Black dress, skinny jeans, black wool long sleeve under dress, grey cable sweater, green (lantern) boots.
I love this sweater because it’s so cozy. And I love my boots! I feel like a super hero in them. This was the perfect outfit to be warm and comfortable at work today.
I’m starting to realize that the feat of coming up with 180 different outfits will be more difficult than I anticipated; especially given the fact that I like wearing certain things because they are my favourites. Take this grey sweater, for instance, it is my go-to cozy up sweater. So how am I to balance the challenge of wearing something fresh each day with the fact that I like my basics. Herein lies the true experiment. In addition, I am reflecting that if I am to be truly sustainable, then I must be able to include ‘repeats’ into my weeks ahead. After all, it is about looking fresh and in style, not necessarily new each time.
Long sleeve white T, St. Joseph Elementary T shirt, boyfriend jeans, hiking boots, black dress like jacket.
St. Joe’s Rocks!
Today is the day to show our school spirit! It is the start of Catholic Schools week and the kids have all kinds of activities planned. Our Parent support Group sponsored mass and a morning coffee/tea, so yours truly got there early to make sure the coffee was ready to go. I love being a part of this community and love all that our school does for my children.
Black dress worn basic front, black tights, brown basket weave belt, tangerine/purple scarf, brown knee high boots.
Website, check. Gofundme campaign, check. Facebook page, check. Now I just need to learn how to ‘instagram’ (note to self, ask children) and we should be good to go!
Black dress worn backwards, wine tights, striped long cardigan, brown boots.
The boys are ice fishing today! Whoever gets the biggest fish, wins the ‘king’ title and trophy. That’s one activity I don’t ever want to come along to. As much as I like going outdoors, I don’t think I could stand around an ice hole waiting for my line to move. I’ll just dress warm instead and get on with my day in town. Hopefully they won’t bring me back a pile of frozen fish for me to gut. The last time my son did that, we put them on the kitchen table to take a picture, and about one minute later they all started to jump!!! I jumped and screamed too! Did not expect frozen fish to come back to life. I was not trained in the art of beheading fish and I do not wish to learn…
Black dress, skinny jeans, tank top, wool long sleeve shirt, wool light tan sweater worn on top.
With best laid plans…
On this first day of the challenge, we happen to go to a bon-fire. Are you kidding me? I thought I’d get to wear the dress with heels or something to mark the occasion as a special day. But no, family and real life dictated that we go and stand in the snow while roasting hot dogs. So off I go and practically cover the whole dress in layers, so I wouldn’t get cold. Disclaimer: I did have to wear a winter coat and boots…and I took the dress off for the duration of the fire, because I didn’t want it to end up smelling like smoke. But I wore it layered for the rest of the day. On days like this the project will prove to be a true challenge!
Black dress, skinny jeans, tank top, wool long sleeve shirt, light zip up jacket.
And today we went skating! One of the coldest days so far too. So I really needed to layer up. I wore my winter coat over the whole thing, but for the rest of the day this was my look. We lasted all of half an hour at the rink and soon cowered over to the house to have ho-cho and food. That’s two for two on the difficult days to manage this challenge.
Black dress worn as a coat, black/white tights, turtle neck, skinny mini skirt, black chunky boots.
Finally! A day where I can wear the dress as I had intended in my initial photo shoot. This is one of the most comfortable ways to wear the dress. So far not many people have noticed that I’m wearing the same thing. Only a few that I’ve told in advance are asking if ‘this is it’. I am sure it will come up soon.
Black dress, tank top, black tights, upcycled grey cropped sweater. Black long boots.
Upcyle and Recycle
First day back to school and to our normal routine. I am wearing one of my most favourite sweaters in the whole wide world. It is a one-of-a-kind piece made by Precocious from Toronto. It is made from used sweaters that have been re-cut into a new shape. This type of re-cycling is called upcycling and it is way harder than it seems. I tried it and trust me, my project did not look as good as this.
I bought it a few years ago when I went to Circle Craft in Vancouver, on one of my ‘research’ trips. I think it’s fair to call it research even though I mostly go to get inspired and drool over the beautiful stuff they have there. If you want to read more about Circle Craft and Canadian Made products, check out this link Ingoodfashion.
Grey wool sleeveless shift dress, black dress worn as coat, black boots. Long pewter necklace, long steampunk earings.
