When you were a child, did your parents control what you wore or did you have the freedom to mix and match to create any outfit you desired?
The other day I was helping my daughter choose her outfit for her kindergarten graduation. We flipped through her closet of dresses and I was not expecting what came next: She chose a dress that I haphazardly (and awkwardly) sewed for her a year ago at the beginning of quarantine when I was desperate for activities.
This dress — oh my God, I never expected it would be worn outside of the house. No!
The fabric is wacky: Navy blue apples for the top and green frog fabric for the skirt. With a train. And a side slit all the way to the hip. The top includes a very clumsy attempt at a sweetheart neckline that was a complete fail. And, worst of all, the train of the skirt is just a hemmed rectangle of the fabric straight from the bolt.
I really had to set my own wants aside on this one and let her be free. She threw on a pair of patent leather black heels and a tutu skirt for underneath and declared it the best outfit she had ever seen! On the drive over I was mentally practicing my explanation of the dress to the other parents and trying to get over my embarrassment.
Well guess what? At the graduation, her outfit was a big hit! Everyone loved it! And most important was that she felt awesome in her apple frog dress for HER big day.
The lesson here is obvious! Let the freedom fly when it comes to fashion!