Wearing letters in colors other than your GLO's

REE1993 · #1 05-11-2007, 10:56 AM

I know I have seen this topic before, but I cannot find what I need via the search feature.

I keep reading about wearing ONLY your GLO's colors when it comes to letters, but back in my day, we used to get shirts/sweatshirts of any color with cute fabric for the letters themselves.

Is there a new trend in not allowing or discouraging members from wearing letters in colors that may belong to another group? For example, I have an old yellow sweatshirt with red and green plaid twill letters. I know that at least one sorority has these official colors. So would that be disrespectful?

I have seen sisters (NPC and non-NPC) wearing different combos of colors and patterns. FOR EXAMPLE: Is is inappropriate for an AXiD to wear a pink sweatshirt patterned fabric letters of, let's say, pink and white hearts (Phi Mu has pink and white)? I mean, it would be cute, but is it inappropriate now? Greekwear sites still offer patterns.

I am not speaking of chapter jerseys (which they didn't do in my era), I am talking about letters we buy each other or ourselves.

What's the scoop here?

cuteASAbug · #2 05-11-2007, 10:58 AM

If your sorority doesn't have any rules against it, I say do what you want.

AlphaFrog · #3 05-11-2007, 11:02 AM

We determined last time we had this argument that there are two factors:

1) Campus culture - if everyone else only wears their colors, you look odd wearing something else

2) Branding. When you think XYZ, you think Orange and sea green, for example, and it helps PNMs remember which is which.

I came from a campus where it didn't matter, and I have plaid letters, zebra letters, blue & purple letters, purple & white letters, green letters, navy & maroon letters, etc...

susan314 · #4 05-11-2007, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

I came from a campus where it didn't matter, and I have plaid letters, zebra letters, blue & purple letters, purple & white letters, green letters, navy & maroon letters, etc...

Same here - I have letters in a variey of colors. It wasn't a big deal on my campus.

As a redhead, there are certain colors that just don't look flattering on me...at all. (Everyone has colors that don't flatter them, of course, but I think most redheads have a longer list of "bad" colors.) I guess I lucked out that, with our colors being red, buff, and green, I can at least wear something that has green as the main color. (I'd look god awful in a red shirt w/green and buff letters though.

) If I had ended up in a chapter that had primarily pinks or other colors that don't work for me...eek, I'm not sure what I'd do if we "had" to wear letters in our colors.

(As a side note - GPhiB's brown and mode would look awesome on me.

)

violetpretty · #5 05-11-2007, 11:13 AM

I've only really seen NPC sororities wear letters in colors other than their own when I think about it, at least on my campus. I've never seen anything D9 in colors other than their own, and I don't think that even the NIC fraternities really wear other colors.

AlphaFrog · #6 05-11-2007, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JessSigKap

I've only really seen NPC sororities wear letters in colors other than their own when I think about it, at least on my campus. I've never seen anything D9 in colors other than their own, and I don't think that even the NIC fraternities really wear other colors.

D9ers DO NOT wear colors other than their own. (Unless they're clowning other groups.)

1908Revelations · #7 05-11-2007, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

D9ers DO NOT wear colors other than their own. (Unless they're clowning other groups.)

YOu beat me to it.

Also in the event we, D9, were trying to clown another org by putting on their colors (like in a stepshow) we will not put our letters on those colors. EX. AKA will NOT be on Blue and White, or ZPhiB will not be on Red and White. See this thread.

AlphaFrog · #8 05-11-2007, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1908Revelations

YOu beat me to it.

Also in the event we, D9, were trying to clown another org by putting on their colors (like in a stepshow) we will not put our letters on those colors. EX. AKA will NOT be on Blue and White, or ZPhiB will not be on Red and White. See this thread.

I remember a thread where some ladies had all gotten together and made THEIR ORG's letters in the other 3's colors, and the back of the shirt said "we look good in any color".

NinjaPoodle · #9 05-11-2007, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

D9ers DO NOT wear colors other than their own. (Unless they're clowning other groups.)

LOL

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1908Revelations

YOu beat me to it.

Also in the event we, D9, were trying to clown another org by putting on their colors (like in a stepshow) we will not put our letters on those colors. EX. AKA will NOT be on Blue and White, or ZPhiB will not be on Red and White. See this thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

I remember a thread where some ladies had all gotten together and made THEIR ORG's letters in the other 3's colors, and the back of the shirt said "we look good in any color".

Yes, those photos cirulated on the NPHC circuit for some time.

I have seen one of my own sorors, a Delta and an AKA use fabric with pattern however the color of the fabric was the correct color of the respective sorority. I thought all of them looked really cute.

PhoenixAzul · #10 05-11-2007, 12:41 PM

Our campus culture for letters is heavy on patterns. In my sorority, the family trees have specific patterns associated with them, so littles are usually given those as their first set. But other than that, it is pretty much whatever you want.

Generally, people don't get letters in the other orgs solid colors (for example, Tau Delta's colors are white a blue, so EKT wouldn't get letters in solid white and blue, but blue shirts with a pattern with some sort of white background, not a big deal). It seems that people prefer patterns over colors....I only have one set of letters in the solid colors of my organization.

ΑΓΔSquirrelGirl · #11 05-11-2007, 01:01 PM

I've definitely wasted breath on this one...

Personally I think it's most respectful to wear only your organization's colors on your letters. I won't be making any jersey with anything but. Patterns are a good alternative because they can incorporate many colors...I usually don't even do that unless I can incorporate red buff and green but patterns aren't the same as blatantly using someone else's colors.

cuteASAbug · #12 05-11-2007, 01:06 PM

As much as I love my sorority to death, I'd rather not look like a Christmas tree every time we have an event or do anything that requires that we wear letters.

AlphaFrog · #13 05-11-2007, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cuteASAbug

As much as I love my sorority to death, I'd rather not look like a Christmas tree every time we have an event or do anything that requires that we wear letters.

Are you sure no one's going to confuse you for a DG? I mean your signature is pink & blue...

33girl · #14 05-11-2007, 01:56 PM

That's why it rocks to have 4 colors, ladies.

While red & white are our primary colors, palm green & gold are our supplementary colors. A lot of times chapters who are on a campus with another NPC sorority with similar colors (i.e. AOII or Chi Omega) use the gold as an accent color.

Still BLUTANG · #15 05-11-2007, 02:26 PM

this is actually a sore subject in TBS / KKY. most of the HBCU chapters stick to Blue and White, with a "classic touch of gold"... i am assuming because on HBCU campuses blue +white or blue+gold "belong" to other Orgs. However, at district and national conventions when a whole bunch of WEIRD band people from HBCUs, PWIs, big state schools, etc get together - i have seen letters in everything across the rainbow as well as patterns (spongebob squarepants, no lie).

I have seen a chapter of a D9 sorority with neon/electric versions of their colors on their line jackets. this was back in 98 or 99 and i have NEVER seen it since.