By Lexie Rodenbaugh | Arts & Life Writer
Last November, Golden Green made its debut in downtown Waco and since then, it has taken on many ventures. Between pop-ups, events and now potential new member (PNM) styling sessions, Golden Green is making its mark on the women of Baylor.
Golden Green sells a variety of different southern-inspired clothes, including gameday accessories, apparel and recently, sorority merchandise.
Fashion is important to a rush experience — especially in the past few years with the rise of RushTok. What started with Kylan Darnell at the University of Alabama has reached Baylor, sparking a rise of “OOTD” videos and increasing the pressures of rush even more.
The styling session isn’t a binding contract, and the women can decide if they want to buy the pieces from the boutique. Every session is free and comes with a complementary gift, according to Michelle Mortman, owner of Golden Green.
“Basically, they schedule a 45-minute block through a link, … we’re doing them Wednesday through Sunday,” Mortman said. “But they come in, they’re free of cost. We also allow them to bring in their own dress, or skirt or something if they want us to accessorize that, too.”
Mortman said styling sessions can be scheduled via the boutique’s website.
Rush can be a stressful and difficult time, as not only are these young women trying to find their forever home, they’re also trying to display themselves in the most accurate and aesthetically pleasing way, Mortman said.
“A lot of times, girls for Panny [panhellenic] previews and going into recruitment season aren’t always sure what to wear,” Mortman said.
Bainbridge, Wash., freshman Hannah Bounketh said she can attest to this and is looking forward to picking out her outfits for rush, she said.
“I’ve been watching videos to get some inspo, talking to some people about it, so I feel like it’ll be a super fun experience,” Bounketh said. “I’m super excited to see everyone’s outfits … I’m not too much in panic mode, but I’ve been keeping an eye out here and there for cute pieces.”
The boutique has made a name for itself in Waco, and this new addition only adds to that reputation.
“I love their boutique, I would definitely do a styling session with them,” Bounketh said. “I’ve seen they have super cute dresses and everything, and it’d be nice to get a few pieces that feel a little more personal and styled just for me.”
Getting pieces that feel personal to the customer encapsulates the goal of the styling sessions, according to Mortman.
“I try to sit down with my girls and talk about styling sessions we have next week,” Mortman said. “These are the girls who are coming in, this is who’s doing their styling session, this is their Instagram. We try to pull stuff ahead of time so that when they come in, we can say, ‘Here’s some stuff that we’ve pulled for you, but feel free to look around the store.’”
Golden Green Boutique is located at Hotel Herringbone, 319 S 4th St. The shop is open Sunday 12 – 6 p.m., Monday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday – Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
