Category / United States

by Kelly Mattei

Sorority Rush Shoes

Sorority Rush Shoes

Yes, it’s June, and that means lots of young ladies are preparing for sorority rush. Most big southern schools do rush just before or just after the fall semester starts, and girls need to be well-prepared before they get there.

As you solicit recommendations, purchase rush dresses, fill your rush bag, and get prepared to outfit your dorm room, make sure you remember to get good shoes for rush. (Hint: the ones in the featured photo at the top of the article are NOT the shoes you need!) What does that mean? I means you need to have comfortable shoes that look good. No, I don’t mean they have to be “old lady” practical shoes. They need to be pretty shoes you can wear all day without blisters/discomfort.

Obviously, there are different rounds of recruitment and different footwear needs. For the first round or two at big schools, the girls generally wear shorts/skorts with a t-shirt provided by Panhellenic. With that, you can wear comfortable flat sandals or sneakers. Honestly, I recommend clean, fashionable sneakers for those days. You know what’s in style these days. When my daughter participated in recruitment four years ago (how can that be???), it was Alexander McQueen, Golden Goose, etc. I think most of the girls wear Hokas and On Clouds now, but do what’s right for you.

On other days, you’ll want to wear a heel. I do not recommend spiky heels. I recommend block or wedge heel on an open-toe sandal. (Make sure your toes look good!) Here are some from Amazon I recommend, in a variety of price ranges:

FIRST, COMFORTABLE SHOES TO WEAR BETWEEN PARTIES…

Archies Flip Flops. I sincerely cannot promote these enough. These are the best flip flops ever! I’m not even a big flip flop lover, because I feel like they generally are not good for your feet. However, Archies are different! They offer outstanding arch support, and I actually feel great when I wear them! I highly recommend these for wear between parties, to give your feet/legs/back a break from heels. They come in a variety of colors, and they are priced at just $40. Purchase them for everyone in your family, but especially for that daughter who is about the participate in recruitment. Get them here.

AND NOW FOR THE PARTY SHOES:

Stuart Weitzman Nudist Block Sandals. These are a little pricey, but they are the best, most-versatile heeled sandals I have ever owned. I have a pair in the Adobe color and a pair of the gold. I wear the Adobe ones with dresses and jeans. It’s the perfect heel and a clean look. Your daughter could get these shoes and wear them with any dress for recruitment. Highly recommend. Priced at $420.75, they aren’t cheap, but they will be worth every penny, if you can get them without breaking the bank. Purchase here.

Sam Edelman Classic Daniella. For a similar heel with a much better price tag, you can get the Sam Edelman Classic Daniella. To me, a soft gold shoe is a neutral. You can wear it with anything, and it could be worn with almost any dress during recruitment. Or maybe you’d like the white version? It’s perfect for summer. Both colors are priced at $140 (at time of writing), making them a bargain. I have some of the gold ones, and I wear them with dresses and jeans too. They’re comfortable, fashionable, and versatile. Purchase here.

Cole Haan Fisherman Wedge. This is a stylish wedge, but it’s also comfortable. I know, because I have them and love them. Sometimes, wedges can look clunky, but these are more sleek. And no one will know you paid less that $100 for them! Cute with dresses, but also cute with pants after recruitment is over. Cole Haan makes a great product at reasonable prices. Purchase here.

Stuart Weitzman Georgie Espadrille Wedges. It’s no secret that I love Stuart Weitzman, so there’s no surprise that I’m featuring one of their wedges. This one is comfortable and perfect for late summer! Cute with dresses for recruitment and also cute with pants when rush is over. Priced at $380, they’re expensive, but generally speaking, my Stuart Weitzman shoes last forever and are timeless. Purchase here.

Amazon Essential Two Strap Sandal. If you want to keep the price down, Amazon Essentials offers some great products. I do not have these, but they get great reviews, and with a price of $20.25 at time of writing, you can’t beat it. The heel is 2 1/8 inches, so not too high but not too low, and the color is perfect for wearing with various dresses. Purchase here.

You’ll likely notice that all these shoes can be worn with just about anything. While some people like to wear standout shoes during recruitment, a chapter is not going to want you because you wore the most stand-out shoes. In my opinion, it’s best to have a couple pairs of shoes that will work with everything.

Happy Shopping!

***As an Amazon Associate, I receive commission on items purchased through my links.***

by Kelly Mattei

Sorority Rush Prep Should Be Well Underway

Sorority rush prep should be well underway.

