My Favourite Outfit: Alesha
In this series, I ask the contributor to share an image of their favourite outfit – maybe a pair of pants they wore every day, maybe a special party dress – and write about where they were in their life and why this outfit has such significance. Today we welcome Alesha. Alesha used to sell beautiful handmade undies under the name March & August Underthings. She has recently turned her energy towards another passion, which has created room in her life for sewing just for the fun of it (and therefore we can gush about what patterns we’re working on). This is her favourite outfit.
I don’t think this outfit is particularly unique or fashionable, but I feel very safe and secure when I wear these two pieces.
First is the denim jacket that I bought about 8 years ago in Vancouver. I decided to move to to BC to take a fashion design program after I learned that my boyfriend was cheating on me. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason I went, but it was the last push I needed to remove myself and take some time to figure out myself. I was 20 and I had never lived on my own, had just been cheated on, and was confused about my future. I moved to the coast to work out my hurt and confusion and to prove how independent, worthy, creative and inspired I knew I could be.
This was one of the biggest moves I made in my life. I didn’t know anyone there, so I learned a lot about myself socially. I had never lived on my own, so I learned a lot about taking care of myself in tough times. And I had never been hurt by anyone before, so I had a whole year to really think things through, cry, and realize what I wanted from any future relationships, be it friends, or romantic.
I feel so lucky that I had that year to do those things. I came back an almost 22-year-old with a pretty good idea about what I wanted and how to get shit done. This denim jacket has seen it’s fair share of bicycle rides, coffee shops, airplanes, school courses, grocery runs, and late night sangrias. Wearing it is like a blanket of memories from a time that moulded me into who I am today.
The sweater dress, This is the one item that I have been able to wear and feel myself in for the last 6-7 years. I bought this second hand, knowing it wasn’t that flattering or fun but it felt like sweatpants so I bought it.
This dress carried me through one of the hardest years of my life health-wise, both mentally and physically. It was one of the only items that fit me consistently when my body decided to retain enough water for me to gain 40 pounds in a very short period of time. I remember days where my jeans didn’t do up, or my other dresses pulled in all the wrong places, and so I would slip on this sweater dress and it just helped me feel like me. I didn’t have to feel out of body because of these health issues, I could just feel like myself again for a moment.
After I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and slowly after a year of getting on the proper medication I can put this dress on and remember how different it did feel on me during that hard year of not knowing why my body was doing the things it was doing, but I can truly thank it for making me feel like I was still myself.
Sometimes your favourite outfit isn’t that trendy or cool, because sometimes your favourite outfit is carrying you through many years of growing. Now as a woman in my late 20s (holy cow, did I just say late 20s!?!) I wear this outfit and feel super proud of who I am and what I have gone through.