So, I’ve just completed the Fox In Flats month-long July Style Dare. A style challenge on a large scale, the style dare has many participants across Australia and the world, with each day offering a different prompt and an idea of what to wear and how to wear it. Andrea Michelle, the foxy Fox In Flats herself, says of the style dare:
“As lots of us keep discovering, Style Dares are a fun and easy way to inspire the way we dress each day.
They challenge us to try things we might ordinarily dismiss.
They push us to rummage through our wardrobes and rediscover items we haven’t worn in ages.
And they force us to be more creative.”
And what did I experience? Pretty much that exactly – with a few additions, and they are as follows – what I learnt from a month-long style challenge:
1. I should just wear what I really want to wear.
You know that outfit that you planned in your head, or that piece of clothing you think is too ‘fashionable’, too ‘revealing’, ‘too young’ or too ‘not you’. If you love it, wear it.
I had this vintage t-shirt I bought off Etsy, and I always thought it was a bit too ‘rocker’, a bit too ‘hipster’ for me to wear. The style dare dared me to wear it, and I did, for a whole day, and it felt great. The smile on my face resulted in quite a few compliments and even the barista at the hipster coffee shop said ‘cool t-shirt’. For a mum pushing a pram and wearing a nursing bra underneath said cool t-shirt, that felt pretty good.
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| Style dare ‘rock star’ – my vintage t-shirt |
Same goes for a midi skirt I bought, loved but quickly dismissed as too long for my 5ft 2 (and a bit) frame. Wore it to a friend’s engagement party and felt fab. Just wear that thing.
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| Midi skirt from Lucy In The Sky, dress as a top, Tony Bianco heels |
2. My wardrobe is pretty neat.
Well, not neat as in tidy, neat as in good (1950s, Happy Days style). I have a lottttt of clothes. A shopaholic at heart, a bargain hunter by nature and a hoarder by birth, I’ve collected clothing since I first spent my birthday money on a slinky, draped, crossover black top from the local fashion boutique at age 16. Aaand, I still have that top. So to summarise, I don’t have much room in the cupboard. But although I might not have the expensive designer pieces or the hottest new style, I learnt to make the most of what I’ve got. During the month, I rediscovered some old favourites and wore things I’d never worn before.
As a new mum, this made the challenge even more beneficial because a) I didn’t spend money and b) I was creative and designed new outfits to allow for nursing (hello t-shirt tucked into a high waisted skirt, sweater over a button-up shirt, colourful scarf as a cover-up).
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| ‘Forget I had this’ dare – vintage knit, Cotton On jeans, Kmart boots |
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| ‘All black’ dare – Dotti pants, ASOS knit, Therapy shoes, eBay beanie |
3. It is worth the extra time to look glam.
Dressing nicely each day makes you feel better. Even though most days I’d had four or maybe five hours’ sleep the night before, dressing up each day makes you feel more alive, and as one of my good mama friends says, more ‘human’. It is worth the time. You are worth it!
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| ‘Romantic’ dare – floral garland from The Iconic |
4. Community is certainly not dead, and people are awesome.
When I was feeling down, tired, sick, cranky – the other style darers would cheer me up – a simple ‘love your outfit’ goes a long way. And do you know what feels even better than getting compliments? Giving them. I loved perusing everyone’s photo for the day and commenting on them. Certainly gained a lot of style inspo from them as well! So here’s to you, awesome ladies of the style dare, including the original herself – Fox in Flats. Thank you xx
Have you ever taken part in a style challenge? How did you find it?
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