If your daughter is participating in sorority recruitment, especially in the south, you need to be knee deep in preparations by now. If not, it’s not too late, but get busy. I wrote a piece in February called Don’t Sweat Fall Sorority Rush Yet, and in it, I included a timeline of preparation. It’s almost mid-June…let’s gooooooooo! To read the piece I mentioned, click here.

In the piece, the timeline mentions the wardrobe in July. That is when it should be shored up and ready to go. Shop now for rush appropriate dresses. That means you don’t want to be too flashy, too skimpy, or too matronly. Most college-age girls know what is fashionable, but if you wouldn’t wear it in front of your boyfriend’s mother, don’t wear it for rush.

If you haven’t registered for rush or made any required videos, get busy. I’ve mentioned this before: don’t read a script for your video, but have some talking points, making sure you cover any prompts they have requested. Smile and be confident, and use good lighting!

Millions of young women have participated in recruitment over the years; you can do this!

Please send any questions, comments, or concerns. I love getting questions!

by Kelly Mattei

Planning an International Vacation?

Planning an international vacation?

The world is a crazy place right now, for sure. I know lots of people who are freaking out a little about planning an international vacation. Some of them aren’t sure about the safety or peace levels in the countries they want to visit. I don’t always have answers, but I do have some websites travelers can check when they are planning their international travel…places that give information about safety and peace levels.

I just returned from a trip to Panamá City, Panamá…yes, the one in Central America. I had been to several countries in South America and Central America, but I had never visited Panamá, so I decided to go. I invited my cousin from Florida to go with me. Whenever either of us told someone from the United States that we were visiting Panamá, they acted surprised. Some of them said, “Don’t get kidnapped.” Some of them said, “Oooh…be very careful.” Lots of them asked, “Is it safe to go there?” Anyone who knows me knows I do my homework. I was in the travel business for ten years, so I know “how to do.” There are never any guarantees of safety, but I do my research before I travel anywhere, and my research on Panamá told me we would likely be safe. In my research, I learned it is one of the most stable, safe countries in Central and South America, only behind Costa Rica. Here’s what I will tell you: during the week we were there, we never felt even remotely threatened…not one time. We felt welcome, and we felt safe. In fact, I highly recommend traveling to Panamá if you’re interested in seeing a beautiful city, the Panama Canal, maybe a sloth or two…and meeting some awesome people.

If you’re considering international travel but don’t know how to check the safety and peace levels in an area you want to visit, I have some websites for you to visit:

  • Visionofhumanity.org. This website, from the Institute for Economics and Peace, says it “measures peace in a complex world.” The publication at the website is called the Global Peace Index, and it ranks the most and least peaceful countries of the world. The report also offers information about results and trends in peace, the economic impact of violence, conflict hotspots, and positive peace. You might even be a little surprised at how some countries rank. I will go ahead and tell you Iceland is the most peaceful country in the world, and Afghanistan is the least. Those people who were worried about my travel to Panamá? I’m guessing they will be surprised to learn Panamá ranks 64th in the Global Peace Index, and out of the 163 countries on the list, the United States of America ranks as the 131st most peaceful country…yikes! See the report here. It makes for a great read.
  • US Department of State–Bureau of Consular Affairs. I have used this website for years. It gives details information on different destinations. The US Dept of State issues travel advisories for every country, and often, for different regions within a country. For example, there are places in Mexico that are listed as “do not travel,” and there are other regions that are simply listed as “exercise increased caution.” You will be surprised at some of the countries that are listed in the “exercise increased caution” category…Netherlands, France, Belize, and even Costa Rica! Most of the “exercise increased caution” is due to petty crime. We have to exercise increased caution in many parts of our own country, right? And there are even parts of our country that I would list as “do not travel.” If you’d like to check out what the US Department of State has to say about the places you want to visit, see the website here. To see lots more travel information offered by the US Department of State, check out all the available information on the website. You can see the homepage and work from it here.
  • US News and World Report. US News and World Report published an article last week listing countries that should not be visited by US citizens right now. Most of the information, I believe, comes from the US Dept of State travel advisories, so you will likely see duplicate information, but because of the way it’s written, it’s easy to see the countries you should not visit. Please note that in Mexico, there are different advisory levels in different states of the country. See the article here.

Always do your research before you travel! Also, when you travel internationally, make sure you enroll in the US Department of State STEP program, the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, which is a service to allow US citizens traveling and living abroad to enroll their trip with the nearest US Embassy or Consulate. Through this program, you can receive important information from the Embassy about safety conditions in your destination country. The Embassy will also know where to contact you in case of a natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency. See the website here.

Do your homework when you travel, and you are likely to be safe!

Happy Travels!