By Gabbi Ferreri,
The sorority women on Mississippi State University's campus have a distinct look. While doing my research for my previous story about fraternity men on campus, I looked internally to see if the other side of Greek life was any different.
My name is Gabbi Ferreri and I am a member of the Chi Omega sorority at MSU. On a normal, sunny day, I wear Lululemon leggings and a top, white socks and my black Hoka tennis shoes.
Women have more of a diverse closet so I wanted to dive into what sorority women at MSU wear to class every day. I have performed my research on sorority women at Mississippi State by sitting outside of the Colvard Student Union and in front of the Chi Omega house which is where the sorority Greek bus picks up. I have found that the two factors that determine a sorority woman’s outfit for the day are weather and comfort.
To prove my findings, I asked two sorority women. Tatum Milton, a senior Chi Omega from Mariana, Fla., and Meriwether Marchetti, a senior Delta Gamma from Jackson, Miss. Both said they pick their daily outfit based on weather and comfort. I can attest to this too.
The one word that sums up the fashion of sorority women on campus is "athleisure." Athleisure is a hybrid between workout attire and everyday wear.
Tops
On a regular day, you will see a mix of athletic tops and comfortable colored t-shirts. The athletic tops come from a range of different brands such as Lululemon, Alo, Free People and many more. These specific tops might look like sports bras, but they aren’t. Most of them are tops that have sports bras built inside so you don’t have to wear both.
Just like the fraternity men, Comfort Colors t-shirts are all across campus. There is a rainbow of these over-washed, soft shirts that come from sorority row every day and are always two sizes too big for their wearer. It's important to note that sorority women only wear their sorority’s t-shirts, but are allowed to wear any fraternity's t-shirts.
Caroline Haywood, a senior Biochemistry major, and Kappa Delta wear athletic shorts and an athletic top with tennis shoes and a jacket to class.
On warm days, these athletic tops are paired with some type of shorts, skirts or even leggings. Cold weather calls for tops to turn into long sleeves and be paired with leggings, sweat pants or joggers.
Bottoms
Sorority women pair their tops with athletic bottoms most of the time. When the temperature goes up, shorts, skirts, leggings, and biker shorts are the acceptable bottom. Joggers and sweatpants are worn on colder days. Athletic bottoms are the most comfortable when walking across campus.
The only problem with wearing shorts and skirts is that they unintentionally ride up. Backpacks are the culprit of this crime. It is so hard to walk around campus constantly pulling down your bottoms to make sure that not half of your butt is showing. It's so embarrassing and I am speaking from experience.
Sets
Sets are two pieces of clothing made up of a top and a bottom that match exactly. The tops are normally made with nylon with a razor back and the bottoms can be different such as a short, a skirt, biker shorts or leggings.
One of my favorite outfits to wear is my dark green athletic set. It is an athletic set with a razor-back top and a pair of leggings. It's easy to throw on.
Accessories
The perfect school outfit is not finished until accessories have been added. Bags are always handy to carry the necessities and of course their school supplies. Some use totes, but the majority use either North Face or Lululemon backpacks. For when sorority women aren’t caring their school supplies around, they use the Lululemon cross-body bag. This specific bag is a fanny pack that is worn across their chest to be stylish. The Lululemon crossbody bag is perfect for walks around campus or Starkville.
Molly Parlow, a senior Chi Omega from Alamo, Tenn., loves her Lululemon crossbody bag because it's “easy access to stuff and does not hurt her shoulders or back.”
Another accessory I am guilty of owning is the claw clip. The claw clip is one of the most popular accessories right now. It truly has become the new pony tail. This clip allows women to put their hair up without having the pain of a pony tail after a long day and it does not leave the crease. I wear one daily that is pink and looks like a flower.
Sunglasses and hats are just as important to sorority women as they are to fraternity men. They can hide blemishes, dark circles under their eyes or even three day old hair. There are predominantly two types of hats worn: baseball caps and trucker hats.
Minimalistic jewelry is best for school looks. They are easy to put on in the morning, are just dressy enough for class without being too much and can be paired with anything.
Although drinks aren’t technically considered an accessory, I believe that they should because there is not a day that goes by you wont see a sorority woman with one. The Greek women on campus walk around with plastic cups filled with ice, sipping on a Loaded Tea or a Starbucks drink. If you close your eyes and listen on campus, you can hear the ice shaking in a cup as they walk so you’ll always know they are coming. Herbalife’s loaded tea drinks contain a crazy amount of supplements, are made in amazing tasting flavors, and contain caffeine (which is their real appeal). My favorite way to caffeinate myself is to go to Starkville Nutrition and order a "frog spit" loaded tea. It is the perfect sour commendation of lemonade, blue raspberry and green apple.
Starbucks is one fad that will never fade out. Whether it's a new cold brew drink that comes out or the classic white chocolate mocha coffee drink, I can assure you that you will see the Starbucks logo all over campus.
Another important aspect of a Greek woman is owning a Stanley Cup; I should say “The Stanley Cup.” This specific cup is a 40 oz. stainless steel cup that holds whatever you want to put in it. It is $40 on Amazon right now and comes in an array of colors. These cups went viral on TikTok and are constantly going in and out of stock in stores.
Sorority women are easily influenced by what others are wearing, whether that be from the coolest new influencers on TikTok or what their fellow sorority sisters are wearing. I can say this because I have been influenced by both, and that's okay. No matter what you choose to wear, as long as you feel good in your own skin, it's truly the perfect outfit.