Today was my first day of teaching this quarter. New group. Half way through the class someone asked if I had made my coat. Perfect segway to talk about my project. So I started with… “I’m wearing this dress for 180 days”, to which I got the usual question…”why?”
And then I get into it. A lot of the times I end up with blank expressions looking back at me as if I’m out of my mind. And some other times, I get great feed back and excitement on what a great idea this is and how they’d like to hear more. It is all part of the process and I’m looking forward to being able to report and document the ups and downs that I’m sure I’ll encounter along the way.
Dress worn backwards, long grey cardigan belted at waist, black boots.
Today was my second class. This group knows all about my project and they are eagerly anticipating what I’ll come up with. I say eagerly because I suspect in some ways they want to see if it can be done. He he.
This outfit proved to be great except that it got too hot in that classroom and I had to drop the sweater. There’s one more thing I keep noticing with the dress though. The neck line is too high on the back and it feels a bit choky when worn this way (not a good plan if I lean forward, don’t need to pass out for the sake of the project). Also, I am realizing I made a mistake when I chose the fabric. I lined the dress with cotton lining. This sounded great at first for breathability sake but in reality it has made the dress bulkier than it needs to be and stick to anything I wear with it, so if I wear it with tights or jeans, it tends to bunch up and not lay flat. I definitely need to do something about this, if I’m going to wear it for six months.
Black dress, tank top, black tights, camel long cardigan, brown hip belt, brown boots, paisley cashmere scarf, gold square earrings.
Ironing out the kinks!
Well I did it! I cut out the lining! I cut from the waist down and took out the pockets (also made in cotton lining) and replaced them with Bemberg (rayon) lining! So much better!!!! I haven’t decided if I will re-line the skirt portion of the dress yet. It seems to lay pretty nicely without it right now. If I do, it will be in the same Bemberg lining again. It is amazing what a difference the right finishing makes to the comfort and proper fit of something.
Despite what my children may say, Continue reading
Black dress, grey tights, light grey ruffle collar sweater, gold hoops, brown boots
I had to work all day today and this outfit proved to be extra comfy! So far not many comments about why I’m wearing the same thing every day. Maybe no one has noticed yet.
Black dress, white off the shoulder t-shirt, boyfriend jeans, black boots.
Today was a work day at the Uhrich household. Also fit in a soccer game and putting away Christmas stuff. So I needed to be casual but presentable.
Black dress worn backwards, black cardigan, long chandelier earrings, long chain necklace, burgundy tights, black hiking boots.
Love this outfit! It is comfortable and I think it looks really trendy. The earrings really pop out thanks to the black background and courtesy of my newly self-trimmed hair.
I have a confession: I have a problem with stray hair and scissors. My hairdresser Z hasn’t seen me in over six months and it’s all because I think that I can cut my own hair with the clippers and a bit of ingenuity. Truth is, I’m not half bad, only certain sections where I can’t quite reach or see are a bit chunky. I have thick hair and it hides a lot of errors. Sometimes better than others, but nothing I can’t survive.
Black dress worn backwards, nylons, plaid black and white jacket, black knee high boots.
It’s getting really close to the deadline I set for myself to launch this project. I have told too many people to back down now. I am hoping that I can get everything together and start blogging in real time by next Monday! It is nerve-racking to think whether or not I can pull this off, but I am very confident that I’ll learn lots in the process and hopefully inspire others. Get ready, set, go!
Black dress worn backwards, knee high boots, black pinstripe blazer, clear large rock necklace.
I’m starting to get comments about how I look. Not necessarily that they like my dress (nobody has actually noticed the dress yet) but that they like what I look like that particular day. Today was one of those days. I wonder if the dress simply makes everything just more put together. It seems like a striking piece on its own and anything you add, is simply a bonus. This is exactly what I mean when I talk about having style vs. being in fashion. The word fashion in itself as a verb implies something that changes, something that is fleeting. Being stylish, in comparison, is classic. Always beautiful and appealing. This is the essence of sustainable fashion. To be stylish, beautiful, decorative, appealing without being a passing fad.
Black dress worn backwards, wine leggings, black chunky boots, grey portrait puff jacket, rose/antique drop earrings.
