I have been in a fashion slump lately. No money to buy anything new and I am sick of wearing the same old outfits. I usually go for sweats and a t-shirt because I am too lazy to attempt to piece together something new and exciting. So, I went to my boyfriend, Matthew, for some help. For a whole school week I let Matthew dress me up. I was not allowed to reject his outfit choices and I recorded my experiences. Here is what happened:
Day One: He put me in jeans, so it’s an automatic discomfort level of about 400%. I usually opt for leggings whenever possible. The outfit is comprised of a pair of white leather converse from the thrift store, some high-waisted jeans from H&M, a Brandy Melville tee and a jacket from God-knows-where online. I wouldn’t typically pick these items to go together, except the jeans and the shoes. However, I think he did a pretty good job for his first day of choosing an outfit for me. I got a few compliments from people who have never said anything to me before, so that was a big shock! Things like, “Dude, I like your jacket!”, “You always looks so cute!”, “I love that jacket on you.”, and “You look so happy and colorful today.” It’s no surprise that after hearing those comments, I cheered up and began to walk with some swagger. It’s weird that I had all of these items in my closet, but never paired them together. People really seemed to like that I wore something other than black and white. I rate this outfit a 7/10. I wouldn’t wear it again, but other people seemed to really like it!
Day Two: I feel exceptionally uncomfortable today. This is not my style and I clearly haven’t worn these pants in quite some time because WOW…They’re super tight. Just a recommendation to you all—try your clothing on every once in a while and clean items out your closet that you don’t feel comfortable in. Oddly enough, I’ve got one compliment and I’ve only just stepped out the door. “You have the most unique style. I love your outfit, Tal.” However, I am still going to hide from people as much as I can. Today I am wearing a Longhorns hat from the thrift store, a chambray top from Cotton On, a cropped halter from H&M, and some black ripped pants from Forever 21 along with a pair of Betula Birkenstock sandals. I don’t normally reveal my stomach, so I feel a little funny, and I am not wearing a bra and it’s a pretty sheer halter-top. Today, I just did not feel very confident. I ended up changing right after choir at 5:30 into some sweatpants and took a nap. I give this one a 6/10. It was creative, but just made me so uncomfortable.
Day Three: This is something I’d wear on Easter Sunday or something, but it’s still really cute! I’m impressed with this one and my only complaint is that it’s pretty hot outside and I’m wearing long-sleeved knit over long-sleeved knit and a pair of boots. But I know Matthew likes it on me. His eyes lit up when he saw this one so I’m happy with it, too. I’ve gotten a lot of “You look gorgeous!”, “So pretty!”, and a “What’s the occasion?!” I also ran into a pretty interesting outfit situation. It was so sunny out and that whenever the sun came out, boom, you could see everything through the dress.. I didn’t even think to put spandex on because I just went with whatever he gave to me to put on. It’s funny, everything he chose is from Francesca’s, so maybe that’s part of the reason I think this outfit went so well together. I mean, typically, I would never wear white on white, but he did well. He’s got pretty good taste. I got a lot more hellos and smiles today, which made me really happy and confident. I give this outfit a 9/10—not a perfect ten due to the sheerness and the fact that I am sweating pretty badly.
Day Four: I really dig this outfit. The jacket is from Brandy Melville, the romper came from a small boutique by my Cabin called Indulge, the necklace is from PacSun, and I’m wearing my Betula Birkenstock sandals. I am very comfortable in this one, and it is most likely something I would chose for myself. The romper is a little short, but other than that, it is weather appropriate and super cute! I got the most compliments today on my outfit. I got a compliment from Deb in the cafeteria. A group of girls even asked if I could dress them! So, I guess they will have to go to my boyfriend. Clearly, he is a fashion expert, or at least knows more than I do! I give this outfit a 10/10. No real complaints here. Good job, Matthew!
Day Five: I’ve got to give my boyfriend a huge thank you for letting me be comfy today. He picked out this shirt from Brandy Melville, high-waisted shorts from PacSun, and I’m wearing the converse from the thrift store. It’s pretty windy outside which is my only complaint because wind makes a hot day turn really cold here on the hill. Someone commented that my outfit looked “so Tumblr” today. I don’t know if that’s good or not, but I’m assuming that is a compliment! I felt really confident in this outfit today even though I woke up not feeling very confident at all. This was the perfect outfit. Couldn’t have done it any better myself. I rate this outfit a 10/10.
Matthew’s Score for the Week: 42/50 – Most of the pieces worked great, but there were a few hiccups here and there.
Overall Thoughts:
It took a lot to regress back to the idea of letting someone dress me. It was weird to see what my boyfriend had envisioned me in. I have never worn any of these outfits before and I found it refreshing to be put into something new. I definitely had to come out of my shell to walk around in a sheer dress or expose my belly, but this experience taught me a lot about being confident in who I am and not what I am wearing. It is a weird experience letting someone else determine how you are going to present yourself, but it was worth it. Putting my full trust into someone else’s abilities was a huge learning experience. I had a blast. Plus, I saved a lot of time in the mornings by having someone else chose my outfits for me.
I would definitely start letting Matthew pick out my outfits more often. He’s got great taste, and although our taste doesn’t always align, I could see how happy he was to see me in an outfit he picked and he seemed to enjoy the process.
Matthew’s Overall Thoughts:
It was entertaining dressing my girlfriend this week. At first, I was very uncertain of the clothing items she wanted to wear that day. I would like to that we choose our clothes as an external and emotional Magic 8 Ball. I dressed her as best as I could so that she would have one of the greatest last weeks of classes. It also brought in a lot of compliments that made us laugh and made us both very happy. That’s what clothing is. It’s our outer shell.
– Matthew A. Kruse ‘18