ME-MADE MAY 2021: Rediscovering your me-made wardrobe

There are so many challenges going on in the sewing world, but one that stands out and that nearly everyone knows is Me-Made May set up by Zoe of SoZoeWhatDoYouKnow in 2010. Since then May has become a month of discovering new sewing accounts on Instagram, getting inspired by fabulous makes of the whole community. While it may seem that sharing your outfits for the duration of the month is the main idea, it’s not the case though – the goal is for you to set your own challenge (make a pledge) that will help you get to know your handmade wardrobe, discover what you wear the most, which items you like the most, which are candidates for either refashioning or retiring, and find new combinations for your garments to turn them into new outfits. You don’t need to document your outfits everyday to participate, this challenge is just for you. Though the whole sewing community will appreciate it if you share!

This time last year covid was already with us, but the situation was much better than now. I was going to the office nearly every day, so it wasn’t difficult to fulfill my goal of wearing at least one me-made item every working day. It only confirmed what I already knew at the time and what won’t surprise you if you’ve been following me for a while – I prefer wearing dresses, cooler tones, and prints, and I was missing separates, especially in solid colours, which is something that I’ve been trying to work on from time to time since then.

This year the situation is quite different. I changed jobs and I haven’t been to the office since October, uni is also closed, so I’ve just been working and studying from home. My daily outfits unfortunately reflect his, as I’m basically living in leggins, t-shirts, and sweaters, with my pretty dresses hanging all sad in my wardrobe. Which makes me sad too. At one point I even lost my sewjo, because I had nowhere to wear my makes, but I’ve since gone back to sewing and I’ll be more than ready for at least some sort of social life once that becomes possible again, hopefully soon. This May, like many others, I want to take Me-made May as an opportunity to rediscover my handmade wardrobe and experience the great feeling I get from dressing in something pretty – it’s an instant mood-booster! While it doesn’t look like I will be heading back to the office anytime soon, I am determined to dress to impress even to sit at my kitchen table, where I’ve set up my office, even though the only person who will appreciate it will be me.

It seems that covid has kicked off a kind of fashion revolution in the last year and it would be interesting to find out how people’s opinions on fashion and clothing in general have changed. As for the future of fashion, some predict that the loungewear we got so comfortable with will continue to be reflected in highstreet fashion, while others predict a kind of repeat of the 1920s with their decadence and opulence both in fashion and in lifestyle. I’m hoping it will be more of the latter. That the forced break in having occasions to dress for and make appropriate and fun outfit choices will inspire us to express ourselves with our clothing and enjoy the opportunities to wear it out again.

Not that everyone couldn’t dress anyway they like while locked at home in corona times, but who dresses the same working from home as they would if they were going to the office? I just couldn’t be bothered and I thought it was a bit of a waste of my pretty clothes. I was taught that you save the pretty clothes to go out of the house. On the one hand, I’m annoyed at myself for wearing the same clothes at home all the time, which is comfortable for sitting at my desk all day, but not very creative. Nothing boosts my mood and confidence like being well dressed. On the other hand, no one is forcing me to dress this way at home. When I was going to the office, I was also sitting at the desk for 8 hours, so why don’t I just do it? Is it just the custom of strictly sepearating “home clothes” from “work/outside clothes”? Is it my own lazyness? Or the fact that if I dress nicely at home no one will appreaciate it apart from me so what’s the point? To what extent do we dress for ourselves and for others? What’s your view on this?

In any case, my plan for May is to break out of home wardrobe gloom of leggins and t-shirts and to start rediscovering all the pretty items of clothing I own. I pledge to wear at least one me-made item a day, find new outfit combinations, see what I like the most about each item I reach for, what I don’t like about those that I don’t, and identify garments I need to alter. Most of all I want to enjoy getting dressed in the morning again! I’ll do my best to document my outfits on Instagram and will let you know on here in June what I got out of this year’s Me-Made May. Are you taking part too?

Till next time,

Magda