Thousands of first-year students will gather this evening at Forsyth Barr Stadium for the annual toga party, having done their best to clean out the toga material supplies of Dunedin.
Presbyterian Support Op Shop retail manager Chrissy Anderson said the shop had sold more than 400 white sheets, and had run out of stock on Monday morning.
"A lot of students have come in here,'' she said.
There was, however, white material to be had from fabric stores yesterday, and the Otago Daily Times took 3m of material to the Otago University Students' Association for a lesson in how to tie a toga.
After a good search on YouTube, and some invaluable advice from communications manager Tess Trotter, O Week volunteer and third-year zoology student Samantha Smyrke nailed the method.
Her creation, she said, was "high-fashion Roman''.
The material was held behind the subject, with one side wrapped across and over the shoulder, and the other wrapped tight around the body to create "a beautiful waistline''.
The end was pulled up the back and connected in "a beautiful bow'' on the shoulder.
While the Otago Daily Times came to the OUSA equipped with a box of safety pins, Ms Smyrke warned against their use for practical reasons.
"Safety pins can come loose while you're dancing - very dangerous - they poke you in the neck, which I found in my first year at uni.
"You also want to be able to re-tie very quickly, you don't want to get your friends to follow you into the bathroom to help you out.''
