Meaning of passage about clothes at a party from "The Longest Ride"

Question

I found this in The Longest Ride

And the Women? They wore boots and hats, too, but between her (Sophia) sorority sisters and the rest of the women here, she noticed more short-shorts and bare midriffs than she'd ever seen in the campus quad on the first warm day of spring. It might as well have been a Daisy Duke convention. Marcia and the girls had gone shopping earlier that day, leaving Sophia feeling almost dowdy in her jeans and sleeveless blouse.

Context -

Sophia is a student living in a hostel. She and her roommates and some other girls from their college had a night out and went to a party. Now in that quoted text the costumes of the people attended the party were being described.

Question -

1. What is the meaning of the first bold part of the quoted text?

2. And in the second bold part of the sentence does it describe Sophia's costumes which she wore in the party at night or is it talking about Sophia's costume earlier in the day?

3. And what is the meaning of "Daisy Duke convention"?

Answer 1

between her (Sophia) sorority sisters and the rest of the women here, she noticed more short-shorts and bare midriffs than she'd ever seen in the campus quad on the first warm day of spring

-- She is just saying the girls are all wearing very little clothing. Their shorts are cut very high, and their shirts leave their stomachs exposed (bare midriff)

Marcia and the girls had gone shopping earlier that day, leaving Sophia feeling almost dowdy in her jeans and sleeveless blouse.

-- She is comparing what she is wearing now (at the party) to the outfits of her friends. She feels her outfit is very modest. The other girls bought new bolder outfits early to wear to this party, and she did not.

-- Daisy Dukes are blue-jeen shorts cut off very high, so most of you butt hangs out. They are named after Daisy Duke from the TV show The Dukes of Hazard.