Note: This article is being republished for the purposes of this fantastic holiday. It was originally published in May of 2010.

I am a member of the Zeta Xi chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta here at Harvard. Last week, we had our annual crush party, one of my favorite events of the year. What’s a crush party? A crush party is a party in which each member of the sorority gets to anonymously invite 1-2 of her crushes. Members of the social committee deliver the invitations to the lucky gentlemen, alerting them that they have been crushed and that their presence is requested at a party. Most of the time the guys show up at the party. It is never revealed who crushed each guy, and oftentimes there is some overlap (limited supply of hot & awesome guys on campus = crush overlap). From then on, it’s up to the girls to make the first move.

This year I crushed my boyfriend (gasp!). Last year I crushed him too but it was before we had actually started dating so I was nervous to see if he’d show up! (He did).

The theme of this year’s party was “Theta Thiesta” (get it?). It was randomly held at Tommy Doyle’s, an Irish pub in Harvard Square (gotta love those Irish sombrero-wearers). Several of my friends called asking what to wear to a “Thiesta.” I came up with these simple rules, which also work for a Cinco de Mayo party.

1. Forget what the weather is like outside, dress up like it’s 85 degrees and sunny. Wear what you’d wear at a club in can-cun (except slightly less slutty).

2. Wear BRIGHT COLORS! Think hot pink, bright blue, yellow, orange, green. I wore a hot pink top and neon yellow heels.

3. Wear white. A white skirt, pair of shorts, or top is always fun, summery, and classic.

4. If you’re of age, drink a corona or a margarita. It’ll help put you in the mood.

5. Smile!

Here I am with Samia Arthur-Bentil, the publicity director for Her Campus Harvard, and Kathryn Hennigan, Her Campus National Social Media Associate!

How to Dress for A Cinco de Mayo Party (See How Windsor Did It!)

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