My dad was not moved when I told him I was writing this article and needed him to pick outfits for me to wear for five days. He said that I already dress pretty conservatively, so what did he care? But it wasn’t really about that for me, I wanted this to be an interesting experience for us. I have to admit, I had it in my head that maybe he would dress me in as much clothing as possible because he’s, you know, my dad. And some days he did. But other days, he also made some unexpected choices. Originally, I was sure my dad was going to make it his mission to dress me in clothes that were completely ridiculous. He kept wondering out loud what would clash. Luckily, he was joking… mostly.
So, here’s what the accountant-by-day, professional rock keyboardist-by-night I call dad dressed me in.
Monday
I live in Missouri and it has been hotter than hell (aka mid-90s) this week. It was definitely too hot for a quarter-length-sleeved shirt, jeans and high tops. My saving grace was that none of it was black, which is a serious departure from my everyday-wear. This was the first outfit my dad picked out; he told me he's seen enough of "Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory" to know Young and Reckless and DC are both skater brands. I felt a little silly in the high tops, though. I went through a DC high top phase in school and that came back to haunt me full force when I wore them out again. The maroon watch my dad picked to go with this outfit didn’t really go, but it’s a cute watch so who cares?
Tuesday
This plaid shirt is itchy AF. The minute I put it on, I regretted it. I actually haven’t worn this plaid shirt in years, and I felt a little insecure in it because it’s a little tight. My dad pulled this fossil out of my closet after complaining that he wanted a plaid shirt that wasn't my red and black one, which I wear all the time. The problem with this outfit is that today was even hotter outside. The darker colors definitely weren't warm weather-friendly. I ended up tapping out and tying the plaid around my waist because it became unbearable to wear.
Wednesday
In terms of temperature, this outfit was definitely cooler than the rest had been. These shorts show lots of leg, so I’m a little shocked that my dad picked them, but I’m not mad about it. He also pulled this shirt out of my closet at home. The only time I've ever worn this shirt was for senior pictures in high school, so, yikes. My dad's favorite color is burgundy (as is mine!) so he picked out a lot of black and burgundy combos this week. Overall, I liked this outfit, even if I probably wouldn't wear it again. But I did learn the art of burgundy-on-burgundy with the watch and the top. I would've never done that before, but it actually works.
Thursday
Hands down, this outfit was the fan favorite. I got the most compliments on this outfit and felt so free and pretty and confident in it. The fabric is really light, so I wasn’t as hot as some of the others. Again, I wouldn’t have paired the blue necklace with the blue dress, but I really like it. My dad firmly believes that you can't go wrong pairing accessories that are the same color as the garments. As much as I wouldn't have agreed with him before, he might be on to something. Thanks for the idea, dad!
Friday
Definitely the most functional outfit this week. And it was actually perfect because I work on Friday mornings. My usual work outfit is just a t-shirt and jeans, so this was a little cooler than what I normally wear to work. But it was comfortable and efficient, which was most important today. It's funny that he picked this shirt actually, because he had made fun of me for wearing it a couple days before because he couldn't figure out what it said, much less figure out that The 1975 is a band. But his thinking was that the pink in the shirt worked with the burgundy pants. I still disagree with him on that, but this week it seems he was just trying to break me out of my all-black uniform.
Overall, my dad didn’t make many risky outfit pairings. He mostly stuck to trying to match colors up. My dad by no means is a fashion-forward kind of guy. He knows what he likes but isn’t one to take chances with his clothes. I will say, though, that he dressed me in a lot of color. My clothing color palette is mostly black, white and blue, so I liked that I was wearing more color than normal. Coming away from this, I definitely want to incorporate more color into my closet and maybe try more color-on-color action, because that worked better than I thought it could honestly. Dad, I don’t think I’ll be asking you to style me again anytime soon, but thanks for some inspiration and doing all of my outfit-styling work for the week!
