A Cheesy Disco Retro Recruitment!

[greekdee]

Ha ha, it was a fun drive down Memory Lane! I looked through the sorority group pictures in my 77-78 yearbook-- boy, we sure did like our sweater sets and sweater jackets with belts.

As for those far-out pantsuits, they were so old lady-ish and I can't believe they caught on. Of course, I remember when it was frowned on for women to wear anything but skirts/dresses to school or work. I think the pantsuit was the first thing, slacks-wise, that became acceptable for those areas. Maybe that helps explain their popularity. My sister had one in navy blue with brass buttons -- hideous! I had one in petal pink -- more hideous!

[LucyKKG]

Great story! I really enjoyed reading it!

[Shellfish]

Originally Posted by That_70s_Rush!

We wore them with tall tan Frye boots.

My boots were Dingos. I must have been swayed by the endorsement from O. J. Simpson.

I forgot about the finds at Vermont Country Store (even though I found Hope for someone there a few years ago), but since I've been forced to browse the site today--Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific! Lemon Up! The retro shampoos are not cheap, but it could be worth it since the cost also includes mental transportation to the '70s. I might also submit a request for Eau de Love, which I know quite a few people on the 'Net are still pining for.

[Shellfish]

I was a rushee at the very same time and also had a few pairs of those culottes, only we called them gauchos. Some of them were in sets with matching vests; I remember having one in brown corduroy. I also remember sets of below-knee-length plaid skirts with matching shawls, which often were worn tied around the waist.

Jungle Gardenia! Haven't thought about that in ages. I remember my roommate's perfume was Aliage, but I was still wearing Love perfumes.

My initiation was in January 1978 because KD required grades beforehand, and that January was so snowy that school was closed at least once. I didn't think such a thing would happen in college. I think the snow might have affected the timing of White Rose Week, the week between our second-degree ceremony and initiation, and it certainly led to some epic campus-wide snowball fights.

[honeychile]

Well told & interesting! I was given "the mirror treatment" at Pref, too!

[That_70s_Rush!]

Originally Posted by greekdee

I also recall what I wore – and it’s beyond me why I haven’t blocked this from memory . I remember the outfit because I wore it often, believing it to be cute and flattering. As they say, hindsight is 20/20 – and so are pictures and there are just way too many of me in this get-up.

I wore a pair of long culottes -- below the knee, wide legged babies that rivaled something Annie Oakley would wear when springing into the saddle of her favorite horse. Those legs were roomy enough to conceal a riffle and utensils to outfit an entire campsite. In keeping with the psychedelic decade at hand, they were a far-out, can’t-miss ‘em kelly green, and I paired them with a knit top that had thin, multi-colored horizontal stripes. Why, look at me– I’ll bet the colors of every sorority were woven into that top! On my feet, I wore chunky- clunky, three inch sandals that boasted platforms -- crafted from cork. In high school, we wore those walking bulletin boards with socks that had toes. Each toe was a different color. No, I did not wear the toe socks during Rush, but that’s about the only scary thing I didn’t present myself in.

Originally Posted by greekdee

The Dress

It cost $42.00, which at the time seemed out…RAGEOUS. I mean, it wasn’t floor length or even semi-formal; it was just a really “nice” dress as we were instructed to wear. So let me tell you about this beauty.

First, as in keeping with the latter 70’s fashion, it fell just below the knee – could there be a dowdier, more unflattering length for most women? It was some kind of sheer fabric that the salesgirl called “fluid” and had a satin lining in a shade of yellow that I don’t think is truly found in nature. The closest thing I can compare it to is the yellowish-tan color of a piece of Mary Jane, pull-your-crowns-off chewy candy.

The sheer overlay was a floral paradise of yellow, yellow and yellow. Well, it was different shades of light to medium yellows, with such a tight floral pattern you could only feel like it needed to be pruned and thinned out. It had a firm elastic waist and was worn with a very thin (think shoe lace) fabric belt that matched the lining. Here’s the best part – the skirt was designed to billow, and billow it did if you twirled fast enough. You just had to be careful it didn’t helicopter up on you and show the world your unmentionables.

It had short, semi-puffy sleeves that also contained skin-cutting elastic to make the bottom edge of the sleeves ruffle out. And speaking of ruffles, a bounty of them ran up and down the V-neck—my, but it was a busy little dress! I loved it, though, and wore it with my thick, six inch platform shoes…okay, not really. I think a simple pair of slingbacks in one of the safe neutrals did the trick.

Originally Posted by Shellfish

I was a rushee at the very same time and also had a few pairs of those culottes, only we called them gauchos. Some of them were in sets with matching vests; I remember having one in brown corduroy. I also remember sets of below-knee-length plaid skirts with matching shawls, which often were worn tied around the waist.

Jungle Gardenia! Haven't thought about that in ages. I remember my roommate's perfume was Aliage, but I was still wearing Love perfumes.

My people!

We called them gauchos too. We wore them with tall tan Frye boots.

Aliage was my first grown up perfume, but before that it was Love's Baby Soft, Eau de Love, Love's Fresh Lemon and Windsong.

[groovypq]

Awesome story! I especially loved the fashion details! :-)

[Leslie Anne]

Reading this story was so much fun! The fashion back then really was at an all-time low. I remember the colottes and the cordouroy. You so expertly brought back that decade.
What a trip!

[SigmaShelley]

I can't remember what I have for dinner the night before and you can remember all of this. Simply amazing. What a great story.
I noticed that there are only 4 sororities left at your school.
What happened, I hate to see that.

[als463]

Yay! I love a Phi Mu ending!

[ellebud]

OMG, I'm a bit older than you guys...but I remember those clothes! Gauchos...and the Farrah hair...I loved this story. It set a time and place and the tone perfectly. I'm ALMOST nostalgic for those clothes. I remember Woodhur (?) perfume, but my favorite was Je Reviens (which I wear to this day).

Well, maybe not.

[Leslie Anne]

For those of us who are being nostalgic, you have to check out the Vermont Country Store (.com). They have so many things you haven't seen in years. Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific shampoo, Princess telephones. They even sell typewriters. :P

[tinydancer]

Your story was such fun to read. I had to laugh about the Jungle Gardenia perfume. My mom used to fuss about driving me and my junior high friends to school dances after we doused ourselves in JG.

[carnation]

Love's Fresh Lemon! I loved it then, I love it now!

[honeychile]

Frye boots! My one roomie thought she'd pull a fast one on me and wore mine prior to being waterproofed - in the rain. I allowed her to live, only to have her wear the cork platforms with the toe socks. The strap broke, and she had to tie the shoe on to get home. I often wonder how she survives now - she went to school for four years, and I don't think she even had a GPA! She never got inititated, either.

I love finding the "oldies but goodies" in the Vermont Country Store catalog, too! I even found a cookie that my mother had been pining for, but it had my high school perfume: Oh! de London!