The number one question I was asked about this Lent challenge was whether I was wearing a different skirt or dress every day - to which I answered a resounding "no"! I have a lot of skirts and dresses, but not 46!! I'll even admit to wearing the same outfit more than once, but the official breakdown of skirted items worn (a total of 19) is as follows:
Skirts (11)
Me-Made (7):
Store-Bought(4):
Obviously, when it came to skirts, I wore my store-bought skirts more than me-made ones, which I figure was due to two reasons:
- They're generally more casual
- they're more neutral.
So the lesson here is to make more casual/neutral skirts, or get used to fancy pattern mixing. And hey!! My next sewing project is a grey twill skirt - sounds casual/neutral to me!
Dresses (8)
Me-Made (5):
Vintage(2):
Store Bought(1):
I have a handful of other items, but they're more definitely summer-wear.
The other thing about the specific outfits was that my level of comfort with an outfit was inversely proportional to the amount out compliments I got on it. That is: the less sure I was about an outfit, the more likely it was that everyone else would.
Best compliment I got: (on Day 36) 'It's like Ugly Betty, but not ugly!"
The hardest part of the challenge: Staying warm in the cold Maine spring (and my subsequent annoyance with tights) and figuring out to what to wear on the weekends.
What Your Clothes Say About You
This Lent challenge also been an interesting experiment in how other people "read" my dress.
For example, on Flickr, I've been asked to include some of the above photos in groups like "Offbeat Modest Dress" and "Way Too Pretty To Wear Pants." The latter whose group goals include the following:
" I would really love it if some of the women who post their pictures to the group would consider undertaking a pledge to stop wearing pants (that's 'trousers' for anyone in the UK...) for a month, or a year - or ideally forever :-). That way, the group can help to promote feminine beauty by setting inspirational examples." (The group of course was founded by a man).
This doesn't count the numerous"favorites" from Flickr "creepers" who favorites are filled with pictures of women in tights, or turtleneck sweaters, or some other clothing-based fetish. All of which were quickly blocked.
Carrying It On
All in all, I call this Lenten challenge a success. Some mornings I would have rather not done it, but I'm glad that I did and had a lot fun looking at my wardrobe in a different way and trying new combos with my existing piece.
While I did wear pants to work yesterday, it felt kinda weird and I was less excited about it as an outfit, so super-cold or wet days aside, I think I'll be wearing a lot more skirted items day to day.
Now the next challenge is to come up with the next challenge!! (Suggestions, as always, are welcome!!)