Rush attire....

Originally posted by SensativAF:
Hello all. Well I must say I really don't see anything wrong with wearing expensive clothes if you have the money. If you don't well thats another story. WineandBlue I dont want to seen rude but I'm from NY and if you don't know a certain place don't go around making "clever" remarks. Not everyone from NY is into fashion! Although I am (LOL). Also I attend a school in Alabama and YES people wear alot of namebrand clothing. (mabye cause ATL is right there I don't know)! But back to the topic at hand darling wear what will enhance your classy yet tastefully sexy style! That is how I will handle it when I rush! Have a peaceful day all!!

SensativAF, I believe Wine & Blue presented a very informative post about Recruitment at UA. Being that she IS from UA herself, her tips probably helped the many girls on GC who are planning to Rush at UA this Fall.

Nothing is wrong with wearing designer clothing...and if you have the bucks then go for it! It's important to look great for the sisters, but in all honesty, a rushee should concentrate more on being as comfortable with the sisters as possible!

Also, I noticed that your post was re-posted many times. When you have the time, it would be great if you could delete the repetitive posts (Barbara-Rush Forum mod is on vacation).

Good luck and best wishes on a very successfull Fall Recruitment.

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A single seed...becomes a Rose of incredible beauty.

A single grain of sand...becomes a Pearl of great worth.

A single great idea...becomes a Century of success.

Go Alpha Gam!

[This message has been edited by OohTeenyWahine (edited July 16, 2001).]

[rolltidesoon]

Originally posted by SensativAF:
WineandBlue I dont want to seen rude but I'm from NY and if you don't know a certain place don't go around making "clever" remarks.

I don't think that Wine&Blue was trying to sound smart by making those comments. I know that she's been extremely helpful with us future UA rushees and I'm sure she was trying to let girls out there know that they don't HAVE to spend a ton of money on rush clothes if they can't afford to. I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates her tips!

I never said ALL New Yorkers were into fashion. Actually I know New York very well and was not commenting on the city itself. Since you are from New York, you must know that fashion week is an EVENT that happens there in which designers show their newest designs, which tend to be beyond the budget of any rushee. (And if you are worried about seeming "rambunctious bruske arrogant" then I wouldn't be so quick to accuse people who are trying to help of making "clever" remarks.) I also did not say that people at Alabama do not wear name brand clothing. What I said was if what you are looking for in the clothes you choose for rush is a name brand or a price tag, then your priorities are in the wrong place and you will probably be very disappointed on bid day.

Thank you to everyone who came to my defense.

[PenguinTrax]

As moderator, I feel the need to provide an 'official' response to the original post.

Your Recruitment materials will tell you, usually in agonizing detail, the type of clothing that is suggested for each round of events during recruitment.

Do not go out and spend money on a Recruitment wardrobe unless you are purchasing clothes that you would normally use for school.

What is important is that you have high grades, good activities, a personality that fits in with a chapter and that you are well groomed. By well groomed I mean that you are clean, your clothes fit well and are flattering and you present yourself as a lady. If you don't have the body to wear trendy clothes, don't. Wear items that flatter you and your figure and leave it at that. Wear clothes that are tasteful and be sure to wear appropriate undergarments.

Recruitment is not a fashion show.


Barbara
Rush Forum Moderator

[This message has been edited by PnguinTrax (edited July 17, 2001).]

[SoCalGirl]

Originally posted by aopirose:
Worriedsenior,

In all honesty, you probably already have something appropriate in your closet. Always look there first! However, if you feel the urge to go out and buy something, buy clothing that you KNOW you will wear again. Don't forget you can always borrow clothing from your friends. My biggest piece of advice is to avoid hemlines that tell the world, "Hello," when you sit down. Examples of classic styling are Carriages Fine Clothiers (in Baton Rouge), Talbot's - www.talbots.com, and Ann Taylor - www.anntaylor.com. (Fun trivia - the head designer for Ann Taylor is a man from Baton Rouge!) If these don't exactly fit your budget, look for similar styles at places like Steinmart.

I think this is great advice! I worked at Setinmart in Virginia for a year. You'll save a lot of $$$ by shopping there.

TIP

The Boutique at Stienmart has the designer clothes. (Not knock offs, the actual stuff!)

The women who work in the Bou during the week and during the day work in there for a VERY specific reason. (These women will probably be the mothers of all the girls you're going to be rushed by.) Steinmart recruits these women straight out of the country clubs to work there. They get a great discount and something to do during the day. The Bou Ladies (as they are known ) also put on fashion shows throughout the year for prom, etc. You may want to ask if they'll have one for rush. Steinmart has it's roots firmly in the South so it wouldn't shock me! By all means ask these women for their fashion advice. They're shopping all day while they work so they'll know exactly what they have on hand.

P.S.

Remember, you are dressing to impress girls, not guys! Some rushees forget that.

