I’m a big fan of Youtube, so I spend most of my free time catching up with my favorite Youtubers such as: Shane Dawson, Safiya Nygaard, Jeffree Star, The Gabbie Show, and more. Two months ago, Gabbie Hanna uploaded a video titled, I WORE MY GREAT-GRADMA’S CLOTHES FOR A WEEK, where she wore clothes of her late great-grandmother for a week to dinners, family meetings, and to church. One of the things I enjoyed most of the video was the way she connected with her late great grandmother, as it was the sweetest most emotional connection. And it got me thinking… why don’t I do the same, but with my grandmother’s clothes and write about my experience!
So my journey began with a Facebook message preparing my grandma for what was going to happen. That reads, “Grandma when I get to Juncos (my hometown) in these days, I’m going to assault your closet” and naturally she left me on read.
Then the fun started! When I got home, the first thing I did was go to her house and meet up with her. To my surprise, since she had left me on read, she was already prepared. The woman had a whole box full of clothes for me to choose from! Later this transformed into a trash bag full of my outfits for the experiment.
From the box I chose the clothing items that I knew I could wear to university without dying from a heat stroke, since most of her clothes were long sleeved. I still had to take long sleeved blouses because I was determined to do this challenge justice. The bag ended with a large variety of blouses and one pair of pants.
It’s important to mention that my style for university is really simple, and the best way to describe it is comfortable,as it consists of jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers; the comfier the better. I also like to make sure that the outfit is breathable because I walk from my apartment to uni and go up the famous “calvario” two to three times a day. Therefore, the less I sweat, the better it is.
The first outfit was a cream tank-top with floral design, which I paired with black jeans and brown sandals. I knotted the tank-top in the front to give it a flattering twist that helped me cover a stain it had from being too much time inside a closet.
I felt quite confident with this outfit, it was a pretty relaxed look that didn’t make me get out of my comfort zone at all. And a classmate complimented me because she really liked the shirt and she didn’t even know it was my grandmothers shirt!
On Tuesday it was time to bring out the long sleeved blouses, and I was petrified! I hate sweating excessively, and wearing a white blouse that had mid long sleeves was a match made in hell. Or so I thought!
I chose to wear this button-down shirt as it comes, but at the end, instead of doing the last buttons, I just tied them together to give it a tropical vibe, paired with light jeans, mustard colored sandals, and a brown belt (which I added after taking that first pic). I had created my favorite outfit of the week! Every time I met with friends, either in class or just around campus, they would complement my outfit. They loved my shirt, and when I told them that it was my grandma’s, people were shook; they thought I had got it from thrift shop. They couldn’t believe that the button down used to belong to my grandmother.
Wednesday was crazy! I woke up late and I didn’t prepare my outfit before going to bed. Therefore, I chose the first thing I saw. Another white button down shirt, but this one was 100% cotton. Which meant that I WAS SWEATING A LOT. I paired the shirt with a dark colored pair of ripped jeans, low rise black Vans, and a silver belt, and suffered through the day because el apagón plus a 100% cotton shirt, equals sweat stains everywhere.
Thursday, the last day of my challenge, was my second favorite outfit! I was feeling myself! My grandma had this funky vest that I adored, so I paired it with a white tank-top, black jeans, and high-rise fitted black Vans. The vest really brought me back to high school uniform days and it also gave me a 90s vibe that I was living for.
I had so much fun these past days! It was exciting and nerveracking all at once. I learned that I buy a lot of t-shirts, and putting some print and color to my wardrobe is easy and a must. I felt connected with my grandma, and getting to see her face light up when she was giving me her clothes was priceless. I’m definitely going to be using the majority of these items in the future. So if you want to add some vintage vibes to your wardrobe, but don’t know of any local thrift shops, head to your grandma’s or grandad’s closet and I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for!