Day 31: Final Thoughts

I made it! It's been quite an interesting experience. I was quite surprised at how easy it was at times, and how hard it was at others. I hit a wall after the first week, feeling like I had run out of cute ways to style it, but then got a fresh wind. Then the last week, I just felt over the whole thing, and was sick to death of the dress. Here are my final thoughts:

Stuff I liked:
I am proud of myself for participating for the full 31 days.
I have more confidence in my creativity.
I feel more comfortable with creating a stylish feel for myself.
Feeling like I had conscientiously stepped out of the consumer dependent mindset.
I am more aware of the quality and quantity of my stuff.
Always knowing what my core piece for each day did take a lot of the guess work out.
Overwhelming support from my family and friends.

Stuff I didn't like:
Wearing a dress EVERY day.
Realizing I have WAY too much stuff.
Spending time managing stuff, when I could be spending time with people I love.
I wish I had been able to go on a complete shopping fast too.

Overall, I this was a positive experience, and I'm really glad I did it!

Days 26-30 The Lost Days

Yep, so, no pictures for days 26-30. I know, it's terrible. Life caught up with me, and the photos just didn't happen. I swear I wore my dress, and I have witnesses.

I am sad to say though, that I'm not sure the dress is wearable after this month. The coming-apart-seam has, well, come apart. All the washing has shrunk it slightly, so the zipper's wonky. And the cotton is not as soft as it once was, and it starting to pill. I'm a little sad that it seems, literally, worn out. If you consider that I probably would have worn it on average, maybe once every other month, I've stuffed 3-5 years worth of wear into one month.

It also means that as I add clothes to my wardrobe (in moderation), I'll be looking for well constructed stuff that won't fall apart soon. That means I'll probably have to pay more up front, which means I'll need to be a more conscience shopper. Its a win win for me, I think, against the culture of stuff.

Day 25: Legwarmers

Legwarmers! After ripping back, giving up, bad gage and a few other knitterly problems... I completed my legwarmers. I LOVE them, though they don't seem to be a favorite with the rest of the world. Of course, now that they are complete, the weather is changing and I'll probably be in flip flops by the end of the week. Oh well!

Day 24: Hand Knit Sweater Day

I finally finished my red sweater. I used Suri Merino, which I LOVE, and Knitting Pure and Simple's Wrap Cardigan pattern. I love it AND it goes with my dress!

(If you're a fiber artist, you can find my work on Ravelry)

Day 23: Gotcha!

Had a friend sneak up on me at the park today, to check and see if I was wearing my dress. I am of course. Silly hubby made me take the above picture, which normally would have never seen the light of day, but I figure we need one silly one in the slide show to keep people guessing!

Day 22: What Will I Wear??

I am grateful for the people in my life who continue to encourage me with this project. But honestly, I've started to forget I'm participating. People say, "Are you tired of it yet?" and I have to respond, "Tired of what?" Oh, that's right, the dress. For me, I know this means I have really moved on from any anxiety I had about how I look, dress or the project itself.

I really love the simplicity of rearranging some core pieces; and I love that I didn't need to buy a whole new wardrobe to completely change my perspective on how I dress. I also love that I feel "put together" everyday, and still feel comfortable. I do not have the time, energy or emotional reserves to dress with a dedicated sense of style. But this project has made me feel stylish, maybe not Vogue stylish, but creatively and expressively dressed none the less, with very little effort. In fact, in reflecting on the ease with which I get dressed each day, I'm starting to worry about November 1: I'm going to wake up, and wonder what to wear!

Day 21: Ten More Days!

Still cold and rainy, but I found my leggings again! I'm knitting a red sweater that's almost done, and some red legwarmers, too. Can't wait for them to be done so I can wear them with my dress!