By Caitlyn Young
On any Durham night out, you’re bound to run into a sport social. Whether it be DU volleyball, Grey Football D team, or John’s ping pong team, they’re almost certainly going to be dressed up according to some wacky theme. Pirates, princesses and grandmas to name a few.
But here’s the dilemma – how much should you commit to the theme? My honest answer? You should commit. Hard.
As a social secretary and the previous winner of my club’s best social costumes, here’s my top tips to looking your best (or worst) on what will be one of your best night outs in Durham.
Photo: Amber and Molly on the Christmas social.
My first tip is to visit charity shops. Durham is full of charity shops, and each one holds a treasure trove of inspiration for your next social. At the end of their degrees, graduating students often donate their hoard of social costumes, meaning that each shop contains a veritable mother-load of items waiting for freshers to buy.
Because while social secretaries (such as myself) like to think their theme is unique, there’s bound to have been a social in the past that they’ve mistakenly copied. So go out, hunt in those charity shops, as they are bound to have something you need.
Photo: Myself and Nansi posing after losing a challenge.
Honourable mentions go to; Oak Tree in Prince Bishops (everything is £1!), and while it may not be a charity shop, Cloth in the centre is a locally owned business that holds many a costume.
”Crafting your own costume is often what brings it from a bog-standard outfit to something truly iconic”
My second tip is to get crafty with it. While not all of us are art students, crafting your own costume is often what brings it from a bog-standard outfit to something truly iconic. Cardboard is often your best friend.
I myself have been known to cut and stick a costume together, with me and my friend building a boat entirely out of cardboard (see the picture attached). Charity shops can also help – a black t-shirt can be transformed into anything with the help of acrylic paint. The sky’s your limit so get crafting!
Photo: Milly modelling the boat.
Now number three feels obvious but is often ignored in the face of greatness. Leave your Gucci at home! While you may have a perfect piece for the outfit you’re envisioning, is it really worth ruining in Klute? Please don’t take the vintage pieces you may never find again, expensive clothes that you can’t replace on your budget, anything sentimental. The best rule to live by is if you can’t replace it, don’t wear it on the social.
”Don’t let your team down by being the one who can’t do it because you decided your tightest pair of jeans were the best option”
Often socials include challenges to complete, so make sure you aren’t limited by the clothes you wear. Three legged races, general running, and piggyback rides can all feature, so make sure you do wear clothes you can move in. I’ve made people complete a human pyramid in Cuth’s garden, so expect anything. Don’t let your team down by being the one who can’t do it because you decided your tightest pair of jeans were the best option.
Five is often the one I like to promote the least; Amazon.
Everyone has been caught out before – forgetting that the social was in two days time and having nothing to wear. Don’t be the person who turns up in a fully Amazon outfit as it was the only thing you could get a hold of as I can almost guarantee someone else has done the same thing and you’ll be matching by mistake. But, despite this, Amazon can be handy for any bits that can be difficult to source in Durham. Due to Durham’s size, finding the perfect piece to complete your outfit can be hard, and often Amazon has it with lovely next day delivery on it. So the advice here is: bits and pieces, not the full thing.
Photo: Grace starting the Monopoly social.
However, it is worth mentioning that the main aim of a social is to have fun, not the costume (however the costume often does give you the chance to truly let go and have more fun).
So be prepared, and get ready to have a blast, as it’s impossible to not attend a social when you’re at Durham.
Image Credit: Massive thanks to St Cuthbert’s Society Women’s Rugby team for the photos!
Rana Magazine 
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