With Formal Panhellenic Recruitment beginning this week, the Greek ladies and potential new Greek ladies on this campus are going to be stressed, sleep deprived, and hoarse (all those conversations and songs/chants take their toll.)
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Of course all the work and worry will pay off when bid night rolls around and the 18 chapter houses welcome in new pledge classes full of the best ladies around (duh, we do go to U of I!) But there are other rewards coming up for some lucky chapters on campus thanks to Lilly Pulitzer’s updated sorority chic lines.
Lilly Pulitzer, born in 1931, was a socialite turned fashion designer known for designing bright and cheerful tropical prints. At one time she was married to newspaper heir Peter Pulitzer and was also childhood friend of former first lady Jackie O. She was inspired to design a dress that wouldn’t show stains while she worked in her juice stand in Palm Beach, Florida. Soon she was selling more dresses than juice and Lilly’s bright dresses were a must have for the elite of society from the 60’s-80’s. The brand was revived in the early 90’s to the company we all know and love today featuring dresses, planners, jewelry, shoes, and even laptop and phone covers.
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Last August, Lilly Pulitzer introduced sorority collections for 4 lucky national sororities: Delta Delta Delta, Delta Zeta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Kappa Delta – which are all conveniently sororities that can be found on U of I’s campus. The collections feature tote bags, makeup bags, pencil cases, and of course, the Murfee scarf themed in symbols, colors and flowers of the chosen houses.
One thing we Collegiettes know is that sorority girls love reppin’ their houses, so these collections were naturally a hit across the country. The items were so popular, in fact, that Lilly decided to hold a contest via Facebook to see which sororities they would design for next. After a ridiculous 350,000 votes, the fashion company decided to feature 5 sororities instead of the originally promised 3. Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Phi, Chi Omega, Delta Gamma, and Kappa Alpha Theta all were selected as the next sisters initiated into the Lilly world.
This past week, we got a preview of the new prints, and once again, Lilly did not disappoint. Collections for the newly added sororities (all 5 of them have a chapter on our campus!) are rumored to be due out in time for the holiday season.
“I think that Lilly has always targeted women in Greek life even before the creation of sorority prints,” says senior Audrey Phillips. “I’m happy they decided to expand the sorority collection and I’m very excited that [her sorority] gets to be part of it. I know I am looking forward to buying something!”
If you want to rep your sorority and can’t wait until the collections are available, sign up for email alerts on the Lilly Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/lillypulitzer?sk=app_193240717381739
And to satisfy the rest of your Lilly lovin’, check out her website: http://www.lillypulitzer.com/