I opened the door to my room and shuddered with disgust at my once silver flats that I'd recently bought from TJ Maxx in West Leb. Hardened, shrunken and just plain sad-looking, this fashion find I'd once been so proud to own represented the third generation of "frat shoes" that I've had to toss since arriving at Dartmouth. With the inevitable pong mishaps, layers of filth on the floor and soupy, slushy puddles to dodge when frat hopping, clothes take the heat. So how do Dartmouth students cope when visiting with these treacherous jungles of love?
We could start by understanding what Dartmouth frat fashion is. Imagine yourself in a frat basement, any one of them, perhaps the one you were in Wednesday night thoroughly rejoicing in the fact that you signed up for classes at 10, 11 and 12 instead of at 10A, 2A and 2 like some of your friends (or like me). What do you see? "Jeans and a polo shirt are definitely the norm [for me] -- casual, yet one step above my loaf-around-the-house clothes," Jaromy Siporen '08 said. So there's one take on fratty fashion: Guys like to be comfortable.
"[How I dress] doesn't really matter, as long as I feel comfortable and my shirt doesn't constrict pong-related movements," Mr. Siporen continued. Oh, pong. A nighttime outlet for flirtation, competition, relaxation and bonding.
So then what do we see of women's fashion in basements? "Girls put effort into looking cute," observed Christy Lazicky '11. "Otherwise I think people just try to be comfortable, at least in my group of friends; however, I do notice many trendy dressers that are mostly girls." From my own observations, I've admired cute styles: pretty much skinny jeans paired with Free People, Michael Stars, James Perse, Splendid and American Apparel pieces. At the same time, however, I've never felt pressure to dress in any particular brand or style. Dartmouth women's fashion isn't strict. If you want to be preppy, be preppy; if you want to be boho-chic, be boho-chic; and if you want to dress up in flair, knock yourself out.
Comfort not only applies to the physical ease of wearing a T-shirt and jeans; it also applies to embracing your own image. "Your clothes reflect who you are so you don't really change that type of dressing to go into basements," Matt Forman '11 said. On the same note, however, there are some girls that will still put a lot of thought into outfits. Mr. Forman observed dormmates "seriously and consciously deciding what to wear." I think this is great. Why wouldn't you want to look good if you are going out and planning to meet new people. If you don't take a lot of time to throw together an outfit, then that's fine, too. However little or however much you want to do works just fine when frat-hopping.
After a night of mayhem, however, it is never fun to discover that your favorite shirt reeks of beer, your pant hems have sopped up half the floor, and a piece of jewelry is missing. Though Dartmouth students feel no pressure to dress in a particular way, it can be confirmed that they like to be practical when selecting clothes. How can clothing malfunctions (Janet Jackson) and tragedies be avoided if you're trying to look nice, especially now that it's spring?
Being a New Hampshire native, I will impart some wisdom with regard to weather: spring in New Hampshire is mud season. Coincidentally, frat basement floors mirror the muck we skip across during the day. A practical solution to keeping your footsies clean is wearing Wellies. You've all probably seen them dominating campus footwear already: polka dots, plaid, houndstooth, Hunter; all of them work with tights and a skirt, or even with skinny jeans tucked in. I've even resorted to wearing my Frye boots to frats for a bit of variety. J.Crew now has Jelly Ballet flats that are made of rubber and come in bright yellow, red, green and black and can easily be washed. Or, as Mr. Siporen said, "If it's warm enough, I prefer to wear flip flops. You risk losing a toenail if a girl in heels stumbles too close, but the advantages of being able to pour some left over Keystone to wash away the basement muck that inevitably gets over your shoes is worth the compromise."
Heels. They look great with a pair of straight, dark jeans and a bright top. But I certainly could never pull off wearing heels all night long. I'm willing to walk across campus in them; I can manage frost heaves and puddles, ice and mud; but frat basements I cannot enter with the three inch monsters on. With the ever-present perils of encountering puddles of spilled Keystone, discomfort at jam-packed dance parties, and death stares from the poor victims with impaled toes, I have trouble finding heels worth the pain. If you're desperate for a little bit of height, try a pair of low wedges or kitten heels from Urban Outfitters. And if you own longer jeans and feel like it's necessary to wear heels so that the hems don't drag on the ground, here's your answer: cuff them. If you're lower to the ground, you're definitely more stable. Be practical!
So if you are a girl who feels like heels are the only things that differentiate your day clothes from your night clothes, here's another piece of advice to follow and amp up your outfit: Express yourself through tops. Since it's spring, we need not duck back to black shirts. Let's bring a little brightness into the basement. And if you're worried about spills and all-around messiness rubbing onto your chemise, I have good news: these trends can be found cheaply online. Spring trend number one: bright colors. Like to keep it simple? J. Crew has very bright (coral is my favorite) ribbed tank tops for low prices. Layer them, add a chunky necklace (faux-turquoise would be lovely), put on a pair of dark, dark jeans and pull on some boots and you'll be ready to go. Want to experiment a bit more? Brass Plum has adorable jersey sundresses (totally teal). Spring trend number two: hippie-chic. Pretty much if you buy a Free People top from Bella or online, you're all set. Although a lot of their clothes are cut pretty small on top, and sometimes can make you look pregnant (a definite no-no), the flirty, flouncy feeling they evoke is successful and can make an outfit for going out very trendy.
So we must, once more, consider what the force is that drives Dartmouth students to dress the way they do. Craig Lee '08 said, "If you know you're playing a game of pong, you are probably trying to find a balance of looking good but also being able to move." Does this mean we are too busy to put thought into how we dress? Consider this: a student could potentially go out Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. That could be a lot of dressing up. "I like how [the fashion scene] is," Mr. Lee said, "Dressing all the way up sounds like it's a lot of effort I don't want to expend." Makes sense when there are so many options for going out.
What is it that makes it acceptable for people to dress how they want? What is the driving force behind dressing at Dartmouth? Pong. When you go out, it's everywhere. It's what messes up the floors, brings people together and part of what makes Dartmouth frats so singular. In addition, such an open frat system allows people to dress however they want, be it up or down. And, as Mr. Siporen put it, "After a couple of games of pong, nobody knows the difference."
Dylan is a staff writer for The Mirror and resident fashionista.
