As a woman who spends time both in class and an office, I find that you have to really consider what you are going to wear throughout the week. You have to pick out outfits that look appropriate for both school and work, you need to decide if the outfit matches or if it’s too tight, and you have to plan your outfit according to what the weather is like.
As a woman, I am used to all of this. My brother Melech, however, is not. I decided to challenge him to experience what I have to go through every single day in getting ready by having him pick out outfits for me. Now, before you start conjuring up images of a brother who loves women’s fashion, understand that my brother would never step foot into any women’s clothing store unless he absolutely had to. This was going to be interesting.
I didn’t give him many rules. I simply told him that I had to work three days out the week, which means I can’t wear jeans. I also reminded him that the weather would be bad on Thursday, so I have to wear something warm.
I’ve seen the way he dresses his daughter, so I was somewhat afraid when he agreed to dressing me for a week. On a cold day when he is dressing his daughter he always puts her in a dress that is a little past her knees with grey sweatpants. It makes her look like a grandma. On warm days Melech puts her knee-length skirt with tights underneath and an ill-fitting dress. As you can imagine, he has trouble matching clothes (and also knowing what fits, ugh). He also doesn’t do great with colors he sometimes picks out this grey and blue shirt and then puts her in a red and black skirt. My poor niece; I really should have just challenged him to letting me pick out her outfits forever.
When Melech came to my house after work to pick out my outfit for the next 7 days, he all but threw all my clothes around. He said, “Your clothes are awful,” but after half an hour, he finally found something. Here what I wore:
Day 1
Melech: I knew she had to go to work so I picked an outfit that was more business casual. Also, I knew the weather would be nice—not too hot or cold.
My take: I would have definitely picked this out for myself. The only thing I would say that was wrong with this out is that it’s too dull. It was such a beautiful day outside and the colors he chose were so dark. I would have loved if he put me in something more bright to fit the day. I like the pencil skirt that he picked out, because it’s stretchy and it fits me just right. Also, the outfit is very business casual so it was great for school and for work. The shoes were a nice addition to the outfit even though my feet were hurting by the end of the day. Another things guys will never understand.
Day 2
Melech: I dressed Kahaniyah in this outfit because I knew it would match the day. The weather was warm, the sun was shining bright, and there were clear skies. I wanted Kahaniyah to shine and look colorful!
My take: I absolutely hated this outfit. I really don’t think the colors went together. I like the skirt, but the shirt was so ugly. I don’t even know why it was still in my closet. The shirt had different color paint splatter on it with a big rhinestone skulls. It was awful. I literally tried my best to keep my jacket on all day, so I didn’t have to show my outfit. When I asked others how my outfit looked they said it looked okay, but I really hated this outfit.
Day 3
Melech: I liked this outfit because it was very casual. Kahaniyah didn’t have to work, so I didn’t really want to put her in business-y attire. I wanted her to have a more relaxed day at school, and to dress down. It was going to be a dark day and rainy. So the dress also matched the day.
My take: I liked this outfit also, because the dress is flowy—I only wished he would have picked it out on a sunnier day. He chose a chambray shirt to go with it, but I wasn’t wild about that. If I wore this outfit on a brighter day I personally would have put on a jean vest with it instead. I also think this outfit is too thin for a cold and rainy day. It’s a see-through dress so he put leggings underneath, but even so, my legs were cold all day.
Day 4
Melech: I chose this outfit because the day was expected to be very cold and wet. Even though we just expected light showers, it was pretty cold. So I gave her a sweater to go with her comfortable jean skirt.
My take: This would have to be my favorite outfit, because it was simple. Plus I didn’t have to go to work so I could wear jeans that day. I love this shirt, I think I got it from Forever 21; it was really comfy. It’s a sweatshirt but also a crop top. Only problem with this outfit was that it wasn’t warm enough—my brother is struggling to dress for me for the weather.
Day 5
Melech: This outfit was for our Sabbath service. We normally dress in culture when we go to service. It took me a little while to scram through her clothes to pick out the outfit that would look nice, but still work and comfortable for our service.
My take: We have certain requirements for my temple. We have to wear skirts and dresses that go to the ankle or past, our shoulders have to be covered, and lastly our clothes can’t be too tight. This outfit fit all the requirements. I would have definitely picked this outfit out for myself not just for service, but for a regular day. This outfit was nice and cozy, and the weather was nice and warm. I loved the fact that this outfit had pockets in the shirts, it is really convenient, as I could put my phone and keys in the pockets.
Day 6
Melech: This outfit for Day 6 was once again fit for an office. She didn’t have to do much but go to work. As you see, she went bowling after, which I didn’t know about because I didn’t get an invite. Not cool.
My take: I had a love/hate relationship with this outfit. I liked this outfit because the shirt is flattering on me, but the skirt definitely isn’t. But the skirt is made like sweat pants, so technically I’m wearing sweatpants which makes me get really hot really fast. I think he did a really do good job matching with this outfit. All the colors went great together. Since it’s made with sweatpants material it was really comfy to wear. I could really relax with it on when I got home, and it was stretchy so it was great for bowling. He’s improving.
Day 7
Melech: On my last day of dressing Kahaniyah (Whew!), it was a little difficult because I actually wanted to choose a traditional, cultural Israelite look. But I would have had to choose two outfits for the day instead of one because she had to work. So I chose this outfit because though it isn’t considered a cultural outfit, she’s still dressing in culture, and would be in compliance with her work attire. This outfit actually is one of my favorite outfits (Day 2 was my absolute favorite). But I thought it was nice, and her beautiful smile would work the outfit out well!
My take: What Melech didn’t know was that I have to do a small photo shoot with my aunt this day, so I felt a little uncomfortable. The outfit was too dressy, since I would only be taking pictures. I didn’t do anything special with my hair, and I didn’t do my makeup because I wasn’t doing anything but the photo shoot. I would have liked the outfit more if I would have worn it on a day that I went to work (not his fault though, since that was the original plan).
Overall, I truly enjoyed having my brother pick out my outfits. It was a great experience, and I would definitely be open to doing it again. If I ever need an opinion on an outfit I know I can ask him now that he’s learned something about women’s fashion from this experiment. I believe this made me understand my brother a little more, too. It was great to get to see what he would pick out (even if I didn’t always love what he chose).
At the end of the day I will always love my brother… even if some of the outfits that he picked out made me look a hot mess.