat Amazonian in height and I feel like towering over sisters would be a bit awkward.

I'll cut to the chase. Here's what I'm thinking:

Round 3 - House Tours "Business/Snappy Casual"
http://i41.tinypic.com/mm4uv6.png

Round 4 - Skit "Business"
http://i40.tinypic.com/s0v76t.png

Round 5 - Preference "Semi-Formal"
http://i39.tinypic.com/2d82x7b.png

Of course I'll be wearing a big puffy jacket while going from house to house!

*Note: When they say "business", they don't mean literally business like a suit. It's a level of formality. Just thought I'd clarify!

All of this looks a little summery to me, but the Preference outfit would probably be ok. Lavender and white (shoe?! no) is not a good choice for winter unless you are in the most beachy southern communities.

You want to look stylish and since the rooms will be crowded you don't need to worry too much about staying warm, but I still think sleeves are your friend. I think for round 3 I'd stick with slacks with a nice sweater or jacket, and leave the dresses for preference and maybe the round before.

I know it's hard to dress cocktail'y in the winter. Just make sure you are dressed in season. That will stand out more than you being in something less than perfectly cute.

Maybe this for round 4 http://dimg.dillards.com/is/image/Di...archCatMedium$
And this for round 3 (sorry couldn't paste in this one. Here's the link to Dillards) http://www.dillards.com/product/I.N....34662_zi_black

If your rush is in January, the party dresses for Christmas will probably fill the bill.

The dresses are a little too short and two are the wrong season. You are not going to a club. I work with high school and college aged women and they would say the first two dresses are definitely spring/summer wear.

I will assume your first round you are probably wearing a Panhellenic tee shirt with skinny jeans and boots. That seems to be the norm for "spring" but really winter recruitment. For the business snappy casual, I would go with colored skinny jeans or cords, nice sweater and a statement necklace or cool scarf again with boots. For skit, if you want to wear a dress, I'd either go with a sweater dress with tights and boots or a nice pencil skirt with an trendy top or sweater worn with tights and suede wedges. For preference think cocktail party. Nicer than the dress you posted, but not prom like. Maybe look at White House Black Market, they usually have something around the holiday that would work.

Nice nice, thank you very much! Great feedback. For the first round, we actually don't wear Panhellenic tees. I was thinking of a nice sweater, but with dark skinny jeans and knee high boots as you said. Oh and, just to make sure, is forgoing the heels okay at my height?

Yes, not wearing heels is more than ok. :-) You will be on your feet a lot, so pick your shoes for both style and comfort. Boots and flats are definitely in right now. You are good to go. However, by the time you get to preference, if you want to wear heels you should feel alright doing so. If a chapter has invited you to preference, they like you. You stood out in a good way, so I don't think being amazingly tall with hinder anything.

Wear what you feel comfortable in. There are no boys to feel threatened by your height. And remember there is a lot of walking and limping verging on crawling is no way to get to your final parties.

Agreed...the first dress and shoes are not "business/snappy casual" -- that's a summer outfit, but it's not business attire.

The Pref dress seems a bit edgy to me. All of these dresses are very clingy...very few women can pull these styles off without bulges or spots that don't fit quite right. If you're one of them, that's great, but you really have to have a very trim figure to pull these off. I would not overdo the cling.

My daughter went through January recruitment this past winter. She wore WHBM outfits for two of the days (jeans, riding boots, sweater for Day 1) and a 3/4 sleeve "skater cut" knit dress for Day 3. They worked very well. She wore a Lilly Pulitzer sweater dress for Day 2, and a non-revealing cocktail dress for Pref.

Current sophomore at a winter recruitment school checking in! Thought I'd give you my two cents.

The first is definitely too spring-y; I'd go for a darker color, and maybe something a little less form-hugging--save that for pref. :P

Second dress is fine; I might say to give the tights a pass unless they're going to be solidly opaque. That is, unless I'm wrong, and the dress isn't a sweater dress, in which case, carry on!

Third dress is probably not a good bet. The problem is that you want to be wearing colors; the sisters will all be wearing black, and you want to stand out. Aim for a classy cocktail dress in a color that compliments you well.

All your jewelry and shoe picks are spot-on, though. Props for not choosing heels! I made a mistake with those last year and got some nasty blisters. And make sure to ALWAYS SPANX IT! Even if you think you don't need to, your booty will look great AND be warmer! :P

@Sciencewoman - I'll admit I do have a habit of wearing fitted clothing, and the reason why I didn't shy away from it for rush is because, at 5'10" I am a size 2-4 depending on the brand. So how things appear on models is generally how they appear on me. I'm not particularly busty either, so dresses that may appear racy on others don't have quite the same effect. I really like the sound of skater and sweater style dresses, I'm going to look into both.

@generallygreek - That's really helpful, thanks so much!

So may something like one of these two with a statement necklace & burgundy lipstick for skit:
http://images.asos-media.com/inv/med...y/image1xl.jpg
http://images.asos-media.com/inv/med...y/image1xl.jpg

And for pref maybe one of these two?
http://images.asos-media.com/inv/med...k/image1xl.jpg
http://images.asos-media.com/inv/med...d/image1xl.jpg

The suggestion not to go sleeveless for a winter recruitment is spot-on. These dresses (other than the gray one) still look like club dresses. (IMO they don't even look good on the models. They're a bit tacky.) The red dress with tights that Dubais Sis suggested is the right look for a party other than pref.

I like the red long-sleeved dress quite a lot, I was just trying to find a deeper red (more burgundy or maroon color) as I'm very fair skinned a bright shades of blue or red tend to wash me out and make me look even paler. I think I saw one on WHBM though, I'll check again.

And just promise us you won't stand there, mouth open and terrible posture like in the second pic immediately above. Why oh why do photographers and models think that's a good look?

Cross my heart, I swear! When you're tall you learn to have excellent posture, because it's SO noticeable if you slump (not to mention that good posture has a slimming effect). No "duckface" lips, no confused open mouth - important things to remember when making an impression. :)

Also, I sincerely appreciate everyone's honest, constructive advice. I'm from New Jersey, and my mother went to art school in Philli, so my family does not have a history of being involved in Greek life. Growing up so close to NYC, everyone around me was very into "high fashion" and street style, not so much the classic looks that are appropriate for rush. Learning online & from friends in sororities are my only two real options.

Something along these lines (but not the price point!!!) might work:

http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/i...entPage=family

http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/i...entPage=family

http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/i...entPage=family

http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/i...entPage=family

White House Black Market

http://www.whitehouseblackmarket.com...&maxPg=1&size=

I think a sleeveless dress can be okay, if it's the right dress.

More options:


Sweater dress
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/s...LinkType=PDPZ1

A-line sleeveless:
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/c...%26slotId%3D21

Beaded dress for pref:
http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/bead-it-dress