This is Jennifer’s fourth entry in the series “Grist dared me to make a change.” Read her first, second, third, and fourth here. And support her dare with a gift to Grist!
Embroidered metallic roses down the leg. Sweet, huh?Jennifer Mac DonaldSo far the feedback on my outfits has been mostly positive. Though yesterday’s outfit did get one, “Wow, Jen. That dress is straight out of the 80s!” (Who would take that as a compliment — Cyndi Lauper? And besides, it’s actually from the 70s).
Friends ask me if I really had to dig to find these pieces or if my mother just had impeccable taste. Oh, people, you have no idea. I guess I have to show you photos of the closet itself. Warning: these images may not be suitable for all readers. I assure you that there was plenty of digging involved.
Much to my mother’s chagrin, my folks don’t have an elegant, well-organized California closet. It’s jammed. I’d say it’s about as daunting as tackling the contents of an entire Goodwill, but within the area of a compact parking space. Yes, I know that’s still big in terms of closets, but it’s filled to the brim. At first I found a lot of unfortunate patterns and textures that I would just never wear in real life. My dream was to salvage a bunch of great, wearable clothing, and show readers that a no-impact wardrobe starts at home (or your parents’ house), and become a folk hero for children of hoarders everywhere in the sustainable style movement! So my heart dropped a little when I didn’t find anything. At first. Eventually, a few things emerged. As I hauled them away, my dad yelled a desperate “Take ALL of it, kiddo!” from his recliner.
Salvation Army of MomJennifer Mac DonaldToday’s ensemble includes another find from the blouse bounty and, depending on how you wear it, could look like an Elizabethan ruff, the puffy shirt from Seinfeld, or something really cute and trendy from the likes of J. Crew. Ruffles seem to be hot right now. I opted to wear it the trendy way — no offense to pirates or Shakespeare fans.
Now for the pants. I am wearing white jeans again. No, not the same pair of white jeans from a couple of days ago — a whole different pair of white jeans. That’s right, two out of the three acceptable pants I found were white jeans. The embroidery is down the side like a tuxedo pant. They are metallic embroidered roses this time. Jealous?
I know! I’ll become a folk hero for white jeans lovers everywhere! Down with that oppressive Labor Day rule!
Fight the power with me — support my dare with a donation to Grist.
