Outfit ideas for those already members

[PrettyLilLyr]

Hi, I have recently been put into a position that deals with parts of Recruitment. Under the recruitment chair..

We are trying to modernize our round outfits. I'm in Alpha Chi Omega at a school where greek life is gaining popularity, but is no where huge.

First rounds we've previously worn the PHC t-shirts and jean skirts, we are updating these to dark wash jeans.

Pref Rounds we wear black dresses and red heels and we are keeping these the same

The problem we are having is Philanthropy Rounds. We have previously worn all black outfits with purple scarves. We are trying to come up with a new, modern, yet relevant idea. We've thought about wearing Cardigans with our crest on them, but couldnt' decide what to pair them with and can't even decide if this a route we should go.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

[33girl]

The cardis are a cute idea if you have winter rush and you won't bake in them. Consider allowing members to wear a sleeveless turtleneck underneath them in case the color chosen for the cardis isn't flattering to everyone. (i.e., some people look like crap in red and it can be toned down if they wear black or white or cream next to their face.)

Although if you do this, be careful about the sizing and make sure they fit snugly, but not super tight boob accenting.

For bottoms I would just stick with whatever the black bottom was for your previous philanthropy outfit and black boots.

[violetpretty]

You know what would fly at your campus and with your chapter, but here are some ideas:

*I always liked when my chapter had a color scheme (1-2 "colors" and 1-2 "neutrals) and created "pin attire" type outfits using that color scheme. It looks unified without looking cookie-cutter. We did pink, purple, brown and white; blue, green, brown, and white; pink, gray, and white. I think red, green, white, and brown could look nice for AChiO.

*I like when chapters use their own colors, and I think AChiO has beautiful colors, but you do want to make sure you don't look too Christmas-y, which will happen if there is red and green overload. I saw the AGDs at Chico State wearing a white top, dark jeans, and either red, yellow/buff, or green accessories (belt, scarf, headband, jewelry, hair ribbons). I presume each sister was assigned a color. If your color was red, you would only wear red accessories. It looked really cute. AChiO would look similar, just nix the yellow/buff.

*As for the cardigans, that is a cute idea! I agree with 33girl in recommending a neutral color for the cardigans (white or black), and then wearing a red or green tank beneath. Red in particular is not universally flattering in large amounts near the face. Black or khaki dress pants or skirts could look really nice!

*AChiO at my campus wore dark jeans, black or white tops, and gold accessories (could include shoes, belts, jewelry, hair accessories). It looked pretty.

[Zillini]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

*I always liked when my chapter had a color scheme (1-2 "colors" and 1-2 "neutrals)

Same here and this is especially helpful on a large Recruitment campus. PNMs get overwhelmed by visiting so many chapters and don't always take good notes. So often we hear comments like "I really liked the house that wore all blue/red/fill in the blank, but I don't remember which one it was."

Just be careful though. For example, ADPi's philanthropy is the Ronald McDonald House. Often chapters think it would be great to decorate and dress in Mickey D red and yellow for Philanthropy round ... which happens to be Chi O's colors.

[Alumiyum]

Are you opposed to denim on two nights? Because coming from a similar school, cute-with it-laid back seems to go over well with PNMs. It's less intimidating. I can tell you Phi Mu on my campus has Oxfords made in a flattering pink with their letters in a slightly darker pink, which they usually wear with either khaki shorts or denim and to me that says "sorority girl" in a classy yet laid back way. With those shirts there are less sizing issues (since they aren't supposed to be tight, no one ends up squeezed unflattering-ly), they look good on almost everyone, and they're classic. They can also be inexpensive without looking it.

I always wanted to make my chapter wear button downs with cuffed jeans, cute flats, and pearls. What about a version of that that would look good on your campus?

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Alumiyum

I can tell you Phi Mu on my campus has Oxfords made in a flattering pink with their letters in a slightly darker pink

Those sound absolutely adorable.

[Smile_Awhile]

Thoughts:

For Philanthropy round, my chapter always wears purple tops (deep purple, not lavender, not magenta!) with a nice bottom- most of the girls wore pencil skirts, though I believe there were a handful of pants.

Or, you could go the route we went for the first round this year- white Oxfords (bought by each member so that it fit HER) that were taken to get our crest and Alpha Chi Omega embroidered over the heart. They turned out super cute! We wore them with jeans and black or white or nude tank tops, but yo could wear them with some dress pants to dress things up too.

[WCsweet<3]

For house tours we wear sundresses and sandals.

