If You See Her, Say Hello: The Uniform Project

I've got an outfit post coming later today, I promise, but I just wanted to share this little project with you if you don't already know about it. I wish I would've come across this a lot sooner and been able to follow it through the whole year, but it's still amazing to look through and see all of the outfits. Okay, right get to what I'm actually talking about, The Uniform Project. It was described so well on the website, that I'll just re-post that here for you to get the whole idea. But definitely go check out the website and look through some of the outfits when you've got nothing to do for an hour or so. It's absolutely amazing. I mean, this girl is wearing the same dress everyday for a year and she STILL looks better than you nearly everyday.

The Idea
Starting May 2009, I have pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Here’s how it works: There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies. Think of it as wearing a daily uniform with enough creative license to make it look like I just crawled out of the Marquis de Sade's boudoir.
The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for children living in Indian slums.

The Story of Uniforms
I was raised and schooled in India where uniforms were a mandate in most public schools. Despite the imposed conformity, kids always found a way to bend the rules and flaunt a little personality. Boys rolled up their sleeves, wore over-sized swatches, and hiked up their pants to show off their high-tops. Girls obsessed over bangles, bindis and bad hairdos. Peaking through the sea of uniforms were the idiosyncrasies of teen style and individual flare. I now want to put the same rules to test again, only this time I'm trading in the catholic school fervor for an eBay addiction and relocating the school walls to this wonderful place called the internet.

The Dress
How do you design a dress that can be worn all year around? The mastermind behind the uniform dress is my friend and designer, Eliza Starbuck. We took inspiration from one of my staple dresses, improving upon the shape and fit to add on some seasonal versatility. The dress is designed so it can be worn both ways, front and back, and also as an open tunic. It’s made from a durable, breathable cotton, good for New York summers and good for layering in cooler seasons. With deep hidden pockets to appease my deep aversion for carrying purses. More photos of the dress and the dressmaking process coming soon to the Uniform Blog.

The Accessories
The hats and plumes, the dickeys and drapes, the shoes and slips, the belts and brooches – much of what you will see are byproducts of my cyber-slacking on eBay and Etsy, backed by visits to the many local vintage boutiques, thrift stores and flea markets of New York. I am also collaborating with other designers and friends to create original pieces.

Today is actually the last day of the project, so all 365 outfits are available for your viewing pleasure. And it's definitely worth the time. I'm posting a few of my favorites in this post, one from each month of the project. Definitely go check them all out, it's totally inspiring!

May 2009