This is my vintage Christmas dress. Today I had a lazy morning. It was the first morning in several weeks that I could sleep in. It felt great. So when I was finally ready to venture out for some last-minute shopping, I decided to wear something in holiday colors. I’ll admit that this year I’ve been less in the Christmas spirit than before. Without going into too much detail, my mother has been in the hospital since the beginning of August. She suffered a brain aneurysm and has been in the hospital or nursing homes ever since. I am thankful that she is alive. Her recovery has been slow with a few setbacks. This will be my first Christmas without her in the house. My first without her watching me open presents and all the other things. It has been hard.
But I know my mom would want me to still enjoy the holidays. So I will. I decided that my vintage Christmas dress would be a good option. Several summers ago, I attended the Whispering Beard Folk Festival. It was an amazing weekend with music and all sorts of vendors. One of them was a vintage shop and this is where I found this dress. I love the pattern and fabric. Also the neck lace area is unique too. I love my vintage Christmas dress.
I hardly ever wear bracelets, but these just seemed to go. These are three green bangles that I bought on Devon St. in Chicago about six years or so ago. Devon St. is an area of the city with lots of Indian restaurants and shops. It’s definitely worth a stop if you’re in Chicago.
My vintage Christmas dress this Dressember
Also happy day 24 of Dressember. For those who are unaware, I’ve been wearing a dress every day this month to raise awareness about the global issue of human trafficking. Proceeds raised go to International Justice Mission and A21. You can read more here.
Today marks day 17 of Dressember, a month-long campaign to end human trafficking. I have joined with women from all over the world who are bringing light to this issue. As we commit to wearing a dress each day all month, we are saying that we are in thought, spirit and prayer (if we’re the praying type) with the victims of human trafficking. Human trafficking is a global problem where millions are kept in slavery around the world. It’s horrific.
As we go through my outfits this week, I also want to write about several stories of trafficking victims I’ve read. Since this blog is about the stories of women, I want to help share their stories so that you may be inspired to take action. Perhaps that action will look like educating your friends and family about the issue. Perhaps that action will look like making a donation to Dressember. Perhaps that may look like joining Dressember. There are so many possibilities when you open your heart to making the world a better place.
These photos are from several of my Dressember days. I hope you enjoy the outfits.
Dress: Apricot Lane Jacket: H&M Shoes: Rialto (I get SO many compliments on these)
The first story I’m sharing is about a woman named Nina. It initially caught my attention for obvious reasons. Nina was actually the pseudonym for the protagonist due to victim safety. Irregardless, it caught my attention.
Nina’s story is one of betrayal. She left her homeland of Bulgaria with her husband and child in search of work in Greece. Once there, her boyfriend forced her into prostitution. He threatened both her and her child if she refused. I cannot imagine what it must feel like to be betrayed by someone who you thought loved you.
She got arrested on a prostitution charge and the government referred her to the A21 Campaign who was connected with a crisis shelter. A21, by the way, is one of the two organizations that Dressember funds go to. Can I just say how I love that they referred her to a place where she could get help rather than prison? I’ve heard that this can be a problem, especially in the United States. Furthermore, victims in the US are often trafficked here illegally and have the danger of being thrown into an immigration detention facility. How unfair is that? Bottom line, victims of trafficking neat a safe place to heal. So I’m so glad that A21 was there to be that light for Nina.
When she arrived at the shelter, she was several months pregnant. She went back to Bulgaria and moved into the A21 transitional housing. She was then able to move into her own apartment.
Nina, however, had a talent. She could knit scarves. The social workers started selling her scarves. She now has six other women knitting scarves and has been promoted to part-time supervisor. The story talked about how hard it is for women in Bulgaria with small children to find work. Click here to read the story about Nina.
Also, I think I found the scarves! They look AMAZING! With winter kicking in, I may need to get one!
