Every girl has had that moment where she stares at her overflowing closet and declares she has nothing to wear.
You just get over certain tops/jeans/skirts/jackets.
And it's tiring thinking up good combinations of acceptable outfits to put on every morning.
I had one of these moments the other day. But before instinctively going out and buying a few more things that I basically already had, and that I definitely didn't need, I turned to my boyfriend and asked if he'd pick something out for me.
And this is how the challenge started: I decided to let my boyfriend dress me for a whole week, and document it.
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He was quick to say yes to the challenge. What was slightly alarming, however, was how quick he was to pick the out the outfits.
We'd stand in front of the wardrobe, and he'd eyeball everything for no more than 10 seconds before pulling out a sweater, a dress, or a top and telling me to put it on.
From there, he'd pick the next item, and then the next item, and in around 3 minutes (5 minutes max, seriously) I'd be standing in my #OOTD.
Part of me thought he'd just pick the stuff he's helped me choose when going shopping together or outfits he sees me wear all the time, but obviously, I didn't give enough credit to his imagination. Which is silly considering he's got a very creative (though slightly wacky) mind and is a talented 3D animation artist.
So here we go, this is what happened when I let my boyfriend dress me for a week.
Day 1 – Wednesday
We work in a very relaxed office here at Four Nine, so the first outfit was maybe a little formal for my liking.
He started with the black turtleneck and paired it with dark skinny jeans, a belt and a long suede jacket. "You're going be 'classy' today," he announced. I liked this outfit and felt quite sophisticated swishing around in the coat all day.
Day 2 - Thursday
Today he chose an outfit deemed he deemed as "fun". A fitted long-sleeved blue jersey dress, layered with a pink long-sleeve cropped top, and finished off with a denim shirt I only keep because it was my mother's... and it's Ralph Lauren.
Because it's winter here in London, he gave me tights and paired the look with white Adidas velcro sneakers that I'd usually never wear with black tights.
"You look like an 80's school kid," a friend at work told me. It was a little warm with all those layers. But overall I didn't hate this outfit and enjoyed the clash of colours.
Day 3 – Friday
I had a house party to go to straight after work, so I requested something that I could wear to the office but that would also be "cool" enough to wear at night.
Again, he pulled out a tight little number. A sleeveless black and white striped body-con dress with a low neckline that I'd condemned to the back of my closet because I only wear it in summer.
So I was surprised to see it come out. And even more surprised when my boyfriend handed me another striped (and tight) thing to put over the top.
My stripes-on-strips ensemble was paired with yellow tassel earrings and the brown boots I wore on Wednesday. It was maybe a little too tight for what I'd normally wear to work. But it worked for the house party and I ended up wearing it for close to 24 hours by the time I got home. I guess that's quite a testament to the outfit.
Day 4 – Saturday
I'm not even going to lie when saying I didn't leave the house today.
I was severely hungover. And to be fair – I was scheduled to work from home all day so I didn't really have the chance to venture outdoors. My boyfriend (who spent the day napping on the couch while I diligently worked,) kindly chose something comfy.
Loose, khaki green, not-quite-sweatpants-but-almost bottoms, together with a (tight) grey tank top, and some Mona Lisa socks. "Very Lara Croft," he said, nodding at me. It was comfy but it's probably not something I'd wear out to lunch.
Day 5 – Sunday
Sunday was a relatively relaxed affair. After a lie in, we went to visit the bakery and our local coffee shop.
Then back home to chill, do laundry, read, nap – you know how it goes. He chose the big red hoodie I normally reserve for low-key days such as this, so I appreciated that.
Paired with black jeans and my Adidas velcro shoes, I felt kind of "sk8er boi" today. And here's a shoutout to the funky earrings he picked to make this outfit slightly less casual.
Day 6 – Monday
Back to work and I got a few compliments on this outfit, mainly because of the jacket.
I do really dig it, but find it hard to match with anything because the green is such a strong colour and because the hem is weirdly hard to work with.
He chose a cropped red top to go underneath it – a colour combo I never dared put together for fear of looking like a walking Christmas tree.
But it actually worked quite well, and I think the cropped top underneath worked perfectly fine with the troublesome hem.
I was starting to believe that I overthink my outfits way too much, and that I should take more chances.
Day 7 – Tuesday
I had the day off today, and spent the day meeting a friend for lunch, and editing a new video I'm making for my YouTube channel.
My boyfriend chose a big sweater that I love to wear and paired it with some old khaki jeans my mother used to wear. It's a cool, no-nonsense outfit. And I appreciated the fact that my food baby was hidden Kylie Jenner style under the oversized top.
Final thoughts
At the end of the challenge, I realised how safe I usually play it when dressing myself. In contrast, my boyfriend chose different "themes" most days, and played with contrasting colours and patterns.
He also put me in a lot of tight stuff (but I guess that's his own preference, you know, as a boyfriend). And you know what? Every day I was pleasantly surprised by what he chose for me.
I wouldn't wear
every outfit again, but I'll definitely take day 1 and maybe even day 3 out for another spin. And if anything – I'd ask him to choose an outfit just for the
time it saved. Seriously, it was amazing.
