<p>Shoes don’t have to have tall heels. They don’t have to have any heels at all. Ballet style, flats, nicer sandals, or even a 1in block kind of heel would work.</p>
<p>Clarks has many comfy dressy shoes that might work.</p>
<p>As for clothes, many girls can get away with a nice black pencil skirt or A-line, a white nice blouse, and a blazer…and then add whatever accessories that are appropriate.</p>
<p>If your student does not want to iron, purchase a steamer. Don’t laugh. My son loves his steamer. I got it through the Home Shopping Network about six weeks before his freshman year. It works great. Comes with two heads and a storage bag. </p>
<p>I’ll probably buy another when the younger son goes to college in a couple of years. </p>
<p>My son likes both the Brooks Brothers’ and the Dillard’s Roundtree and Yorkers gold label no iron shirts. You can usually find both on sale throughout the year. They have held up well after many washes. My son has a steamer too. We bought a Rowenta brand steamer at TJMaxx last summer; found it at a great deal too.</p>
<p>Another suggestion that I think I originally read on this board. My son bought a blue blazer at the consignment shop that is downtown in Tuscaloosa. He promptly cut out the lining (I did make him have it dry cleaned first) and it was much cooler for football games in the early fall.</p>
<p>I agree about the tall heels. Our D only has one pair of basic black heels (not very tall) on campus because it isn’t practical to wear them across campus. She has them only for dressy occasions and sometimes church. During rush, you’ll see a parade of well dressed young women leaving the dorms to trek across campus with heels in hand and flip flops on their feet. (The dorms won’t allow coming and going barefoot either.) I also think the skirt and blouse is a great place to start, and then add a blazer. Add a piece at a time, but plan to have at least one outfit available. We’ve used holidays to add a few nice things for special events and she used some graduation money toward her first suit. We provided a few nice basic pieces of jewelry. Times are tough everywhere and college can be expensive. You don’t have to break the bank, just do a little advanced planning so you’re not having to make a purchase in a rush. The same thing is true about choosing almost any purchase you’ll make for your student. We made a list, watched for sales, and picked up things over time.</p>
<p>Beth’s Mom – don’t be surprised if her taste in clothes changes some. Or in my daughter’s case, alot. She left home with jeans, tshirts, bikinis, and workout clothes, along with flip flops and running shoes. She now owns things like scarves, jewelry, dresses, micro skirts, blazers, multiple pairs of boots (because apparently you need to match your boots to your mood) and at least 4 pairs of towering high heels, including some sparkly ones. What was a fairly easy move in looks to be a really arduous move out.</p>
<p>^^^ I will be shocked if that happens, but it would be a positive! D’s high school is filled with fashion plates and most girls are VERY conscious of fashion and have wardrobes you would not believe. So far D has not wavered from her jeans and t-shirt. Hope springs eternal!</p>
<p>So true, although ours is still very willing to live in her tshirts and shorts MOST of the time. We’ll all assume it is you whenever we pass the large moving van!</p>
<p>There’s still a lot of shorts-wearing at Bama. When we were there a short-time ago, we came upon a large group of girls…all wearing a variety of color combos of Nike Tempo shorts. They could have been an ad photo! </p>
<p>Oh! I don’t know if this was mentioned. It rains in T-town. There are puddles in the Quad. You might want to have a pair of rainboots. My D didn’t want any when I had a cute pair of houndstooth ones in my hand before school started. She instead bought them in T-town after the first rainstorm. They were plain black.</p>
<p>What is the Honors Convocation? Shopping with D for dressy clothes is painful to her and torture for me. It’s good to know in advance though that we will need to go shopping so I don’t get a frantic phone call from her. Any idea how many times a 1st year student in the honors program and international honors program might need to dress up? She is not rushing.</p>
<p>She should be fine with a nice skirt, blouse, shoes, and a dress for first semester. If she chooses something basic she could add a blazer later. After that, it will depend on her interests and what she pursues. The Honors Convocation doesn’t require a really dressy dress. It’s like an induction ceremony.</p>
<p>Are you getting excited about your visit? We are headed over this afternoon for the week.</p>
<p>I think Honors Convocation is held within a few days of the first day of school. Since the weather will be warm then, girls will probably be wearing nice summer dresses and sandals. Nothing fancy, but something nice that you’d wear to an outing, church, restaurant, etc.</p>
<p>My son wears dress attire quite often. There are many functions that require you to at least be dressed in business casual. For those who have music performance classes; a tuxedo(for guys) and a long black dress (for girls) will be necessary. Always remember to wear the appropriate shoes and buff them before the event. Little details like a “well-tied” tie or buffed shoes can make a difference in your appearance.</p>
<p>I’m looking for some help from the moms of girls. Since shopping is such a chore for D, I’d like to luck out at one of the first stores we visit. Any suggestions for stores where we can easily find a nice selection of appropriate professional attire that an 18 year old would like and/or brands to check out? Thanks!</p>
<p>We found Antonio Melani has a really nice basic black skirt and matching blazer and some nice dress blouses @ Dillards that look nice on an 18 year old. White House Black Market sometimes has some nice things also (look for sale items especially). Sometimes you can find a real bargain there.</p>
<p>I thought of a few more places for skirts and blazers. Banana Republic (less pricey, but the you’ll want to get a blouse somewhere else because theirs are thin), J. Crew (very pricey), possibly J.C. Penney, or maybe Lands End as mentioned above. I haven’t looked at their suits, but they usually have good quality anyway and you can return items to any Sears store if they don’t work out. There are some dress shops around campus and Midtown Village. If you are planning to come before August you may want to check them out. If you visit White House Black Market, stop by the sale rack first and ask when they will clearance the season’s dresses. Many of them may be worn for multiple seasons and purchased for a steal.</p>