Fashion as Art
I got so many compliments on this outfit today! People don’t even know that I’m wearing the dress yet, but they comment on the outfit and the style. Love that. I really have to lower the neckline on the dress! I know I said it before, but I really have to get it done. I just don’t want to get stuck doing it and not have anything to wear the next day! Must plan well.
Every now and then, especially when I start to run into ‘repeats’ of my favourite looks, I would like to talk about the accessories I wear, because most of the pieces I own have a story. Continue reading
Straight palazzo jeans, striped black and grey long sleeve shirt, hoop earrings. Black mary-jane shoes.
It’s hip to be square?
I really shouldn’t admit how much I love these pants! I love the feel and look of this whole outfit. But since they are not skinny jeans I know I’m dating myself. Yet, there are some things that just look better and a pair of straight cut pants tend to elongate the legs. I just love the comfort and ease that comes with them and somehow I feel a little bit hip in them. Not hipster. More like Hippie.
Low waist denim skirt, black tank top, black V neck sweater, black and white geometric leggings, black chunky boots. Silver medallion from Spain. Black dress worn as a jacket.
This is one is another favourite again. I realized so far that I really like my jeans. I would wear these every day as a uniform too. I’ll talk about the medallion the next time I wear it, promise.
Black dress worn basic, black and white geometric leggings, black and white scarf.
They can’t all be 10’s
I hate this picture! But it is a good reminder that sometimes things don’t work out and that’s just the way it is. I could take the time and re-shoot this picture, but with 180 of these to go, I really can’t be that picky! You can see the outfit, and accessories, so what if my face looks like a flattened donut. Tomorrow will be a better day.
Black dress worn basic, black and white geometric leggings, black and white scarf.
They can’t all be 10’s
I hate this picture! But it is a good reminder that sometimes things don’t work out and that’s just the way it is. I could take the time and re-shoot this picture, but with 180 of these to go, I really can’t be that picky! You can see the outfit, and accessories, so what if my face looks like a flattened donut. Tomorrow will be a better day.
Black tank top, striped chevron knit skirt, short black boots. Round silver earrings.
It is what it is…
I really wish I had something witty and brilliant to post today, but the truth is that I’m exhausted. On top of work and a regular day, I had an extra long work out today – I’ve committed myself to train for a triathlon in the summer and I’m not even close to being ready for it! No, I don’t wear the dress while training -that’s like pj’s for sleeping- and yes I’m half crazy for coming up with this idea. But hey, that’s just the way it is and for now, I’ll just deal with things as they come.
On other days, when I have it all together (probably few and far between) I will start posting about issues regarding sustainability in fashion and how I’ve become incredibly addicted to it. I had a previous blog a couple of years ago where I started exploring this whole movement, and it’s really cool to go back and see how far I’ve come. I might even recycle a couple of those posts here, since I already did the thinking! So tonight, on the eve of this site going live, I say an early goodnight and see you tomorrow!
Black knit dress with wide turtleneck, black dress worn back wards, short black boots.
So the secret is out!
The website is live! There’s really no going back now. And I don’t want to, I’m just too excited to find out what will happen along the way. Welcome to my new adventure (aka moment of crazy).
Palazzo jeans, dress worn front wards, tweed vest, beaded green/blue necklace, drop bead earrings.
Let me explain…
Now that I have your attention, it may be a good time to explain how exactly I got to this (almost) insane obsession with sustainable fashion.
It all started a long, long time ago…just kidding. About four or five years ago I was teaching a design class and I came across the original Uniform Project from Sheena Matheiken. I actually cried when I first saw it. Yes, I know, I’m lame. The point is, it really hit me. Around that same time I went to my first Circle Craft fair, and I was hooked, it was awesome to see so many local designers selling their pieces on an even level, without having to compete with big box stores. Ever since I came out of design school and watched all the production jobs disappear slowly, I felt there was something un-authentic about my industry. I loved the process of making clothing but I didn’t love the cost it seemed to have our culture and others. I always felt there was something not quite ‘fair’ with being able to get a blouse made for less than $5.00. Continue reading
V neck coral tunic, black ‘riding’ pants, dress worn as a jacket, nude 3″ heels. Turquoise necklace.
Who wears those?
Just a disclaimer here…I won’t be wearing those stilt-like heels all day today! I have to work, so I’ll probably wear my flats. I’m a sensible girl. Nonetheless, I’ll probably finish the day with the look as is, when I go to my friend’s birthday. You gotta dress up sometime!
