Can you stand another retro thread?

[honeychile]

Great story!



FWIW, my favorite fair isle sweaters are a pale blue one with navy & white accents, and a pale pink one with white, rose, and taupe accents. I can't find pictures of either.

[baci]

This thread is great!

[That80sRush]

The waiting is the hardest part...

Bid Day
We had to wait in our rooms until 11:00 when our Rho Chi was come to give us our bids. 12:00 came, and we still were waiting. We were told that the alums had messed up the bids and they had to start over. At that moment I vowed that when I became and alum I would be much more careful with such important things. We waited, and waited, and couldn’t even go in the hall to talk to our other friends who were also on pins and needles. Roommate and I sat on our beds, trying to study for a distraction. Finally, at 2:45, our Rho Chi came in with envelopes for my roommate and me. We opened them together … mine said …









































































































And so did hers!

We then went to "Walk the Row," as bid day was called, to be greeted by Fast Times. We were given our first letters in the form of visors, and all hurried into cars to go to the restaurant where we were now several hours late for our luncheon. We dined on chicken salad croissants, the first of our many sorority chicken banquet meals. (Not sure why I can remember this but not who preffed me at either party.)

That evening, wearing letter shirts loaned to us by our heart sisters (I wore the president’s), we met and walked over to Fraternity Row, which was in the midst of Wet Function. This is when the fraternities gave out bids, and it was, as the name suggests, full of beer and other beverages that would be considered a risk management nightmare. Wet Function was especially wet for SAE pledges, because afer accepting bids they were thrown in the SAE pool. But, no one had yet coined the term “risk management” and the legal drinking age was 19, so it was all fun. I was so happy with my new group of soon to be sisters.

[That80sRush]

Because the passage of 25 years makes you much wiser...
(We are not going to say "older." No we're not!)

What I know now that I didn’t know then, even though I was a really smug 18 year old who thought she knew everything:

1. I went prepared for a really competitive rush, and instead had one that wasn’t overly competitive. All those girls who didn’t have recs somehow managed to join sororities.
2. The pretty red head who introduced herself at the first meet and greet knew exactly who I was when she walked up. The chapter had been studying recs for over a month.
3. That I felt so welcome and felt I was a shoe-in at the group where I ended up was due to their excellent rush skills. I could have just as easily felt this way and had my heart broken, and wouldn’t have taken it well because I wasn’t as open-minded as I should have been.
4. I would have been just as happy being a member Valley Girl, St. Elmo’s Fire, or Pretty in Pink instead. I made great friends in all the groups, and found that there were really terrific people in every chapter. I just didn’t meet them during rush.
5. I didn’t transfer to Big State U, and stayed at Small Private School for the remainder of my college career. High School boyfriend and I broke up by Thanksgiving. Best friend and I are still best friends, although we live in two different states, both far away from Big State U. Even if we hadn’t joined the same sorority, this would probably still be the case, though having that bond does make buying birthday and Christmas presents even more fun. And thanks to Facebook, we are in contact weekly.
6. Pink and grey worn together is not as fabulous as I once thought.

[micky80]

I loved the story! You rushed when I did. But what sorority did you join????

[violetpretty]

Originally Posted by That80sRush

That evening, wearing letter shirts loaned to us by our heart sisters

Originally Posted by micky80

I loved the story! You rushed when I did. But what sorority did you join????

Sigma Kappa?

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by barbino

The Preppy Handbook ! Will anyone else admit to buying a copy? Being from Chicago, I was pretty unpreppy although I tried. Ganz nightgowns, Fair Isle sweaters and Pappagallo! I worked at a Pappagallo shop for awhile, and loved their shoes and clothes. I remember when pink and green Malia dresses were what to wear during rush. The 80's were such fun.

****Waving****

[barnard1897]

This was positively the most entertaining retro thread I've read in a long time! Probably because it reminded me so much of going through recruitment during the same era, it just struck such a chord. Just the other day, I was writing recs and thinking about how ridiculous I must have looked, going to a rush party in a sweater vest, blouse, a wool skirt that hit at the knee, and navy pumps--hello, Mallory Keaton). I guess I just didn't recall that many of us wore this type of outfit.

Pappagallo-that was IT back in the day! I still wish I had saved my bermuda bag from back then. Thank god Lilly has been resurrected. Now, tell us what house it was!

[That80sRush]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

Sigma Kappa?

Well, that's half right! I'm a Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Thanks everyone, for reading and reminiscing!!

[alum]

Yay, another Kappa who rushed in the 80s! You have brought back a lot of fond memories with your outfit descriptions...

[ISUKappa]

Originally Posted by That80sRush

Well, that's half right! I'm a Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Thanks everyone, for reading and reminiscing!!

Yay Kappa! Hee. I wondered with the pref ceremony you described. I think they were still suggesting that in the Leadership Guides when I was an active in the late 90s. Heck, they still might have that in there now.

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by That80sRush

Well, that's half right! I'm a Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Thanks everyone, for reading and reminiscing!!

I knew it when you said they wore navy taffeta dresses at pref!

GREAT story -- thanks for letting us all reminisce.

[That80sRush]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

I knew it when you said they wore navy taffeta dresses at pref!

I wondered if anyone would pick up on that. The navy dresses only lasted one more year, then we went to our choice of white dresses with either light blue or navy blue chintz sashes. (I have a photo of four of us who bought the same Liz Claiborne dress.) Now that really would have given it away!

[NutBrnHair]

Your story made me go back and re-read my retro thread from last year -- I was curious how I described what I had worn in 1979.

[That80sRush]

Well, bump your thread up so we can read it too!