Wearing Letters

[Thetagirl218]

I just graduated, so I am a recent Alum. I am also one of the first Alumna from my chapter, as I was one of its founders. I just had a question about letters. Do any of you still wear your letters? Ie Lavilers, charms, or jackets?

[lauralaylin]

I wore my lavalier for about 5 years until the chain broke. I wore letters for about that long too. Now I mostly just have a magnet on my car, although I do have a ton of shirts as I was a recruitment adviser for years and got them all for free!

[ThetaPrincess24]

Originally Posted by Thetagirl218

I just graduated, so I am a recent Alum. I am also one of the first Alumna from my chapter, as I was one of its founders. I just had a question about letters. Do any of you still wear your letters? Ie Lavilers, charms, or jackets?

I wear my jacket frequently when it is chilly and/or rainy weather and wear my letters as well (though obviously not as often as I did as a collegiate member). I also still wear my party shirts. I wear my lavalieres occassionally, but not 24/7 like I once did It's perfectly acceptable for alums to wear their lettered items as well as keep them instead of giving them away when they graduate.

Most of lettered shirts and tank tops were given away to the chapter for their scholarship auction (they get Alpha Gam bucks throughout the semester when they get A's and B's and have an auction with stuff donated by the alums). Collegians (especially the freshmen) enjoyed my "vintage" stuff.

I still wear my lettered gray sweater (and matching lounge pants) from time to time. A lot of my post-college friends were surprised to find out I'm in a sorority. I kept my recruitment shirts (the ones with the year printed on them) and wear those to sleep often.

My Honda Civic still sports the decal as well.

[KSUViolet06]

I'm a fairly recent alumna (December 2006). I handed down 90% of my shirts (especially tees and party shirts) during Senior Wills. I kept all of my hoodies though and I still wear them sometimes. I'm in grad school and they make great shirts to just throw on to go to my night classes when it's below zero outside.

[ZTAngel]

The majority of my shirts were made into a queen-sized quilt with the exception of my jersey. I took my letters off my car just because I tend to have road rage and didn't want ZTA to be associated with it. I haven't worn my lavalier since the day I graduated from college. I have a jacket that I'll wear sometimes when it's cold and rainy since it's the only windbreaker I own but I try to avoid wearing it if possible. I feel like even though I live in the South where Greek Life is big that if you wear your letters after college that people will look at you as though you're the alumni that can't let go of your college days. The only time I'll wear my letters is to the gym where I'll put on a beat-up sorority formal tee. That seems like a common thing in Atlanta - you see a lot of the younger alum wearing their way old fraternity/sorority shirts to the gym that say, "Kappa Alpha Old South - 1995" or "Phi Mu Bid Day - 2000."

[Tom Earp]

Do I afer being an Alum for 40 years, yes I do when I can. I wear a sweat shrit during the winter and polo shirts in the summer.

One reason being not to live the old days, but to meet any Greeks who come in the store. I always enjoy talking with Greeks from other organizations. Some that I have had in the store are:

LXA, STG, DDD, XO, AXO, AKA, KAT, BTPi, OPsiPhi, PKA, and KS. Maybe this is because there are so many Colleges in the area!

I am proud of what I did, and what it took to get there. So, I still wear my letters proudly.

Amazing how many you meet, find out where they went to school, where they are from, and what they do for a living. They seem to open up more to a fellow Greek!

[ThetaPrincess24]

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

Do I afer being an Alum for 40 years, yes I do when I can. I wear a sweat shrit during the winter and polo shirts in the summer.

One reason being not to live the old days, but to meet any Greeks who come in the store. I always enjoy talking with Greeks from other organizations. Some that I have had in the store are:

LXA, STG, DDD, XO, AXO, AKA, KAT, BTPi, OPsiPhi, PKA, and KS. Maybe this is because there are so many Colleges in the area!

I am proud of what I did, and what it took to get there. So, I still wear my letters proudly.

Amazing how many you meet, find out where they went to school, where they are from, and what they do for a living. They seem to open up more to a fellow Greek!

I meet more greeks and Theta alums now wearing my letters after college than I did when I was in college! The letters are a good conversation starter. I would not have met many Theta alums that I've met after college had I not been wearing letters at the time. I still buy lettered sweatshirts and t-shirts occassionally. My black & gold letter decal is still on my vehicle as well.

[Benzgirl]

Many of my event shirts fell apart soon after graduation. We didn't have bid-day shirts that were memorable, but I think I have one in the bottom of my T Shirt drawer. I guess that means I don't wear it.

I have one sweatshirt left that I would wear around the house, but I think I'm too old to wear it in public. The only car I had my letters on is long gone.

[SthrnZeta]

I still wear my lettered hoodie all the time and occasionally wear lettered t-shirts. And ZTAngel is right, you see a lot of "vintage" party shirts out and about - saw a Chi-O bid day shirt from 1999 in my real estate class a few months ago, for example. My boyfriend just bought me a lavalier since I had given mine away to my second little and it's kind of a family tradtion in my chapter to not wear lavaliers after graduation so we're thinking I'll attach it to my Tiffany's bracelet instead Still have the small gold/black letters on my car just because I think it's neat to see others as well. I agree a little bit that it looks odd to see an older woman in letters but Greek Life is big down here in the South and if I saw an older woman in letters out and about I would assume she was just really involved in alumnae stuff, and that's a good thing I feel like there's this taboo about wearing stuff like that as an alumni but I do it anyway because I'm proud to be a member of my org!

[radioZTA]

I almost always wear a crown, either a necklace, bracelet or ring, plus I have a ZTA watch that I wear quite often. My letters are on my car, too, which forces me to NOT have road rage. I don't wear letter shirts too often because they are dated but I do have a ZTA windbreaker that I wear occasionally. I've lost a lot of weight recently so I need to buy some new shirts, maybe at Texas Zeta days or Convention.

[RaggedyAnn]

I wear my shirts/sweatshirts for homecoming, District Day, travelling, sleeping. I have them, why not?

I pull out my lavalier for special sorority occassions and my pin for Founders' Day, initiations, etc.

[DGTess]

I wear my badge a couple of dozen times a year to work. It's on a pendant, on a gold chain. I frequently am asked about it.

[AGDee]

I wear my self made Alpha Gam Italian charm watch almost every day. I found an Italian charm watch and have made all the links Alpha Gam related in some way.. red roses, buff roses, squirrels and of course, greek letters. I love it. The face of the watch is red too But sure, I have an Alpha Gam t-shirt that I wear sometimes. Why not? I'm a member for life.

ETA: I also use Alpha Gam tote bags all the time. We get a new one each Convention and the one we got last time is really useful.

[Hopeful_Bubbles]

Since I'm a recent honor initiate and still on camps I have a block letter sweatshirt that I'll wear from time to time. I have a trident charm with letters that I wear as a necklace practically ever day.