Social media is great if you use it properly. I love it when brands, companies, and people use it for conversation purposes... you know, what it was made for. For example, yesterday I love that I received so much feedback on my glasses options. It was fantastic and I thank you all for your input... stay tuned to find out which frames I end up with!
Now, I would like you all to weigh in on this subject which really has me bothered.... or well, confused, really.
It was common place in college to wear "norts", an oversized "frocket", patagonia and either Jack Rogers or tennis shoes complete with croakies and some jewelry. Now, I realize that for some readers, "norts" and "frockets" are not in your vocabulary. I remember coming home from school and referring to my "norts and frockets" and my friends cracked up and asked me what in the world I was talking about. I was clearly sheltered by the world of JMU... I thought any college-aged girl would know exactly what I was referring to. For those of you that don't know the ridiculous lingo, "norts" are Nike Tempo shorts and a "frocket" is a pocket tee. To give you an idea, here is what the outfit looked like...
Ok, so let me first acknowledge that I realize that this is a completely "sloppy" outfit. But, in my opinion, it's not horrible. In fact, I actually like it for running those Saturday errands or those semi-hungover Sunday brunches at a diner type restaurant. And each piece is extremely comfortable.
But as much as I like it, I feel that this "look" is not accepted in the real world. I wore it often in college... never to class, but when I needed to run errands or when being "dressed" would have been odd. I quite frequently wore this look to our Sunday chapter meetings. I'd change it up with a crew-neck sweatshirt or rugby shirt.
I bring this up, because this past weekend it was warm. Around 65 degrees warm and that is super warm for Pittsburgh, especially at this time of year. It would have looked ridiculous if I put on real shorts but the whole "norts" ensemble seemed appropriate for the temperature. It was a Sunday and I was going to Target with my mom and sister. I came downstairs in my ensemble and my mom was not ok with it. My personal opinion is that it is totally fine to run errands in this look!!!
What do you all think? Did you wear this type of outfit in college? Do you agree with me and find that people aren't accepting of the "norts" ensemble in the "real world"? I honestly have so many pocket tees, norts, patagonias and various other pullovers that it just seems ridiculous to get rid of all of them.
I also have noticed that people think it is SO weird when I whip a koozie out from my purse and use it in a bar or really, anywhere. I'm thinking that it is because I am north of the Mason Dixon line? Is the whole koozie thing a southern thing? We use them a ton at my lakehouse and it is common place. Same with the croakies. Is that just a male thing above the Mason Dixon line?? I have yet to see a girl around Pittsburgh with croakies. I get weird looks when I am wearing them and I have a billion koozies and croakies that I'd love to make use of.
Is it just a northern thing where this look isn't done? A lot of my friends that went to schools above the Mason Dixon line have said that this look wasn't popular at their schools. Or, is this just not done, ever, post-grad? So southerners, northerners, studuents and college grads, please weigh in!!
Have a fabulous day!
Yours,
Yours,
sCe
40 comments:
I definitely love my Patagonia fleece, croakies and frockets. Frockets with a pair of skinny jeans is totally okay. North of the Mason Dixon line a lot of things seem out of place, but who cares!! Be fabulously yourself!
I think these are great knockarounds for a run to the grocery store, a walk on the beach, or any other such endeavor, especially for a young person such as yourself. Even the preppy gals I knew back in the 80s would kick back in stuff like this. It's perfectly appropriate, and still looks way better than what I see most 25-year-olds in on the average day.
I think croakies are great, although I suppose they do have certain southern connotations which I'm not really qualified to address. Even though I'm from Virginia, I'm a complete failure as a southerner. I'm more often mistaken for being a Delaware native. ;)
I'm a Georgia girl and everywhere you go you see it! At my school that was referred to as the "sorority girl uniform". As a fellow sorority girl, we wore that everywhere, even class. *shameful* My hometown is full of girls who still wear that outfit post college so I don't get too many crazy looks. I will say that my town is somewhat preppy and trendy so it works. As for koozies, I carry one in my teaching bag as well as my purse. I can't even count how many I have! I'd say all of these things are definitely seen in the south all the time!
A ton of people (myself included) wore this outfit all the time at my college (Miami University). I still wear it now for running errands/lounging/brunch, but I also live in an area with a lot of recent college graduates which I think makes it seem more acceptable. I still use koozies at the bar, but since graduating I've never noticed anyone that does this except for my group of friends!
