I just went through Formal Recuitment last year at SLU and we are a medium-sized school in the Midwest. Here's what I wore (which all turned out to be completely appropriate for the day I wore them):
Rotationals (1st Night): White capris with the Panhel t-shirt we were required to wear and black flip-flops. (Lots of girls wore jean skirts, khaki skirts, and capris. No one really wore shorts though. The majority of girls wore flip-flops and it didn't seem inappropriate.)
Philanthropy (2nd Night): Another pair of capris with the panhel shirt we were required to wear again. Flip-flops. (Girls were more casual this day, lots of jeans.)
Skit (3rd Night): Floral print just-above-the-knee skirt, coordinating top, and nice sandals. (Some girls wore sundresses, but mostly skirts and tops. No flip-flops.)
Pref (4th Night): Black knee-length dress with a white Floral print, two straps. I wore black strappy heels and jewelry that matched the floral pattern, and got a lot of compliments on it. (Lots of black dresses, again. A few girls even wore just a nice skirt and top, something you would wear to an afternoon wedding.)
It really seems to vary a lot from school to school. I really don't think anyone at SLU would be overly concerned with the "white after labor day" rule or that they'd really notice, actually! And flip flops for the first two nights are just fine, as long as they aren't grubby and old. I think the Midwest recruitment in general is more casual and also at medium and smaller schools. Good Luck to the Fall 2005 PNMs...just remember to be yourself and have fun with it
