Peace of Mind Organizing

25 days (so far) of wearing the same dress

28 December 2020

As I mentioned here about three weeks ago, I am participating in a 100-day dress challenge from Wool&, the maker of wool-blend dresses that has challenged people to wear one of their dresses for 100 days straight. Those of us who do will receive a $100 gift card toward the purchase of another dress at the end of the 100 days.

I started the challenge the day after my Rowena Swing Dress arrived. Day 1 was Friday, December 4. So far, it has been such a fun challenge. I love that I don’t have to think hard about what to wear; the only decision involves if I want to dress it up or dress it down. The dress so comfortable. And it has pockets!

In the 25 days, I’ve worn it with fleecy pants underneath and I’ve worn it with tights and boots. I’ve recently embraced adding a belt; I love the way the belt makes the skirt flair and it dresses the whole thing up a bit.

You might be wondering about washing a dress I wear every day. This dress is a wool-nylon blend that is odor- and wrinkle-resistant. (It’s 78% merino wool and 22% nylon.) It’s machine washable and the care instructions call for line drying. I have washed it only once in the 25 days, back on Day 11 after I had an unfortunate encounter with some leftover rice I was trying to put into a storage container. I wear it over a long-underwear top or a t-shirt or turtleneck. And I now wear an apron when I cook or am doing dusty decluttering. (I haven’t done any hands-on organizing with clients in the last 25 days, but I’ve done a lot around my house.) That’s allowed the dress to stay quite clean and odor-free. I hang it over a hook in the bathroom each night while I sleep to air it out. Less laundry is part of the appeal of the challenge!

The first weekend, I cleaned out my closet of anything that I didn’t think would go with the dress, putting those items in bins in the basement. Over this past weekend, I went back through and selected a few more items (like the jacket I’m wearing today…see the photo above). I feel I have plenty to wear and I no longer feel disheveled and schlumpy like I’d been feeling before I got this dress. (If you’re curious, you can listen to Episode 134 of our podcast Getting to Good Enough, where Shannon and I talk about pandemic clothing quandaries and I express my dissatisfaction with how I was dressing. Shannon is the one who told me about the 100-day dress challenge.)

I joined a Facebook group for people doing the challenge where I see how other people are styling their dresses. It’s a lovely, positive group and I’m enjoying it so much.

When the 100 days are over, I can’t wait to pick out a new dress to use my $100 credit. This time, I’ll probably go for one that’s not black. But I don’t for a second regret my decision to go with nice, neutral black. In case you’re considering the challenge, I’ll mention that I went with the Rowena swing dress (short) in a size XS. I’m 5’3” and weigh 120 pounds. Right now it’s sold out, but you can pre-order one or select another style.

If you’re intrigued, I urge you to give it a try!

Tagged with: 100 day challenge, closets, minimalism, simplicity, wardrobe, wool&

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