It's been a fun month. Here's what I've learned from this project:
1. I have so much. I realized this at all stages of this challenge. At the beginning, I realized that while I was wearing just this one dress, an entire closet...and bins in my basement...were just siting idle. I can think back and imagine a time when many people did not have the clothing options that I have now. Our first house, built in 1907, had one closet in the entire house and it was in the dining room and not the bedroom. They didn't need closets because they wore what they had and likely the '31 day challenge' for them was not an option but their lifestyle. I realized it again at the end when I thought about joining my friend Andrea, who started late, and continuing the challenge for the next 11 days. I have so much.
2. Clothes today are not built to last. I know I bought the dress at Value Village and have no idea how "used" it had been until that point but I do know that the repeated washings and wearings over the last month have really taken a toll on the dress. I found it becoming increasingly less shapely and less flattering as the month went on and the empire waist band seemed to buckle in places that it didn't at the beginning of the month. The jersey knit become more thin and I commented a number of times that it was a good thing it was an October Dress Project and not April because I don't know if I would wear the dress without tights under it for fear of it being a bit scandalous!
3. People don't care (or notice) what you wear. I am certain that if I had not mentioned it to people that they wouldn't have noticed I was wearing the same thing for the entire month. I think we think people notice more...but they don't. Sometimes I try and remember what I wore last Sunday to church so that I don't wear the same thing two weeks in a row and now I know....people won't care what I wear.
4. Accessories are fun. Working with the same dress day after day has made me realize how a few simple additions can make the same black dress look totally different. I noticed that most of my accessories were thrifted or bought on ebay and my entire collection of scarves and jewelry is not a huge expense.
5. This project was fun to do with others. It was so fun to check instagram and blogs each morning and to come to school to find out what everyone was wearing. I know this was a silly project but it was a really fun way to challenge ourselves to think about our clothing in new ways and to be creative. I enjoyed the feeling of doing the change with others and sharing what we learned along the way.
I'm fairly certain that I will do this challenge again next year...let's see who I can convince to do me it with me again. :)
