I went as a Work in Progress (WIP) which is a big switch from Princess or Queen which was derigeur of my childhood. Part of growing up as an adult is dealing with the debunking of the myth that we will be rescued by Prince charming. Here in NYC the derigeur of the single ladies is sexy BLANK-you fill in the blank but be as scantily clad as possible-Victoria’s Secret must make out like bandits on this holiday. But I chose to look attractive-hey I’m not going to look bad-but send a message and be forced to interact with strangers. Working on my social skills, working on fulfilling myself, working on….everything inside. The idea was to get a white dress from American Apparel and have people sign, draw, or add something to it like an evolving group wearable art piece.
Mine was more of an intellectual costume but was great for party participation. One guy who was Steve Jobs remarked that he felt closer to me after drawing a bomb in the thigh area.
Every day I try to remind myself that in life it’s about PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION. It’s really an impossible and insane dream to want to be perfectly dressed and in ‘model’ shape 24/7. Why wish for that? Be human. I wear sweats and t-shirts. I have days when not everything matches (the horror I know).
In the end I won my very first costume contest-perfect in my imperfection-spanx and all. Thanks for the champers!
She helped me create not just outfits but a style statement for how I go out in the world in the morning. She’s given me a new sense of confidence, especially when I go to professional meetings