“Heels. PRETTY HEELS”: The Pi Phi Plastics, Part 2 of 4
The Pi Phi saga continues! Late last night, we received an email from Pi Phi’s chapter president, telling us that the emailed fashion guide for rushes did not originate within Pi Phi, and that,
Unfortunately, we are not a very fashion-conscious sorority, and we can be seen most days wearing sweatpants around campus.
Sorority girls: they’re just like us! But rush isn’t “most days,” and presumably anyone would want to look good in their own way. But the more stringent requirements of the document:
I’m going to be doing dress checks so have your outfits for each round completely figured out before you get to Ithaca
just don’t jibe with the chapter president’s representation. As to the question of the document’s veracity — it refers by name, and in a complimentary manner, to members of past pledge classes. Rushes, get ready for your dress checks: you better work!
Round III, House Tours: “Business Casual”
Bottoms:
Yes:
- Slacks/Dress Pants: dark gray or black, aka “full length pants of non-jeans material”
- Skirts: pencil *if you must wear a skirt, can’t be “cocktail”, needs to look sharper)
- If wearing a skirt, tights are necessary!
- Dresses: an informal dress with appropriate skirt length.
No:
- Slacks that are too short. It’s my pet peeve.
- Mismatched socks/pants. No “socks” at all–they should be hose material.
Tops:
Yes:
- Blouses
- Oxfords/Button-downs
- Nice sweaters, light material like silks (silk is not satin people).
Shoes:
Yes:
- Heels. PRETTY HEELS.
- Heeled boots if you must.
No:
- “Fuck-Me-Pumps”
- Tacky/cheapo/pleather. Don’t mess with me.
- Note: everyone needs a pair pretty heels and nice slacks in life in general–it’s a good investment.
Round IV, Skit & Philanthropy: Step up from Business Casual, not yet “Cocktail”.. think brunch, somewhere cool and chic.
Bottoms:
Yes:
- Skirts: pencil or nicer.
- Formal slacks
- Dresses: less formal than cocktail, think like lunch party.
No: Same “nos” as above.
Tops:
Yes: Same as above but dressier, more nighttime.
No: ” “
Shoes:
Yes: Same as above but dressier, more nighttime.
I like boots with dresses if they go and look cool together.
No: ” “
Round V, Preference: “Cocktail”
Dresses.
Yes:
- Appropriate knee and sleeve length.
- Winter colors
- Tights
- Shaved legs
No:
- Spaghetti straps.
- Sleeveless–unless you have really good arms.
- Satin. No one looks good in satin dresses unless its from Betsey Johnson or Dolce and Gabbana, you weigh less than 130 pounds, have 3 pairs of spanks on and it’s New Years Eve.
- Cleavage
- Frumpy/maternal/knit
Shoes: Same guidelines as above, but remember this is the nicest round so make sure you’re wearing heels that you could wear to a cocktail party. I like patent leather, I like chunky-er heels that are in fashion right now, and I like boots with dresses as long as they’re ‘right’. Also guys, it’s winter. Put on some tights.
Yes:
- Close Toe
- Peep Toe
- Boots
- Booties if you can pull them off aka probably not.
No:
- Cork
- Strappy
- White
- Summery
Additional Notes on Clothing:
- I’m weird about shoes. So please do it right.
- I’m going to be doing dress checks so have your outfits for each round completely figured out before you get to Ithaca.
- If you do not know if something is appropriate/works, email me a picture of it and I shall discuss things with you.
Erp! As one of the Jezebel commenters rightly noted, this was likely a guide for sorority sisters already in the club, not for freshman pledges — in order to present a “united front” of sorts. More or less troubling? Hard to say. It’s still hilarious to us, though.
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Read more: 3 pairs of spanks, Cornell, investigative journalism, sororities, tacky/cheapo/pleather, the pi phi plastics
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January 22nd, 2010 at 7:35 pm
well…as a member of a professional fraternity (coed for business majors) this is really not out of the ordinary. nor is it particularly funny. many college students don’t know when certain types of clothing are acceptable or not, so making clothing guides is pretty standard. these guidelines are just like guidelines you can find online about proper business wear, these guidelines are just for the business of a sorority. to be honest, it seems like these two posts are just making fun of greek life for being greek life, which just isn’t enough. and i have to echo people on the first post who reminded you that your job is to dig up dirt on college students and post it on your gossip blog…so not exactly a classy career path or a job that really makes anyone superior to a sorority girl.
January 22nd, 2010 at 11:39 pm
Yeah it does.
The “who cares; you’re a blogger” reply is about the most painfully retarded retort I’ve ever come across. You’re not being witty or realistic; you’re the guy spending your time on the web reading the gossip blog.
If you’re gonna try to establish a totem pole here; realize you’re implicitly at the very bottom.
January 23rd, 2010 at 1:21 am
I think the first commenter is missing the point. It’s not so much about this being guidelines for what to wear, as it is about the way the head chair person says everything. “No tacky cheapo leather,” “No sleeveless unless you have really nice arms,” and “No Satin. No one looks good in satin dresses unless its from Betsey Johnson or Dolce and Gabbana, you weigh less than 130 pounds, have 3 pairs of spanks on and it’s New Years Eve.” Those comments are what take this from mundane and typical, to catty and superficial.
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:25 am
Or perhaps a private email with good fashion sense written to a group of girls that the author knows personally and feels like she can be a little more casual with in describing the do’s and don’ts is being published out of context to an audience for whom wasn’t intended. I’m fairly certain if this was a list meant to be posted for viewing outside of the girls to whom it was written, the tone and wording would be vastly different. After all, the note I write out to my co-worker about the things that need to get done and the memo I send to the boss detailing the same thing would look nothing alike.