[Dianne]

OK, to get back to the original topic of this thread. Summer or fall colors - summer! Even at the beginning of Sept it will still be a thousand degrees in Alabama. Pref night - Twin Star made an outstanding point...if you're at the pref party, they already want you. I'm a ZTA, and for pref all Zetas wear black dresses. As a rushee, I wore a simple, classic black dress to pref, and it obviously made not a world of difference. This year, I am wearing a dress with fringe, but it's still classy. As far as pearls go, my rule is "If I'm not wearing heels, I'm not wearing pearls." Great for pref night, but lay off of them earlier in the week. As a rushee, I went to Open House at a sorority known for being big southern prisses (I hate to generalize, but..). The sister who led me through the house was wearing her jersey, a khaki skirt, socks, tennis shoes...and pearls. Um...I would advise against that. It just seemed like a little too much. About wearing the same outfit as someone else - it happened to me. It's one of those situations you have absolutely no control over, so just make a joke out of it. "Hey, you have *outstanding* taste in clothes!" It will show how witty you are, and that you can handle an embarrassing situation with class. The sorority women will notice that a lot more than the actual outfit you were wearing. Designer clothes - I didn't have them. My family is poor. Designer clothes are not an option. I didn't even buy new clothes for rush. I wore cute stuff I already owned, like a cute sundress from the Gap, a classy pantsuit from the junior dept at Sears, etc. My pref dress had been bought 8 months earlier for a wedding. I rushed at a Southern school (College of Charleston) and still got into one of the largest, most active chapters on campus with one of the best reputations. One thing my chapter is known for is being genuine, so when I rushed they probably didn't care what I was wearing, just that I looked put-together and classy. So don't stress about designer clothes. Besides, if certain girls are gonna judge you based on what you're wearing, are those really the kind of (obviously shallow and stuck-up) girls you want to call your sisters????

Sorry for such a long post, but I wanted to clear some things up.

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"Seek the noblest."
Zeta Love! <3

[aopirose]

It's so ironic that you say this. A few years ago I went to a summer "Go Greek" event sponsored by the LSU Panhellenic Council and part of the program was a fashion show. All the clothes came from Steinmart and the coordinators were Bou ladies and their sorority daughters.

Originally posted by SoCalGirl:
[B] The Bou Ladies (as they are known ) also put on fashion shows throughout the year for prom, etc. B]

To any rushees going to UA... Tuscaloosa has a great Steinmart. I've been to several around the state and the one in Tusc. is by far the best. I would definitely look there for rush clothes at reasonable prices.

[Emilitab]

Most schools will tell you in advance what types of clothes you need. For our first day, i wore khaki pants and a sleevless blouse. Second round of parties I wore a sleeveless dress, that was dressy casual (it was my graduation dress), and then the final night every girl wears a black dress. Don't buy something just for Rush, but if you can't find something in your closet, then buy something that you'll be able to wear again for other events. Be comfortable in whatever you chose. Although girls aren't looking specifically at how you are dressed, a nice appearance never hurts.

[rolltidesoon]

Originally posted by Wine&Blue:

My advice is to stay simple and comfortable. When I went through, I got all of my outfits from shops in Tuscaloosa.

Wine&Blue-
What are some good shops in Tuscaloosa to buy rush type outfits at? I'm not very familiar with the city (yet!).

Originally posted by rolltidesoon:
Wine&Blue-
What are some good shops in Tuscaloosa to buy rush type outfits at? I'm not very familiar with the city (yet!).

Effie's, just off campus, is really nice. Part Two in the Tuscaloosa Galleria is good too.

[orchid2]

Exactly how commonplace are black dresses on pref night? In my rush materials, they make absolutely no mention of it! I'd hate to go up there dressed improperly. Is it something that the sisters usually do, or is it generally expected of rushees as well? Or is it one of those things that just varies from school to school?

[AlphaSigLana]

At my school only the rushers are required to wear black dresses. A rushee may wear a black dress. My rho chi just said to dress nice for pref she had never told us what the rushers wore for pref so I am sure there were girls who also wore black. Just look nice. I looked like such a dork bc I wore black shoes with this suede outfit bc I didn't have a car to go shopping and i couldn't find any shoes to go with my outfit- Oh well I still got a bid!

[dzsaigirl]

First of all, to explain the fashion show thing: This got controversial at my school 'cause people were offended that we had a fashion show (this is University of Houston, obviously in Texas). So we stopped having the Rho Chis do a fashion show. But they weren't doing it because they wanted people to think they had to go and buy a whole new wardrobe at Nieman's or anything...it was just to let people know what the level of formality was for each night, just as you would need to know for a job interview, wedding or other event.

So my advice is to get a general idea of what to wear for each day and then walk into your closet and start pulling outfits and lay them out to look at them. You probably already have clothes that will work just great! If you are blessed financially and can get new stuff, that's your prerogative, but to be honest, the sororities will only be "ohmygosh look at that" if you show up in cutoffs or something or if you show up to pref in a prom dress. Common sense would tell you not to do those things, so I think that everyone should stop worrying and just wear comfortable, nice-looking clothes that they already have...if not, get together with another friend who is rushing and raid each other's closets until you all find stuff you can wear...this is supposed to be fun, not stressful!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am sure that everyone will look beautiful and have a great time!!!!!!!! Don't forget your best fashion feature, your smile

dzsaigirl

[This message has been edited by dzsaigirl (edited August 09, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by dzsaigirl (edited August 09, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by dzsaigirl (edited August 09, 2001).]

[MollyUF]

Speaking of Rush Attire, I have a quick question.

All of the pictures of Pref dresses I've seen are heinous. However, pretty much all of them are black/dark colors, and worn with heels.

I have this absolutely GORGEOUS dress from J Crew (it was never in the catalog, it was a store only item). It's a strapless dress that hits a little higher than my knees and is in this gorgeous blue and white flower, almost vintage looking, print. There is boning in the bodice which gives it a very elegant silhouette. I thought with some pretty jewlery and nice heels, I could pass it on Pref night. I'm worried that the color scheme will make it inappropriate. If this dress were black, I wouldn't even be posting. So, any advice?

Molly