Omgoodness completely agree. If I wear Norts anywhere but the gym I get the oddest looks. Pair them with Jacks and forget it, it's like I'm from another planet...growing up in the south, and living there until age 15 or 16 certainly sticks. If I go to Adirondacks in the summer, it's easy to get away with Patagonia (everyone there owns multiples) and hiking-like apparel. And yes. I keep a kookie in my purse and fold it in half to fit the DD large iced coffees that get me through my day :) Lilly on the bottom of a DD cup certainly get some looks too. Keep it up. Nothing wrong with dressing like a southerner in the north!
I find myself having to explain what norts and frockets are to those who never wear them, but if you're sporting the look, you just know. As for the koozies and croakies, definitely a southern thing! Everytime I go north my family questions me about koozies, I just like keeping my hands dry. haha. But yeah, I definitely know what you mean!
I consider that outfit completely appropriate, and while my mom wishes I would wear my "nice" clothes everyday it's just not realistic some days....I also wear Lululemon a lot on low-key days - it's comfy and casual but looks pretty put together IMO as well. I was also a swimmer and work at the pool as a swim coach and lifeguard in the summers so this outfit usually ends up being pretty standard for me!
I'm from Kentucky but going to school in the North. I wear my croakies all the time. The first week of school I was wearing my croakies when some friends I made began laughing and joking saying only their grandpa wore those. I find most people have no idea what they are or at least no idea what they're called. I prefer to still rock my Lilly croakies. As for koozies, I brought all my koozies to school with me and haven't used them once. It's just not a thing up here. I was sad to not be able to continue my collection. You can however often see people rock the classic norts look.
I had the same issues after attending college in North Carolina and then moving to Pittsburgh. Not many people above the mason dixon line appreciate how fabulous koozies and croakies are!
I still wear something similar on most weekends lounging around or running errands. I luckily still live in my college town so it is very acceptable to look this way even running to a last minute lunch with friends but I know that my mother doesn't approve it leaving the house unless I am headed to the gym.
I am in the same situation, although being in Tennessee I would say the look is not completely out of place. I have come back home to be part of my family business, so I feel like I should look professional even when running to the store, but every once in a while you just need to revert back to your sorority comfort zone. If I still want to be comfortable but a little more polished Lululemon is my go to.
I still rock the nike shorts, tshirt, and patagonia look now 2 years out of college. It is comfortable and honestly just looks like you just worked out so I don't think it should be that frowned upon for errands. Our parents just came from a different time when going out in public at all was a reason to be dressed appropriately. Use your koozies and croakies up north -- maybe one day they will see what they are missing out on.
I go to school in Philadelphia and in the spring and summer you will definitely see a select few rocking norts, frockets, and sperrys. I guess you could call it the sorority girl uniform. However, I never all three together!! (I shouldn't say never, but very infrequently). You should always take pride in what you wear because you never know when you're going to run into an ex or that girl you really can't stand and let's be honest, you want to look freaking amazing in those situations! If I do norts it is usually to the gym or down the hall to get my laundry. I just got a new pocket tee with my initials in a Lilly print and have been wearing that with leggings and boots and a jean jacket! Don't throw the pieces away, just put them to different uses!
As for koozies, I use my Lilly one all throughout the spring and summer!! Keep the class of koozies and any other preppy staple. Just find new uses and occasions. We can definitely bring the style to the north (even though it can already be found up here). My high school friends always make fun of me for being that "sorority girl," but I'm pretty sure that they just don't understand yet.
Goodluck!
Molly
http://thepolishedprep.blogspot.com/
Norts and any kind of sorority shirt is a fairly popular look on my campus, although I usually wear mine with Lulus or leggings because of the weather. Canada is not the most shorts friendly place! Croakies and koozies are a rarity here so they must be a southern US thing.
SHF
thechroniclesofs.blogspot.com
I completely understand! I went to college in Alabama and am now living at home in Illinois, I frequently get he strangest looks. My best friend is still an undergrad at Ole Miss so the two of us make quite the pair running errands in our small town. I continue to rock it because I think I should wear whatever makes me happy and being reminded of my southern dys certainly makes me happy!
I'm 25 so I have been out of college for a little while now. I actually wasn't in a sorority even though I am from the South and went to school in the South and my grandma was a legacy. It's funny because I wear stuff like this all the time to do errands and hang out at home, but I had no idea that these things were called such funny names. I guess since I went to a small school with a lot of commuters and not a huge Greek life it wasn't really a uniform and no one introduced me to the lingo. haha! I actually am in the process of making myself some monogrammed pocket tees (I do embroidery for fun) because I keep seeing them on Pinterest and think they are adorable! I see woman my age and older still wearing things like this around town (small town Georgia) and I have never felt out of place for wearing gym shorts and my Margaritaville and Southern Thing shirts in public. HOWEVER, my husband thinks it is silly and that I am underdressed to grocery shop and go to the Walmart! ha!
