It’s party dress season! Am I the only one who struggles to find cute yet affordable dresses? I mean who wants to buy a ton of expensive dresses that you’ll probably wear once and never again? (if insta saw it, I definitely can’t wear it again in public! DUH!). So here are a couple suggestions:
What do I wear? What even is Crush? Date? Formal? First, let me explain all of the college scenes so you know what to look for.
Crush
What do you wear to Crush? I asked myself the same question when I went to my first Crush event! Crush is usually a sorority held event where the members secretly invite all their campus crushes to a party! In reality it’s just a bunch of girls inviting their friends and maybe a couple crushes…. But that’s beside the point! What do you wear to this shindig? Crush is more of a casual event as opposed to super formal, but nonetheless a dress is usually required, maybe even a cute romper but absolutely no jeans! Some Crush events have themes which makes it easier to dress for the occasion!
Date
Date is exactly what is sounds like, a date! It’s a little different from Crush in regards to how many people are in attendance because now each sorority member only gets to invite one other individual here, as opposed to multiple, like Crush! Usually Date is a member and someone who she is interested in, a friend, or sometimes a set up! Date can be a little nerve racking since it feels like a date, especially for those who get set up and don’t even know their date. Set-ups sometimes work via my-tie. (My-tie is when the guy gives his date his tie before they ever meet and they discover who they are when he finds the lucky girl wearing his tie at the event!) There are many versions of this, some involving necklaces instead of ties since ties may be a little exclusive to someone’s sexual preferences. In regards to how to dress, the event’s attire is pretty similar to that of Crush. Date parties don’t usually have a theme so you have more leeway in terms of choice. Usually a simple pretty semi-formal dress works! Nothing too extravagant is needed, a bodycon dress is a popular favorite!
Formal
Okay ladies, this is when you pull out the big guns! Formal is definitely the most dressy of all three events. This is similar to Date because you only invite one person but the expected attire is more formal, hence the name, than that of Date. This is when I would probably spend the most money on a dress, still nothing too extravagant! Since Formal also has no theme the range of types of dresses you can wear is endless. You can wear a bodycon dress, a halter dress, a low-cut dress, etc. There really is no specific attire, just wear something more formal than the dresses you chose for Crush and Date!
Where to shop?
Since we are in Easton we don’t have many stores to go shop at, so online shopping it is! Some of my personal favorites include Revolve ($100 and under ladies, don’t over spend!), Urban Outfitters (can be a hit or miss), Tobi, and Hello Molly. I usually find something on one of these sites. I recommend buying your dress a couple weeks before the event to make sure the dress looks and feels good. Via an unfortunate experience, buying a dress to have arrive the day before the event only to find out it doesn’t fitting the way you would like really sucks. So, buying ahead of time makes sure you won’t run into this problem! For those of you who don’t care about how much you spend, I’d recommend stores like bloomingdales, revolve ($100+), and BCBG. But, trust me, spending over $100 on a dress really isn’t worth it.
Another option, with less risk and probably the best place to look for dresses, is in your sisters’ closets!!! Why have so many sorority sisters if you can’t borrow clothes when you need it? It’s definitely the easiest, most time efficient, affordable way to ensure you have a dress you’ll look killer in!