The Clothing Experiment

Almost five years ago, some of my colleagues and I participated in a little clothing experiment that we dreamed up. Basically, we wore the same outfit to the office for a week--just for fun and just to see if anyone would notice or say anything. We could, of course, change the necessities (underwear and socks). But the general outfit had to be the same each day. We took photos to document our week.

Monday

As you can see, I chose a black pantsuit. I believe this was by Kasper, if I remember correctly. The ivory shell was from Anne Klein (I bought it to go with an Anne Klein suit that I loved and only recently parted with). I can't remember the info on the shoes. This was comfortable and kind of boring, I guess. But I'm pretty conservative when it comes to fashion--especially professional wear. Not to mention ... we worked in a conservative office.

Karen (on the far left) also went with a suit. As you'll see from the following photos, she got very creative with her scarf. She wore it differently each day. That crazy Karen!

Kristen (in the middle) was a little more daring. Instead of choosing something that people might not notice, she went with a coral-colored jacket and a cute brown shirt with little dogs on it. (I loved that little shirt!) She paired this with a skirt and sandals.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, Tracy (Pip) joined us. She would have started on Monday, but she forgot about it over the weekend and didn't like her Monday-morning outfit enough to wear it every day. She also went the conservative route, choosing a navy suit. In this photo, Pip and Kristen are holding a calendar. I am trying to point to the date in order to show that it is a new day--but you can't really tell. Fortunately, my old camera had an accurate date stamp.

Wednesday

Yes, here we are in the restroom. We're a crazy bunch, I tell ya! On this one, I am pretty sure Karen has the scarf tied around her waist.

Thursday

There's no turning back now! It's almost Friday!
(Notice Karen's scarf.)

Friday
We made it! Here we are enjoying a Friday afternoon with some watermelon at work. We used to have "Watermelon Fridays" in the summer. Leadership bought watermelon for the whole office, and everyone would congregate outside to enjoy this refreshing refreshment. For a while, when it was cold, we had "Coffee Fridays." Those were a lot of fun. Sometimes we even had door prizes!
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What were the results of our experiment, you ask? Well, at one point, Kristen and I asked our boss if he had noticed anything about our appearance that week. I think he maybe asked if we'd gotten our hair cut? I can't remember, but I do know that he didn't notice that we'd been wearing the same outfits every day. Janna, one of our co-workers did, though! She was like, "Why are y'all wearing the same outfits all week?" (Or something like that.) But Janna is a graphic designer, and she has an eye for detail. For the most part, though, I don't think people really noticed or cared. Interesting, isn't it?

I think I later heard that someone used this as an illustration in a morning devotion or meeting or something like that.

In Matthew 6:25-33, Jesus said: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

What is the lesson in all of this? I think only you can say what the lesson is for yourself. Maybe there is no lesson at all--perhaps it's just a silly story. I don't think it's a sin to want to look nice and fashionable. (Remember, this is coming from someone who studied apparel merchandising in college ... and someone who is a member of a children's clothing message board.) I think out of respect for ourselves and for one another, we should strive to look our best. But I also think that we all have to be careful that vanity doesn't get the best of us--at least, I do. It's an easy pitfall, especially in our culture. At any rate, praise God that He provides for us in every way!