Wear What You Like! Other People Might Laugh But I Think You Look Cool

I think people should wear whatever makes them happy. If you love the color orange, wear orange. Don’t let silly little things like that negative voice in your head saying “You don’t look good in orange,” stop you. If wearing orange makes you happy, than by all means wear orange.

I believe that if you think you look cool who cares who laughs. I have worn a novelty print dress made from a 1950s pattern and had my hair set in a sixties bouffant. Yes, I went to work dressed like that. Yes, my hair, which was cut in a bob, was rolled, set, combed, teased and whipped into a bouffant. (It turned out great and I loved. And yes, a loved one laughed at me.)

I have worn a pale blue cocktail dress sewn from an early sixties pattern. I wore it to work. If I wait for the “right” occasion, I’ll never get to wear it. The material I used to make it was left over from my wedding dress, which was also sewn from a vintage pattern. It was a party dress from 1957.

I pretty much wear a dress everyday, about half of which I have sewn myself.

I particularly like to wear stunt dresses. Stunt dresses are dresses I make from novelty prints for any occasion, holidays or the sheer joy of it. I started the week in my 1962 pale pink tattoo flash print dress for Valentine’s Day. Why that one? For the obvious reason that it has “love tattoo art” all over it, such pirate skulls with roses in the teeth (those skeletal pirates are always such romantics.) It has hearts with banners for filling in your true love’s name, or maybe just Mom. And, of course, there were hearts with daggers through them. I wore a black cardigan, and a wide black studded belt to “toughen it up.” On my feet…polka dotted shoes. I absolutely love polka dots.

I have two dog print dresses. I made and wore them to judge the 2007 and 2008 April Fool-ish Dog Show at a certain military installation in South Carolina. I rotate them for each annual dog show competition. I have a Bowling Themed dress I wear to promote a bowling center located at the aforementioned military installation. I have a dress in camouflage colors with dice printed all over it to promote Bunco events. (I wear the black and white polka dot shoes with it.) I plan to eventually have a dress for every holiday. Naturally of course, I will have dresses for Halloween (my favorite) Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and Saint Patrick’s Day. I also want dresses for less obvious holidays like Boxing Day, Talk Like a Pirate Day, and Labor Day ( I found a fabric with hunky, shirtless construction workers on it that will be perfect!).

I want a dress with birthday cake print for my birthday, or to wear to birthday parties. A book print, or typography print, to wear to visit the library, red checks with ants marching on it for picnics, tattoo prints for rock concerts, candy or desserts for Sweetest Day, the list goes on. You get the idea.

My dear friend just ordered me four and a half yards of mustache print fabric. I am making a full skirted dress to wear on National Fake Mustache Day, Feb. 25.

I do read fashion magazines. I watch “What Not to Wear,” and “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style.” I read the fashion magazines to see what new trends are coming out that suit MY style aesthetic. I don’t force myself to change to fit this year’s hot designer’s style aesthetic. I do follow some fashionista's advice. Such as not wearing skinny jeans, they just aren’t flattering on me and therefore do not make me happy. I follow the advice of making sure your clothes fit right. I do look for waistlines and shapes that make the most of my shape because looking my best makes me happy. I also do things I know they would frown on, or perhaps even cringe, but I don’t care. It makes me happy. I am not trying to make other people happy. If other people smile or get happy because they saw a woman in a dog print dress, heels and a bouffant hairdo shopping at Food Lion, that’s just collateral happiness.

I say wear orange! I love my orange wool wiggle dress. I wear it at least once a week in winter. Wear polka dots, stripes, Pucci-inspired prints, bright colors, I say. Wear red lipstick! Wear Wellies (brightly pattern rain boots) with a dress if it makes you happy. Men, wear a loud tie, a loud shirt, heck wear a dress if it makes you happy.

Other people might laugh; I think you look cool.