October Dress Project Recap

Last Fall I did something unusual. I wore the same dress for 31 days in a row. There are lots of reasons why I chose to do it and you can read about them in the first 2 posts I wrote, covering week 1 and week 2 of ODP11 (as it became known). It was an exciting fashion experiment for this unfashionable momma who is sitting in her pj's as she writes this post, even though it's almost 2 PM!

For those of you who cheered me along or did the project with me, thank you. It made a huge difference to know I wasn't the only person who had to look at the same dress on the hanger each morning and try to find a way to make it new to me again. My friends Karissa, Ida, Cathy, and Shawna Lee all shared wrap up posts a long time ago and now it is time for me to add mine to the list.

First, the pictures from the last 2 weeks of October 2011.

Day 13, 14, 15, 16

Day 17, 19, 21, 24

 

There are several days missing from the last week and that is primarily because I was repeating ideas from earlier in the month. I still enjoyed wearing the dress and have even worn it several times since the project officially ended, but I was also tired of having my picture taken.

In the end, I had 2 lessons reinforced throughout the month of October.

1. I really like wearing dresses. They are comfortable and feminine and it is a lot easier to pull together a look with a dress than it is with separates.
2. I need to be more content with what I already have. Other than buying the dress and a few clearance tights, I pulled this off without buying new clothes. I think I should apply this creativity towards other items in my wardrobe as well.

I know it is only January, but I really hope that you will start thinking now about joining me again next October. As Jolene, an ODP founder wrote, "If you are eager to confront consumerism, live more sustainably and take a stand against the idea that you need to buy new clothes to feel beautiful and be happy, I would encourage you to give this challenge a try next October! Or, even better, you could start to think about how to incorporate these principles into your everyday life."