What is the October Dress Project? I don't know where it started, but I learned of it through my former English professor, who now happens to be a dear friend. It's 31 days of wearing the same dress. The trick is to accessorize and be creative so that it looks like a different outfit each day.
What's the point? According to the Facebook group dedicated to the Project, "The basic theory of the October Dress Project is to stretch your creativity and your capacity for living simply, to wean yourself of your vanity and to practice frugality--all by choosing just one dress that you will wear every day of the month." However, the reason I find myself committing to the project lies in the explanation put forth by my former prof: "wearing the same dress every day helps reorient the default position of my heart... and in turn, leaves room for much more. It reminds me that I don't need much, that I don't need a closet full of clothes and that a green dress can serve as my 'daily bread'." I find myself easily falling prey to consumerism and materialism. Just last week I bought a brand new, super expensive phone that had just been released at the beginning of the month: the Samsung Fascinate. Returning to Seattle after 4 years of California living has made me realize how much stock I was putting into my appearance--at least when I left campus--which was a direct reflection of the culture down there. Coming home and wearing sweatpants to the cleaners without feeling grungy or out of place brought me a feeling of elation. I was comfortable doing so, but it was because I didn't feel like people were judging me. So for me personally, the motivation to do the Dress Project comes from a hybrid of these two explanations: I think it's a great idea to encourage creativity and remind oneself to "live simply," but it's more a matter of "reorientation," and a reminder to myself that the outward things are impermanent and don't satisfy. Also, I am sure it will remind me to be grateful for my abundant blessings.
We'll see how this goes. I kind of toyed with the idea of doing it, then dismissed it, then thought of it again, and then decided that since I'm a nanny it wouldn't be very practical. Then I thought about my former professor, and she became an inspiration to me: if she can do it with two boys 3 years old and under, I can do it while watching one little girl for a matter of hours a day. Then October hit, and I thought about using that as an excuse--to myself, because it is not as if anyone will question me for not doing it--but realized it was pretty flimsy, because really who is going to care if I didn't do the first two days. Then I thought about the one practical excuse I might have: what dress would I wear? But earlier today I was hanging some clothes in my closet and saw a black, lightweight, cotton-like dress that I haven't worn for about a year. I even thought about getting rid of it, and suddenly the light went on it my head: it's just about the perfect dress for the Project. So I'm in!
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