You have your parties, and then you have your darties. Darty szn has officially begun, people. At Emory, this means you’ll be hanging by the SAE pool, The Swamp, or The Pond. Even though these locations may be ratchet AF, your outfit should still be on fleek. Here are some ways to achieve ~the look~.
- Bikini + Jean Shorts + Button Down/Loose Tank
This past summer, I realized that the days of wearing jean shorts every day of the summer are long gone. However, I still save my stocked up shorts drawer for the very occasion of a darty. Jean shorts are the perfect item to throw on over your bikini (or over your undies—who even goes in the pool anyway, am I right?)
As for the top, you can’t go wrong with a button down. This could be a white linen shirt, or even a denim shirt. If you feel comfortable, keep it unbuttoned. Never wear anything too nice to a darty—always be sure that you can get whatever you wear dry cleaned if, God forbid, some of the mysterious punch spills on it.
A loose tank can also work really well here. Tanks with punny sayings on them are just begging to be worn to a darty. This is also a way to be semi-revealing without straight up having your shirt off. (E.g., my straps just accidentally fell off my shoulders, whoops!)
- One-Piece + Jean Shorts
Unless you’re living under a rock, you should know that one pieces are in these days. I’m not talking about your one-piece speedo that you had to bring to sleep away camp; I’m talking a trendy, weird tan line-inducing one-piece. Darties are the best time to whip out that obscure cut out one piece that you just couldn’t resist buying. Since you won’t be outside just to tan, you won’t hit the full potential of these extreme tan lines. They also work perfectly with your go-to jean shorts because they have the effect of a leotard, so it’ll look like a dope outfit.
- Bikini + No Shirt + Jean Shorts
This one is for all my confident ladies (which should be all of you). There is no such thing as a bikini body, and if boys with beer bellies have their shirts off, so can you! #Enoughsaid
- Shoes
While shoes can make an outfit, you should err on the side of caution when dressing for a darty. Shoes are precious commodities and should not be put in the danger of said punch, as well as sticky surfaces and dirty frat boy feet. That being said, ditch your nice sandals at home—they will have their time! Rubber flip-flops like Havaianas or Adidas Slides are great because they can easily be washed. A wise frat boy once told me that I had “the best shoes of any girl at the darty” when I wore my Adidas slides. Make of that what you will.
- Bad Weather
It is very important to note that in bad weather situations, you must never try too hard to fit the aforementioned darty look. People that generally do this are either freshmen or they’re desperate to wear the new bathing suit they just bought. Save the cute suit for a sunny day when you can take a lot of pics to insta and opt for a regular daytime outfit instead. If you need help with that, you can find that here. You’re welcome.
Happy dartying!