January 23rd, 2010 at 2:20 pm
I’m nearly positive that these are dress code guidelines for CURRENT Pi Phi members, and NOT for the girls rushing.
I was in a sorority in college and these are almost identical to the guidelines we were given during rush.
Each night of rush has a theme, and as the sorority wants to present themselves in a positive light, they give their MEMBERS dress code guidelines. But I’m pretty sure that these are NOT guidelines for the rushees.
January 23rd, 2010 at 5:35 pm
This is hilarious. One of my best friends was rush chair and this is exactly how she would write. To the point, no bull with lots of humor.
“Booties if you can pull them off aka probably not.”
“No one looks good in satin dresses unless its from Betsey Johnson or Dolce and Gabbana, you weigh less than 130 pounds, have 3 pairs of spanks on and it’s New Years Eve.”
She can pull this letter off b/c she is probably funny, kind, and loved by everyone. When the girls received this letter, they probably laughed and said, “this is so Melissa, she cracks me up!”
January 23rd, 2010 at 8:05 pm
She is straightforward, not superficial and catty. She’s trying to bring the sisters to their fullest potential. How many times have you seen someone wearing something that does not flatter them at all? Like a girl whose stomach is falling out all over the top of her jeans? No one wants to see that. She’s just making sure that the girls look tasteful. I’m down.
January 24th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
For Ivy League people, you’re REALLY stupid. This is DEFINITELY for the sorority members, for the rush period. It’s the same concept as matching bridesmaid dresses. And I agree with Lauren – this girl is farking hilarious.
January 24th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Who cares? Pi Phi isn’t even a good house anyway.
January 25th, 2010 at 11:18 am
What an idiot. She write a dress code and says Round 4, think brunch. Make sure your shoes and tops are more nighttime. If this biyatch is going to brunch in nightime shoes and tops, she must be doing the walk of shame a whole lot.
January 25th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
These guide lines are for current members, I am in a sorority as well and we do the same thing. You have certain outfits for certain nights. It’s totally aggravating and dumb but we look good. Rushees can wear whatever the please. And they are told the theme of the night before hand. OS if it’s casual they dress casual etc.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:57 am
maggie, i hope you’re not a member of delta sigma pi, because i know that while we have guidelines of what should and should not be worn we definitely don’t say “plastic shizz” as one of the guidelines
January 27th, 2010 at 11:42 pm
everyone needs to just calm the f- down… this girl is trying to make sure that the 60+ girls she is in charge of for a week don’t dress like idiots. when someone has dog crap for fashion sense, it is hard to convince them otherwise than spelling. it. out. in. their. face. if you have such a problem with it, then don’t join. no one is making you, in fact… no one even asked you. so, shut up… sit down… and do whatever else it is you do that makes you happy.
January 28th, 2010 at 12:11 am
hahahaha i’m a guy at cornell and i know a few girls in pi phi…..honestly not one of the “best looking” sororities on campus but if nothing else they are down to earth. when i heard about this story it was actually hilarious to me that people thought it was serious…i dont blame outsiders because they arent on campus and aware of reputations…but pi phis are the type to wear sweatpants to class and the type to send emails on a listserv making fun of other sororities’ ridiculous demands. just take it for what it is, an inside joke that got out and was mistaken as serious.
January 30th, 2010 at 1:08 am
Pi Beta Phi (Pi Phi) is known as one of the “Best” sororities, having a GPA above most campuses overall sorority averages and non-greek GPAs. Pi Phi alums include Faye Dunaway, Jennifer Garner and 3 Miss Americas. My mother, sister, and cousins are in sororities, Chi Omega, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Alpha Delta Pi. All had “dress codes” during “rush” or membership recruitment. Pi Phi at Cornell has the reputation of being diverse, with a lot of athletes. At my school, many were beautiful, tall, blond, wealthy WASPs, which is their “stereotype” and one that some of their “competitors” share. The reality is that all sororities are different at each campus and every one I mentioned above is strong. I am an alumna of a sorority and 20 years later, I still have friends, who were my bridesmaids, godmothers, and assistants as we helped a sister through to her death from cancer. How many can say that about their college friends? I am amazed at the anger and rudeness of some of these posters. I believe this is a hoax, because some women who didn’t get into Pi Phi or other sororities still have serious resentment problems. Anger management is an idea!
February 9th, 2010 at 5:50 am
Rush is one of the most amazing times of my collegiate year. As a pledge and as an active, rush is one experience you will never forget. It teaches you discipline, commitment, loyalty, and most of all, the chance to get to know each and every one of your sisters. It’s a chance to just be a girl, be silly, sing songs, and literally have a fucking blast. I’m not trying to preach ’sisterhood’…because cmon, with 120 girls…you are bound to fight, not get along, yell, and hate a couple…but you are still sisters, and regardless of all the shit you can go through and throw in eachothers face, at the end of the day you still wear the same letters.
most sorority women will agree with me when i say….”from the outside looking it….you will never understand it….and from the inside looking out, you will never be able to explain it”
Greek Love <3
February 16th, 2010 at 7:33 am
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March 4th, 2010 at 5:13 am
lets face it ..if your jealous or disagree you wanted to be greek or be apart of something. If you answer the latter and dare say you didnt your lying..because dont when you go to an interview you dress up a certain way? wouldn’t it be more helpful if you had an organization that preapared you for these moments?