Dress: Gwynibee Boots: Target
Also to note about this. This dress is compliments of Gwynibee, a dress-rental service focusing on plus-sized women. I am not plus-sized. I stumbled upon this website from an ad when they advertised “first 30 days free!” It was only after I committed that I realized that they do not have anything smaller than size 10. I’m normally a 6-8 in dresses, so it’s not terribly off. Plus some brands carry mediums. Like this one. Also, that print is of giraffes!
With this service, depending on how much you pay each month you can rent one, two or three items at a time. If you cannot part with an item, you have an option to buy. I’m excited to check a few more dresses before my free subscription runs out.
Anyway, so back to stories of trafficking victims. This story especially breaks my heart because the victim is six-years-old. I cannot remember too much from age six, but my memories were happy and innocent. I lived in a nice home with two wonderful parents who have always wanted the best for me. I was so lucky to have never experienced anything so horrendous.
This girl and four other children has been living in Cebu, Philippines in an abusive household. The children were a part of cybersex. Basically, pedophiles around the world pay to watch a live video of these children performing forced sexual acts. The disgusting thing is that these children were being abused by their own family members in their own home. These sorts of cases are the hardest to find because they are so hidden.
The US Department of Homeland Security traced the abuse to the Philippines and with the help of International Justice Mission, rescued the children. You can read the full story here.
This next series of photos were taken by my friend Hillary Cutter at the Contemporary Arts Center.
Dress: Pitaya Scarf: Earthbound Trading in Knoxville, Tenn Shoes: Target
I hope these stories have resonated with you like they have with me. The good news is that myself and so many other women are doing something about this. You can be the change! Please visit my Dressember page if you wish. You can click here. Thanks for reading!
I would like to thank Twitter for this week’s My Closet feature. Twitter is how I met Sarah, the South Carolina woman behind the blog Bows and Clothes. She blogs about style, clothing, inspiration and encouragement. We initially found each other through Dressember.
If you are unaware, Dressember is a month-long campaign to raise awareness to end human trafficking. Women all around the world are committing to wearing a dress every single day for the entire month of December. The idea is that it is in solidarity with so many women who are being oppressed. Men can participate too. Many are choosing to wear bow ties all month in solidarity. Each participant can have their own fundraising page. Sarah and I both have one. The money goes to International Justice Mission and A21.
One day I was on Twitter retweeting some of the Dressember tweets as usual when I noticed that a girl named Sarah was retweeting me and liking my tweets. So naturally, I clicked on her profile and saw that she was also a blogger. I then of course clicked on her blog and learned that she was also participating in Dressember! That made me super excited. So I thought “I had better e-mail her!” She responded, of course. Sarah seems to be very engaged with her followers. Then, as what typically happens with good ideas, about a day later I decided that I should feature her on My Closet. So thus, here we are. These five dresses are special as they are some of ones she has worn for Dressember.
This first tunic-style dress is from Old Navy. She said she actually found it in the kids section. She doesn’t normally shop in the kid’s department, however these dresses were running large. I would have never guessed this came from the kid’s section, so she fooled me! She said the high-low hem is one of her favorite parts of this dress.
“If I were to just wear one dress for a whole month, I would pick this one,” she said.
This green dress is one she found at Ross. She said she initially bought it because of the bright green color and capped sleeves. It makes it easy to pair with a sweater. I really liked how she put the hot pink scarf with this outfit. Both shades of pink and green seem to pop, and thus work well together. Here’s another look at the dress:
This was another Ross find. Sarah says that Ross is probably one of her favorite places to find dresses as they have a large selection at reasonable prices. She felt like this one was very versatile.
These next two are Kohl’s finds. The pink one is one she instantaneously fell in love with when she saw it. She had to buy it. The striped one is one of those convertible dresses. It can be worn as a maxi, midi or skirt. Pretty neat
Sarah hopes that through her blog, readers will be inspired to be themselves. The quote “you are the only you, so you better be you” is in the “About me” section of her blog. While she has always been a fan of style blogs, her spirituality is what inspired her to start Bows and Clothes.