As you know I live in CA and in college most girls in my sorority wore something similar- norts, letters sweatshirts/ tees and sandals. Anyway I still go to the grocery store in that outfit (minus the letters and now bid day shirts or something more generic). But I still live in my college town so its not that strange I guess. Anyway I would just keep it up! No need to buy more lounge clothes when you already have them!
I myself and a born and raised Pittsburgh girl who went to school in Virginia, and going home and wearing these things, and everyone including my parents think it is odd. Although these kinds of outfits may not be accepted in the "real world" after being in college for 4 years and having to go back to "normal clothes" is just horrible. Perhaps it's not the most acceptable outfit in real life, but I agree, it's totally fine for running errands and hungover brunch! (Hey at least it's better than what you will usually see from the People of Walmart!) so I say, keep it up Girl! Flaunt your southern side!
You're just a Southern girl in a Yankee world! I went to an SEC school and from April to October Norts+Sperrys+frocket/Patagonia were basically my uniform. Totally acceptable anywhere and everywhere, and I totally carry a coozie in my purse too. Now living in the Midwest I get funny looks for all of it (apparently no one up here wears frockets or has sweaty beer bottles??) but the second they hear my drawl it's automatically excuse it as "oh she's Southern".
You're just a Southern girl in a Yankee world! I went to an SEC school and from April to October Norts+Sperrys+frocket/Patagonia were basically my uniform. Totally acceptable anywhere and everywhere, and I totally carry a coozie in my purse too. Now living in the Midwest I get funny looks for all of it (apparently no one up here wears frockets or has sweaty beer bottles??) but the second they hear my drawl it's automatically excuse it as "oh she's Southern".
You've just got a Southern heart in Yankeeville! I went to an SEC school (Arkansas) and my uniform from April-October was Norts+Chacos+frocket/Patagonia. We called it the Sorority Uniform and we proudly paired it with a "frat strap" (sunglasses leash) with our brother frat's letters. It was totally acceptable anywhere and everywhere. The same with coozies. I swear I have like 50. But now living in the Midwest I get funny looks for both things (my Midwestern friends call the outfit my "Dixie clothes"). It's just cultural...all you have to do is drawl when you speak and people pass it off as "oh she's from the South".
Okay, I think your outfit looks fine! And I am old enough to be your mother. I think it looks sporty,youthful and casual. And each piece is nice-yet, it looks like you are not trying too hard! After all, you are just going to Target(on a Saturday)! I long for my 20's when I could pull this off!
I think part of being "preppy" is looking put together no matter what you wear. So, this outfit you're talking is actually a more put together way of looking casual. Much better than leggings/sweatpants and a tshirt. I go to school in southern Indiana, aka midwestern farm country, and even when I head home to school in Chicago, my friends look at that outfit as a put-together preppy casual outfit. And I wear croakies all the time!!! The koozie thing though- thats more of a tailgating/ sitting at the beach thing. At least it is here in the north. Its not so much of a going to the bar thing! I think as long as you dont wear your norts outfit anywhere other than running errands or sitting around the house, you're good!!
I'm a Baltimore girl and I think your outfit is perfectly acceptable! I went to school in Maryland, too, and my girlfriends and I wore that type of outfit all of the time and still do today! As for koozies, I think they are totally acceptable- I carry mine in my purse, too! Croakies are a guy thing in Maryland- I've never seen a girl wear them, but all of my preppy guy firneds always use them. It makes me sad because I saw really cute Lilly croakies! But I didn't get them since it's a guy thing in Maryland.
Keep up the look! It's perfectly acceptable in my opinon.
I go to school at ECU but I'm from PA. This ensemble was completely foreign to me before I went to school and joined a sorority. For the most part, it seems to be a Greek style at my school. My friends from home make fun of me for my croakies all the time but I still haven't hopped on the koozie bandwagon yet since it doesn't feel natural to use one. In my opinion, norts and frockets are a Greek trend and koozies and croakies are strictly southern.
This is why we are friends because that is how I dress out of the office, I like my oversized "frockets" with leggings and skinny jeans and I like to wear my norts on the weekend. I actually love when I am in nordstrom and am in norts and a frocket because they always look at me funny when I whip out my nordstrom card :)
I'm the same way!! I went to Virginia Tech but am from New York and so many of these concepts are foreign to people up here. I now work at Lilly Pulitzer and I get asked multiple times per day what you use a koozie for! It honestly blows my mind!!!!
