Oh, Sierra. There was a day when she accompanied me to the beach, to weddings, to movie nights and birthday parties. Now, I rarely take her out and show her off. Still, on days when I need a little extra TLC or comfort I reach for her, and like a trusted, loveworn friend, she delivers.
Sierra, mind you, is a dress. And not just any dress, she’s a Merino wool dress. A sleeveless swing style, cut above the knee in a flirty but sensible pattern, she’s somewhat magical, keeping me warm on cool days and cool on warm days, and accepting dressing up or dressing down as easily as rivers flow into the sea.
Back in 2022, Sierra and I bonded. I wore her for a hundred days in a row.
Before you go getting grossed out, understand that I did toss her in the laundry when she got dirty. However, due to the mysteries of Merino wool, I only washed her three or four times. She never smelled, even after standing in the smoke of a bonfire for three hours straight. Even after walking three miles a day in the August sun at Kiesel Park. Even on those beach trips, tousled by the splash and spray of the Gulf of Mexico. She is a non-stinky miracle indeed.
My interest was piqued by an ad that came across my social media feed. “I wore the same dress for 100 days!” it proclaimed, featuring an adorable woman beaming an adorable smile, wearing an adorable dress.
I must’ve paused, because the 100 Day Challenge, sponsored by the company Wool&, soon dominated my ads.
There are several reasons this challenge appealed to me. For one, although I am as guilty as the next person, I detest “fast fashion.” I like to think that’s because of its negative environmental impact. According to earth.org, the production of one pair of jeans requires 2,000 gallons of water, and textile dying is the second-largest source of water pollution. Additionally, some 35% of the microplastics found in our oceans comes from synthetic textiles.
And then there are the social ramifications. We would be sticking our ostrich-heads in the landfills to ignore the reports of cheap labor in Third World or developing nations. Reports from The True Cost claim that the fashion industry is the world’s most labor dependent industry, with effects ranging from human costs to degradation of land and water due to relaxed or non-existent environmental protections in places where labor is cheap.
High and mighty morals aside, I was intrigued by the $100 gift certificate for anyone who documents their 100 days with photographs. To be clear, the dresses cost more than $100, but if you do the dress math, you can almost justify the expenditure as a two-for-one.
Oh, but the appeal goes further. For reasons buried deep in my psyche, I have extreme clothing anxiety. I once had to be escorted out of Dilliard's when I became so riddled with retail dread that I could not find the door and began to panic, flailing in a sea of peplum tops and flutter sleeves.
Confession: I had to do an internet search for words describing fashionable spring clothes, and still have no idea what a peplum top is.
The real reason this challenge appealed to me, overshadowing the environmental, economic, and psychological draws, was sadly far simpler. The fact is I am pure-T lazy when it comes to dressing. I can think of one thousand and one things I’d rather do than worry over what to wear. Rolling out of bed without wasting one teeny tiny beta wave on my wardrobe for 100 days was a dyed-in-the-wool dream. Of course, I could just be a slob on the regular, but with a bona fide challenge from a reputable clothing company, I had a real live excuse.
“I’m doing a 100 day challenge!” I announced boldly to everyone around me, with a sassy bit of attitude. The fact is, as described by something called the spotlight phenomenon, no one cared a tinker’s rip or even noticed what I wore during those 100 days or beyond.
I completed the challenge easily.
Sierra held up well for her 100 days. Her only battle scars are a slight drooping in the arm pits and an overall drift downwards, compelled by gravity and wear. On days when I return to my 100-day dress, I wonder why I don’t keep on, trying for 200, 300, 400 days.
An aside, this marks my 100th consecutive column in The Auburn Villager, and was inspired by the number 100, significant whenever we come upon it. Thank you to all who have encouraged me and responded to my 100 ponderings and musings. Here’s to the next 100.
Fantastic! I have another friend who completed that challenge. I raised wool sheep and love sustainability. We plan to replace the insulation in our attic with wool fibers. (See Havelock.com) Sierra can be used in the compost one her life comes to an end.