Logistics of clothing changes

[Titchou]

I have always wondered about this but just never got around to asking. On campuses where new members have to wear a certain color dress for Bid Day, how does that work? Do they bring both color outfits in case? Or do they go back to the dorm to change after getting their bids and before they go to the house? i haven't been able to figure this out!

[shirley1929]

Originally Posted by Titchou

I have always wondered about this but just never got around to asking. On campuses where new members have to wear a certain color dress for Bid Day, how does that work? Do they bring both color outfits in case? Or do they go back to the dorm to change after getting their bids and before they go to the house? i haven't been able to figure this out!

Interesting! I've never heard of this?! Where does it happen? I've heard of KY's white dresses, and schools where you wear shorts & tank tops (because you're getting a jersey) but never where you're supposed to wear the color of the sorority you've joined???

[Titchou]

I did not say, nor did I mean, that they had to wear the color of the sorority. I said "certain color". White or black seem to be the norm so just wondering how that happens, logistically speaking.

[NUBlue&Blue]

I think it all depends. I know that in some places you get your bid and you don't go straight to the house. Or you go to the house right away, get a tshirt, then go back later and change for a more formal dinner (that's what they do where my daughters went to school).

When I was a pledge they came to our door with a big sign and told us what time to be at the house and to wear a blue dress if we had one. So pledges wore blue, actives all wore black.

It was years before I could pass by a good deal on a black dress...oh wait, I still can't.

[violetpretty]

The Miami Ohio DZ new members last semester---literally ALL of them whose legs you could see were wearing dark skinny jeans tucked into cognac knee boots of the same shade! And the NM classes are not small at Miami! I was convinced that someone had to have told them to wear boots! Then again, in a winter recruitment where there can be snow on the ground, boots are a practical choice over less substantial flats, and sneakers aren't waterproof...but seriously ALL of them!

[ADqtPiMel]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

The Miami Ohio DZ new members last semester---literally ALL of them whose legs you could see were wearing dark skinny jeans tucked into cognac knee boots of the same shade! And the NM classes are not small at Miami! I was convinced that someone had to have told them to wear boots! Then again, in a winter recruitment where there can be snow on the ground, boots are a practical choice over less substantial flats, and sneakers aren't waterproof...but seriously ALL of them!

I remember that picture, but I also looked at pictures from ADPi and Theta's bid day at Miami and nearly all the girls were wearing skinny jeans and cognac or black knee-high boots. It's a fashionable campus and that was the fashionable look last winter.

ETA that at Miami, they give out bids midday, and the bids usually include a little note from the chapter telling the new members where to go and what to expect -- so I suppose DZ could have tucked in a note requiring cognac boots!

[Titchou]

I'm talking about like at UGA. Pictures of NMs sitting in front of the houses on Bid Day in white dresses. How does that happen? Everywhere I've been involved with everyone gets their bids at the same time and runs to the houses. Do these folks detour to the dorm and change? I just don't know how that works.

[shirley1929]

Originally Posted by Titchou

I did not say, nor did I mean, that they had to wear the color of the sorority. I said "certain color". White or black seem to be the norm so just wondering how that happens, logistically speaking.

Gotcha

Originally Posted by Titchou

I'm talking about like at UGA. Pictures of NMs sitting in front of the houses on Bid Day in white dresses. How does that happen? Everywhere I've been involved with everyone gets their bids at the same time and runs to the houses. Do these folks detour to the dorm and change? I just don't know how that works.

Isn't UGA like KY, where they ALL are told to wear white on bid day? I haven't heard of a school where one house's pledges all wear one color and another wear a different color. If there is, I'm intrigued as you are about the changing...

[BraveMaroon]

Yes, UGA has all new members wear white to their bid day. In my case, Sigma Kappa tucked a note in my bid indicating I should bring a change of casual clothes.

We changed out of white after our pledging ceremony and before dinner. I don't remember exactly, but I changed either in the bathroom or in my future Big's bedroom.

I don't know the exact reasoning UGA does this, but it makes the NMs easy to spot!

[Titchou]

Brave Maroon, Ok...so how did you get the change of clothes? I guess everywhere I've ever been there was no dress code other than casual (mostly shorts) so I couldn't figure out how you get your emotions under control after getting the bid, leave the stadium (orwherever), go get changed, pack another change of clothes and get to the house. That would NEVER work at Alabama!

[angels&angles]

At W&L, bids are delivered to the NM's dorms, and with the bid are instructions on what to wear, bring, and where to meet. The NMs gather where instructed (different for each sorority), a contingent of actives meet them and all parade together, singing, to the house (where the rest of the chapter is cheering and waving sparklers, as well as the rest of the row, who always cheered for everyone's NM class).

I know we had our NMs wear black (and bring white for the next day pledging ceremony -- we had a sleepover), and Kappa always had NMs wear white. I don't remember what everyone else did, but I think only Kappa and maybe KD did white.

[dgdramadawg]

Originally Posted by Titchou

Brave Maroon, Ok...so how did you get the change of clothes? I guess everywhere I've ever been there was no dress code other than casual (mostly shorts) so I couldn't figure out how you get your emotions under control after getting the bid, leave the stadium (orwherever), go get changed, pack another change of clothes and get to the house. That would NEVER work at Alabama!

At least when I pledged, we had time to go back to the dorm and get anything we might need. Then our new sisters picked us up for the bid day festivities in decorated vehicles. I think most chapters suggested a change of clothes (or pajamas if bid night included a sleepover). My recruitment year, we got our bids at 5:30 and were picked up between 7 and 7:30.

[Drolefille]

The idea of even getting our bids at a stadium is just crazy to me. We wore shorts or jeans and a T-shirt and were all given T-shirts by our chapters on bid day and just put one on top of the other. Wherever bid day events were, or whatever ritual events were held that day, people had time to go home and change before coming back. I honestly can't remember how we got our bids, at our dorm rooms I think... although we might have used the campus center when I was an active. I just remember decorating the new members' dorm doors while they were sleeping/out at events.

[BraveMaroon]

Originally Posted by dgdramadawg

At least when I pledged, we had time to go back to the dorm and get anything we might need. Then our new sisters picked us up for the bid day festivities in decorated vehicles. I think most chapters suggested a change of clothes (or pajamas if bid night included a sleepover). My recruitment year, we got our bids at 5:30 and were picked up between 7 and 7:30.

^^^^^^^
This.

It also gave people time to call home, cry and pull it together, etc.

Back in my era, you had to get to the house on your own. One year, we rented a limo to pick up our pledges, but now they all take the bus.

Which, IMHO, is the best of all possible worlds.

[Titchou]

Interesting....