Sorority recruitment is stressful enough as it is without even bringing in the outfit aspect of it all. Finding the perfect outfits to match the themes of each round was, to be honest, extremely overwhelming. I spent the majority of my winter break trying to find the perfect outfits.
When I began my search, I immediately thought that I needed the bougiest, most expensive outfits. I knew all these girls were going to judge not only me, but my outfits, so I figured I needed to really be impressive with what I wore.
However, that is most definitely not the case. The girls rushing you care more about you than what you’re wearing, but what you’re wearing definitely helps with your own experience.
Pinterest was my best friend while trying to get outfit inspiration. After some searching, I found outfits that I wanted to recreate, making the outfit search that much easier.
The hardest part for me was trying to fit the themes while making sure that my style still shined through. Here are some of the best things I learned while shopping as a PNM (potential new member):
Simple is better.
When you think about recruitment shopping, for some reason, everyone’s mind goes to thinking of the most out of the box, extravagant outfits to make themselves stand out. However, I found that the simple outfits were better. They looked more put together and overall a lot cuter. Don’t stress yourself out trying to put together this crazy outfit, stick to simple, and you will be just fine!
Look in your own closet first
For me, I didn’t even bother looking in my own closet. I thought that nothing I had would ever work for recruitment and I needed a whole new wardrobe. In the end, my mom eventually forced me to look through my closet, and I ended up finding a lot of good pieces that I ended up wearing and being creative with. For example, I was looking for a really cool pair of pants to wear for the first round but I could not seem to find one. After looking in my own closet, I decided to take a pair of skinny jeans and paint white stars on one of the legs. It was everything I wanted and it was perfect to make me stand out yet show my style still. Best part is, it cost me nothing!
You don’t need a different outfit for each day
This is something I wish I knew earlier. Originally, I thought I needed 11 different outfits for each day of recruitment. However, I eventually figured out that there are only 4 rounds and you don’t see the same house twice in a round so you can re-wear clothes. This saved me and my wallet!
Shop locally
Even though online shopping is so much easier, look in the stores in your hometown first. If you shop locally, you know you will be the only one wearing it which is always a good thing. You want to be original, have fun with your outfits!
You don’t have to stick to the exact outfits you are sent as inspiration
For example, for one of the rounds they recommended sweaters and skirts/nice pants. Personally, I am not the biggest fan of sweaters. After running around like crazy trying to find a sweater I actually liked on myself, I ended up purchasing a really nice cowl neck long sleeve top instead and paired it with a cheetah print skirt and white booties. I was so much happier in this outfit and took a lot of stress off my shoulders.
Confidence is key. If you aren’t confident in it, do not buy it
This is probably the biggest lesson I learned. If you aren’t confident in an outfit, do not wear it during recruitment. You need to be confident while talking to the houses, and if you don’t feel confident in your outfit, it is going to throw you off. Trust me on that. Girls try to get out of their comfort zone for recruitment which is great, but what is more important is that you feel good in what you are wearing. If you feel good and you think you look good, that’s what is more important!