Sorority Chic

What is fashion but an ever-changing society for which we kill ourselves to become a member? It's no surprise, then, that the allure of sororities and their exclusive letters hold so much importance with fashionistas everywhere. Not only do these secret societies offer a way to stand out from the university crowd, but the new fashion options for a sorority girl are endless.

When a young lady is finally initiated into a sorority, she receives her first sweatshirt with the sorority's Greek letters on it, in the colors of the group. From that moment on, those letters are officially hers to use- on t-shirts, tanks, shorts, jackets, flip-flops and so on. She can choose any colors, patterns and fabric she wants, giving her the opportunity to add her own personal flavor to the letters that add her to a group of thousands. Websites such as Greek101.com offer a dizzying array of customizable and ready-made gear and acessories (including bling!) to make any sister swoon. Add to that the exclusivity of a Tom Ford Gucci (well, maybe not that exclusive, but the whole "not everyone can wear these letters" idea) and suddenly you've got some coveted sweatshirts and baby tees!

Before leaving the sorority I was in due to too much girly drama (a large group of girls always together- what did you expect?!), I rocked the sorority girl look to the hilt. I always tried to represent my letters with a chic fashionista's touch- having my letters airbrushed on teeny tees and hoodies for that 80s tough girl vibe and crocheting scarves in the sorority colors. My lil' sis Sarah even customized ultra-cute pink off-the-shoulder tops with our names in the back and "Big Sis" and "Lil' Sis" on the front. Now, what was the Paris Hilton moment of sorority fashion? While our rivals wore Coca-Cola inspired shirts and baseball jerseys, we stepped out in robin's egg blue shirts (Tiffany's color!) with the sorority's name in Tiffany-style writing. My special touch? Adding to the back- "Producing quality gems since 1913."

Although my sorority girl days appear to be far behind me, I do miss the days of flaunting letters and flashing colors - revamping letters that have been around for several decades (some over one hundred years!) For those who want to bypass the process and just rock the sorority girl look, visit any greek store or website and customize your gear with a greek letter combo that doesn't belong to any group (wearing a sorority's letters is a HUGE faux-pas- if they see you, they'll call you on it!) or make your own letters, designs, etc. It's all about being different but belonging, so try it out..... I promise, you'll look Alpha Alpha amazing!

The Fashion Diva
Alexandra "The Aristobrat" Szoenyi