Celebrating Our Clothes One Story At A Time
A while back, I asked my friends and followers to submit a photo and story about an outfit that means something to them. I believe that clothes are meant to be cherished, and by sharing our clothing stories, we can celebrate the items in our closets.
We spend our whole lives in our clothes, and they accompany us through so many of our most special moments. I want people to remember these feelings, and I hope it inspires you to rewear pieces you already own. We are constantly pushed into buying new clothes, but instead of adding to the pollution of the fashion industry, we have the option to create more memories in an outfit we already love.
Brenda Harvey
“This rose sweater (from TJMaxx) will forever remind me of my bff, Caroline Siew (her matching blouse is from Goodwill). She recently invited me to join her and her daughters, Simone and Carmen on a trip to France. During the winter as we shared our weekly exercise/therapy session, Caroline and I came up with the crazy idea to dress alike every single day of our upcoming trip. This took quite a bit of coordinating, trading and raiding our daughters’ closets, but we pulled off ten days worth of matching outfits. On this particular day, we traveled to Provence and visited the village of Grasse, the perfume capital of the world. However, the highlight of the day was our time spent in the gardens where we perfectly matched the acres of roses in bloom.” - Brenda Harvey
Chloe @ChloeCucumber
“My item is this blue and white dress that I swapped with a former roommate (reflecting on sustainable options and what’s in my closet made me realize that I’ve swapped clothes with a lot of friends!). We are the same size aside from height and we both favor skirts and dresses, so while we lived together, both of us had double the wardrobe. When we moved out, we permanently swapped a lot of pieces and we continue to trade on a regular basis. This blue dress became a fast favorite of mine because it’s super comfortable and versatile. I’ve worn it to a wedding, to work, hiking, lots of places traveling, and through all seasons and weather through some creative styling. It also reminds me of one of my best friends. This was the first thing that came to mind when you asked about clothing that has personal meaning but looking back through other outfits, I realized that a lot of my clothes have similar stories.” -Chloe
Emma Marie McDonald @emmamarietn
“I found this 80s vintage Liz Claiborne dress at Goodwill & instantly fell in LOVE! I knew it would be perfect for Italy. It was super long and looked awkward on my 5’2” self, so my mom helped me hem it enough to be appropriate to enter the churches in Italy. It was a small, special experience because my mom got to help me make a vintage vision come to life for our Italian adventure! ❤️” -Emma
Mikayla @MikaylaGeier
“I filmed Jubilee’s Odd Man Out in it, so that made my outfit really special! It's all Goodwill and from different parts of my life. The Chinese silky style print skirt is from Montreal when I was interning there. I found it and fell in love. The hair bow is so childish, but I've learned to embrace that part of my style and not care. Also my necklace means love in Chinese. And the white cover up shirt thing I almost got rid of but rediscovered and figured out how to style it!” - Mikayla
Carmen @Carmenyharmony
“This outfit is special because, like many of my outfits, my mom helped style me. The dress is one that I, and my sister, rewear often because it has a great color and light material that is perfect for warm weather. The first time I wore this dress I was hiking through the Vinales, Cuban countryside. The second time I wore this dress was in this picture, walking along the Seine River in Paris, France. My mom and her best friend had been frolicking through Paris accompanied by many scarves and I was excited to borrow one that matched so perfectly! My white Converse shoes completed my look. These very comfy shoes are ones I bought to hop on the Converse trend that my sisters started in our family a few years back. They were originally a pristine white but I've dragged through many mud puddles since my original purchase and they are now a high-fashion off-white.” -Carmen
Rachel
“Here is a jersey that was given to me by my Uncle who is living in London and I have worn it till I was about 15. After that, I was unable to fit into it. And I have since passed it on to my cousin.“ -Rachel
Caroline @game_of_thrift
“I have always been obsessed with Fresh Produce apparel since my oldest daughter Carmen was 3 years old! Their dresses have vibrant colors, the print is always very cute and childlike but not childish, and best of all, the cut & fabric of their dresses are very comfortable! Fresh Produce’s adult wear was too pricey to me 20 years ago, so I never bought any for myself! I was only able to indulge in my kids! Fast forward to few months ago, I saw this Fresh Produce coverup in my local Salvation Army store selling for $3.50! The rest was history!” -Caroline
Eric
“This is a photo of when I borrowed all of my friends expensive ass clothes. I think the top is Acne and the bottoms are some Japanese designer pants. It felt pretty ridiculous and honestly not worth it, but my friend kept trying to hype it up LOL” -Eric
My Clothing Story
Find out the story behind this outfit below
The outfit in this photo is so special to me. From the moment I saw the vegetable pants and gray blouse on the rack of the thrift store, I knew it had to be mine. The scarf in my hair was a gift from my mom who had always dreamed of visiting France, and this picture was taken in Avignon, France by my mom! My sister and I turned her dream of traveling to this far off place a reality. This day was so fun because we had woken up early to explore the beautiful town before we continued our journey. I stood on the ruins of an ancient church as my mom snapped this pic of me basking in the morning sun. I’ll never forget these memories.