However, my favorite day is our philanthropy day. This usually falls on a Saturday and since we have recruitment in the fall, this means football. So we wear a Duck shirt with jeans. However, another thing about philanthropy day is we always have t-shirts from the year before. You could wear shirts from last year. Or depending on your philanthropy you could do a theme off of that. Ours is a basketball tournament and spaghetti feed so we could wear basketball jerseys or something along that line.

[PrettyLilLyr]

Thanks for all the input so far guys.
33girl-that's a really good tip about having the cardis be a neutral color and the tanks underneath if we go that route.
Violetgirl & zillini- I really like the having mixed colors so we aren't matchy matchy.
Alumiyum- The denim on two nights... See I'm afraid that would make it too casual, the PNMs are given a guideline of what to wear and I wouldn't want to make our girls seem underdressed. But I LOVEEE the oxford idea. I think that would be adorable, and cheaper than the cardis...
Smile_Awhile- See.. that's why we've been opposed to purple in the past, is the awful interpretations of "PURPLE"
WCsweet- We don't have a house , so no house tours for us. Our philanthropy round is more dressy and we are cramped in our suite so we are kind of stuck

Thanks so much for all the suggestions so far again guys!!

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by PrettyLilLyr

Thanks for all the input so far guys.
33girl-that's a really good tip about having the cardis be a neutral color and the tanks underneath if we go that route.
Violetgirl & zillini- I really like the having mixed colors so we aren't matchy matchy.
Alumiyum- The denim on two nights... See I'm afraid that would make it too casual, the PNMs are given a guideline of what to wear and I wouldn't want to make our girls seem underdressed. But I LOVEEE the oxford idea. I think that would be adorable, and cheaper than the cardis...
Smile_Awhile- See.. that's why we've been opposed to purple in the past, is the awful interpretations of "PURPLE"
WCsweet- We don't have a house , so no house tours for us. Our philanthropy round is more dressy and we are cramped in our suite so we are kind of stuck

Thanks so much for all the suggestions so far again guys!!

I get that...Oxfords can go with khaki, too though! Phi Mu usually went with denim shorts, but khaki shorts could be just as cute, and they're a step up from denim. If you get interested in button downs visit some of the major Greek clothing suppliers on the web. When my chapter ordered them I don't remember them being expensive at all and we were only ordering about 45 at a time.

Originally Posted by 33girl

Those sound absolutely adorable.

It was. My chapter tried our own version the year after Phi Mu got theirs, but they just weren't as cute. Wherever Phi Mu got theirs from made better shirts. I was jealous.

[ErinBee]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

*I like when chapters use their own colors, and I think AChiO has beautiful colors, but you do want to make sure you don't look too Christmas-y, which will happen if there is red and green overload. I saw the AGDs at Chico State wearing a white top, dark jeans, and either red, yellow/buff, or green accessories (belt, scarf, headband, jewelry, hair ribbons). I presume each sister was assigned a color. If your color was red, you would only wear red accessories. It looked really cute. AChiO would look similar, just nix the yellow/buff.

This is a great idea!!

We did black cardigans with our crest in lavender with a lavender and black bottoms. That was the first and only year we did that. It's cute for philanthropy events but it ended up looking like a librarian gathering/funeral when we were all together. Much of the feedback we got was that it was imitating to the PNM's.

I would kind of match what the PNM's are wearing as far as dressiness. If they're wearing church attire then I would kind of go that route. It makes them feel on the same level as you.

If you need anymore help feel free to PM me!

[Drolefille]

Denim skirts could be a step up from the shorts, and can be dressier depending on the top or shoes, yet still be kind of casual. We frequently did a jean skirt night for philanthropy night.

[Smile_Awhile]

Originally Posted by PrettyLilLyr

Thanks for all the input so far guys.
33girl-that's a really good tip about having the cardis be a neutral color and the tanks underneath if we go that route.
Violetgirl & zillini- I really like the having mixed colors so we aren't matchy matchy.
Alumiyum- The denim on two nights... See I'm afraid that would make it too casual, the PNMs are given a guideline of what to wear and I wouldn't want to make our girls seem underdressed. But I LOVEEE the oxford idea. I think that would be adorable, and cheaper than the cardis...
Smile_Awhile- See.. that's why we've been opposed to purple in the past, is the awful interpretations of "PURPLE"
WCsweet- We don't have a house , so no house tours for us. Our philanthropy round is more dressy and we are cramped in our suite so we are kind of stuck

Thanks so much for all the suggestions so far again guys!!

One way we were able to combat the "OMGTOOMANYPURPLEVARIATIONS" was fabric swatches. Find a roll of ribbon in the right shade of purple, and tell girls to find a top as close to it as possible.