I am from a small south GA town and this is what I wear DAILY in the spring/summer if I'm not working - as does every other girl/woman around these parts! I actually appreciate seeing norts on girls because they're "tasteful" in length! I think it's a location thing - the women that get dressed up just to go to the grocery store get the strange looks! I'm not as into my frockets as I used to be, but it's suuuuper common to see the monogrammed pocket tees these days! Koozies and croakies are JUST as common! I keep several in my purse for any occasion! My fiancé and I are even having monogrammed koozies at our reception for our guests!
So...being a Northern Girl....the Patagonia is popular...the croakies does tend to be boy stuff, and the koozies...well at least the pretty preppy ones are a southern thing. I think this outfit would have been fine. I am probably your mom's age, and somewhat conservative, maybe it was too chilly? I would love to have been a southern preppy girl!
croakies are mainly a northern guy thing. Norts are somewhat common but I think the reason you don't see more is that it is a heck of a lot colder in New England! Frostbite isn't good look for anyone. Until I moved to VA, I rarely saw anyone carry around a koozie, and even now, it seems to be more a college age thing. I guess it depends on the type of establishment.
I just turned 32, and I STILL rock this look sometimes! I didn't even think of it being unacceptable now, at my age. Oops! But I do know sometimes my mom will say "Are you going to wear that to your appointment (like a dentist appt, etc..)?" Lol. Oh well. It's comfy, cute and bright! Southern or not, if I were you, I'd still wear it! :)
Oh yeah, and all my sunglasses, even my nicer ones, all have croakies attached! I think I'm the only one who still wears them, but they're not just fratty anymore, they're practical. Having four kids, if I were to set them down, or wear them on my head, they'd end up breaking somehow!
I am Virginia girl, I've been out of college for 3 years, and I still wear this outfit all the time to run errands. Although I to get a strange look sometimes when I pull a koozie out of my purse at a bar :)
This topic has me intrigued!
I am 50 and was in a sorority in a small southern town in the early 80's. The term "norts" hadnt been invented but the track short certainly had been! Same thing just not with the Nike logo. And we wore pocket t-shirts. Patagonia/polarfleece hadnt been invented. Botton line...we dressed in a very similar "uniform". Keep in mind we didnt wear it to a job interview, sorority meeting or fine dining....but we certainly wore it on Saturdays to run errands. It was a very common uniform. As for kroakies and koozies? They weren't invented either in my day, but my 21 yo sorority daughter uses them all the time. They are very functional. I had no idea that these trends hadnt migrated up North. Makes me love the South even more!
This topic has me intrigued!
I am 50 and was in a sorority in a small southern town in the early 80's. The term "norts" hadnt been invented but the track short certainly had been! Same thing just not with the Nike logo. And we wore pocket t-shirts. Patagonia/polarfleece hadnt been invented. Botton line...we dressed in a very similar "uniform". Keep in mind we didnt wear it to a job interview, sorority meeting or fine dining....but we certainly wore it on Saturdays to run errands. It was a very common uniform. As for kroakies and koozies? They weren't invented either in my day, but my 21 yo sorority daughter uses them all the time. They are very functional. I had no idea that these trends hadnt migrated up North. Makes me love the South even more!
I am totally with you on this. I studied abroad in America last year for 9 months. Im British and NO ONE wears this kind of thing EVER (except maybe norts to the gym) I studied in a small college in southern VA, where this was all the rage, even in class. I think you should just wear what you like, believe me I get some really funny looks because i'm wearing gym shorts 'sneakers' and a sorority shirt. I figure if am comfortable i should just ignore the rest of the people. I generally wear them running errands, around the house.
Honestly, I get more looks if I DON'T wear this to class or to run errands in! Then again, I live in Birmingham, aka one of the most southern places you could grace. This is what 95% of the people I know wear, and I've currently got a Lilly koozie and VV croakies in my tote. Bring a taste of the South up north! maybe it'll catch on. :)
As a UVA student this is totally my uniform, especially when it gets warm! It gets so humid walking to class! And I totally run around in at home around DC running errands etc. I've definitely noticed a lot less of it (and a lack of croakies and koozies) in NYC where my boyfriend lives. However, most of his neighbors are pretty fratty and actually sport the look I'm used to. And it can definitely still be seen in pockets of NYC where there are preps just not all over. DC maintains a pretty preppy look. the funny part is when I visit family in Portugal, they definitely do not wear norts there!
Hahah, this post cracks me up! I can definitely agree..I lived in that ensemble in college and often think twice about wearing it now. I will say, being that Richmond is a college town and has lots of young post-grads, it is slightly accpetable!
As for croakies and koozies, my guess is that they're a Southern thing!
I go to Texas A&M University and people stare if you're NOT dressed down. The ideal look is to dress down (norts, oversized tee, chacos/993's), but have your hair and makeup decent. Croakies are worn everyday. Every belle should have a koozie in her Tory!!
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