“One day I felt that God was calling me to have my own style blog since I love style and fashion,” she said. “I also want to inspire people, not because I think I’m perfect, but because God helps me with my imperfection.”
She has been blogging for about 13 months now. She just hopes her blog can inspire women. When she is not blogging, she can be found singing, making crafts, shopping or cooking.
This year, I’m again participating in Dressember. If you follow me on my Instagram or Twitter, though, this is probably not news to you. Last year it was just me on my team and I raised $510 from my circle of family and friends. This year I have several ladies on my team with me. It feels like a wonderful, sort of natural progression. Each year I plan to participate in Dressember and do my part to make it bigger than the year before. The more people who know about Dressember, the better.
Social media has many great benefits. I love clicking on #Dressember or #Dressember to see how far and wide the campaign is this year. Another popular hashtag I’ve seen is #itsbiggerthanadress. That phrase comes to mind as I get dressed each morning and multiple times throughout each day. Women all over the world are wearing dresses each day this month not because it’s cute or trendy. In fact, it has nothing to do with us.
I’m constantly reminded of the privilege I have in my life. Millions of people around the world are being forced into slavery. Girls as young as 12 are being forced into prostitution. They are being robbed the innocent childhoods they deserve. If you are a mother, just imagine the anger you’d feel if your daughter had to go through that. It’s sickening.
It’s Bigger than a Dress could almost be the motto for my blog. I love dresses. Anyone who is close to me knows that. But I also have a strong passion for social justice. I have a passion to tell stories of women from all different backgrounds. I want to use dresses to make the world a better place.
Dressember is such a great way to do that. The hopeful thing is that International Justice Mission and A21 are strong, functioning organizations. They rescue trafficking victims, provide them with the aftercare and serve the perpetrators with justice. In order for them to be the light of hope they are, they need funding. The money from Dressember goes to both of these groups. The funding pays for case workers, therapists, attorneys and other trained professionals to commit their life to ending slavery. With 27 million people in the world in slavery, the need is great.
My hope is that during this most wonderful time of the year, you give a little bit of thought to those who are not having the most wonderful time. Perhaps you can help be that light by giving to Dressember. My goal is $650 and I plan to reach that. I would love it if you can help me. You can view my page here.
I don’t exactly remember how it all happened, but around sophomore year of college I realized that I wore a lot of dresses. Maybe it was that time that I visited home and my mom handed me a wad of cash with her usual “don’t tell dad. Shhh!” Except this time she also added “and don’t go buy dresses with it!” They just became part of my self-expression. About a year and a half ago, I decided to do a dress challenge in April. I had no idea that Dressember existed, even though International Justice Mission has always been a group I admired. I was well aware of their work and mission, just not Dressember.
The following November, I stumbled upon Dressember through a Facebook post. My first thought was “I could do this again but for a good cause?” Because quite honestly, at times I felt a little vain during my first dress challenge. In fact, sometimes I wonder if people in general think I’m vain because I wear so many dresses. But Dressember allowed me to focus on an overwhelmingly large global problem. The fact that millions are currently enslaved is heart-breaking. Yet here I am with my comfortable life in the United States. Furthermore, I really didn’t need anything for Christmas. Any gifts I would have been given, I could just redirect to my Dressemeber fundraising goals. Dressember seemed like such a simple thing I could do to do my part.
At the end of December, I had raised $510 for IJM through Dressember. I had simply asked my friends and family to give what they could if they could. Each bit added up. I also had a blast doing it! I took pictures throughout the month. I’ll have to dig them up and share them on here.
This Dressember I’m planning to participate again. However this year, I want a team of women to join with me. All you have to do is commit to wearing a dress each day of the month. You can of course repeat dresses too. I plan to blog every day the entire month about Dressember. I plan to use my blog as a platform to highlight stories of people who have been trafficked.
The video above is a TED talk from the founder of Dressember. It’s so neat to hear the story of how it all started. So, will you join me in Dressember this year?
