Emma Collins is a sophomore English major and can be contacted at emma.collins@drake.edu
I fly high, I start your night off right and I’m a total pansy. If you didn’t already know I was a KA?, those clues probably wouldn’t help you out. But, in the context of a sassy T-shirt, they work perfectly. Other frats and sororities on the street claim to be KKG notorious or making a splash for Delta Gamma’s annual Anchor Splash. So, what’s appropriate for greekwear? In addition to our catchy sayings, what about letters?
Letters are probably the trickiest in our Greek wardrobe. Available in every combination of color, pattern and form where can you put them and when can you wear or use them? It’s often a preference of headquarters. Some chapters aren’t allowed to wear letters on the back of sweatpants, shorts or skirts while other chapters can wear letters to bars as long as they’re a certain size (or smaller.) Do you have a favorite sports team? You can probably find letters online in their fabric and you can even get them on a baseball hat for the next big game. If you can’t find them online or from your GreekSpirit representative (most chapters have them) our own Academy Trophies and Awards shop (820 35th. St.) can make letters for you out of whatever fabric you want. Provide the fabric, the T-shirt and allow for a week from drop off to pick up (perfect for last-minute mom/dad and kiddo presents). Laptop stickers, license plate covers and drink koozies are only the beginning of anything and everything that you can get emblazoned with your letters.
Graphic T-shirts can be tricky. Normally preferred by fraternities, Drake has seen so many on campus, it’s hard to remember them all. Last year’s Alpha Phi fall bid day shirts were a perfect combo of graphics and sorority cute (loved that deep V) while the 2010 Fiji Island shirts could have been bought at Hollister (if not for Phi Gamma Delta’s letters on the front.) Be wary- graphic tees can be a little over the top, but, in moderation, one couldn’t hurt every now and then.
Funny, satirical or even a little raunchy, our T-shirts (especially philanthropy tees) are meant to sell or flaunt our chapter’s personality. Whether someone in your house designed them, you ordered Adam Block high quality tees or you hijacked RayGun’s printing press, a chapter’s T-shirt is a direct reflection of the house as a whole. There’s a fine line between funny and garish and when referencing drinking, Greek traditions or chapter jokes, it can be blurry. Erring on the side of safety is normally best–keep it light, funny and fun! T-shirts are meant to be worn over and over again, so make every one worth it.
From cardigans and flip flops to half-zips and cufflinks, it’s easy to represent your house wherever you go. Just remember, even if you don’t have them on, you’re always wearing your letters…(how many times have you heard that one?)
