For those of you who have not encountered the glorious event that is Erin Express, boy are you in for a treat! Erin Express is a time for Philly college students and post-grads alike to let their freak flags fly and show their Irish pride whether they are actually of Irish descent or not. Local pubs and bars in the University City area open their doors bright and early for eager pub crawlers to get their fix of green beer and Irish car bombs. There is even a bus to take Erin Express participants to different locations in Center City. Of course the day of is great fun, but what is even more fun is picking out what to wear! It’s basically a college student’s second favorite dress up day of the year (the first obviously being Halloween!)
Whether you are ordering a shirt with a group of friends or you’re going all out with a leprechaun costume, chances are that you are going to have a great time wearing whatever it is that you end up choosing. Some of the classic shirt sayings include “Let’s Get Ready to Stumble,” “Dublin Your Vision” and the most overused “Kiss Me I’m Irish.” So many people use EE as an opportunity to make a fun shirt that really can never be worn on another occasion except maybe the following Erin Express. There’s good news though, Erin Express takes place on two weekends, so you can wear your shirt two times or even better, get two different fun shirts!
Other than shirts, girls like to accessorize in an over the top manner. Depending on the weather, one might wear jeans or shorts. Then there is the footwear situation: anything goes. You can wear jeans with flip flops or shorts and boots; nothing is questioned on these days. Funnily enough, even when it snows on Erin Express (it did last year!) girls will still risk it all and show up at the bars in shorts and without jackets just for the sake of looking cute. Other accessories include green suspenders, white tube socks with green stripes and even neon green trucker hats, all of which can be easily bought at American Apparel on Penn’s campus.
Accessories that do not necessarily fall under the clothing category add some extra flare and are easily obtained. St. Patrick’s Day tattoos, green sunglasses and green beads are all fun add-ons. Five and Below and dollar stores are a girl’s best friend when it comes to finding Erin Express accessories that are cheap but also essential. It’s an extra bonus if you can find the green beads with the shot glass attached, those always end up coming in handy especially on the go. Sometimes you’ll get lucky (no pun intended) and find sunglasses with lenses shaped like shamrocks.
The walk to the UC bars is a treat for those participating in the day’s festivities and probably even more enjoyable for Philadelphia families driving on Lancaster Avenue or trying to enjoy a meal at Chili’s on a Saturday afternoon. There are always those few girls who go all out and will don a green tutu or boa. In all honesty, nothing is too crazy for Erin Express. If you have anything in your closet that is green and you’ve never had the courage to wear it, break it out for this day. Look on the bright side, most people won’t even remember what your outrageous getup was until photographs resurface and then all bets are off. No matter what you wear on EE, the day is sure to be a fun one!