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#145 It's Called Fashion, Look it Up

I never remember the Met Gala’s existence until social media is suddenly flooded with otherworldly outfits. The corsets, beads, and historical dresses of the Met Gala might feel a little insignificant given the state of the world right now, but it’s nonetheless a good opportunity for some fashion escapism. 


So, in honor of the world’s biggest costume party, let’s think about clothes, identities, façades, and self-expression. Where does your mind go?

This week's prompts

Write a story where a particular piece of clothing appears three times.

– 56 stories

Write about a character who wakes up in someone else’s clothes — or utterly weird apparel they don’t recognize as their own.

– 37 stories

Set your story at a global fashion event — or a carnival ball.

– 20 stories

Think of an item of clothing from your childhood, and write a story inspired by that.

– 28 stories

Write about a character who decides to give themselves, or someone else, a fashion makeover.

– 20 stories

Stories

The Sly Fox

Weekly Contest #145

I wonder if things had been different if I had said no almost thirty-five years ago. Growing up, my mom had a closet full of clothes. The usual–dresses, blouses, dress trousers– but this story isn’t about that. We were not interested in those. What we were interested in were the things she’d exiled to a far, forgotten corner at the bottom of her closet. We would wait for her to go to brunch or something, leaving David in charge so that we could raid it. There were so many beautiful things we never saw her in. We took turns using the Hippie...

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Fashionable Gains

Weekly Contest #145

Content Warning: This story contains themes related to eating disorders/disordered eating. Maricela stepped onto the scale and took a deep inhale while she waited for the final number to register. 130 lbs, 4 oz “Oh my God. I did it!” For years Maricela struggled with disordered eating. Growing up, she was always referred to as “chubby” and while her family saw this as an endearing quality, middle and high schoolers weren’t so kind. The first time Maricela remembers being bullied for her weight she was 13-years-old. It sounds cliche, ...

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Makeover

Weekly Contest #145

“I want to become a model.” “You want to become a model?” “Yes.” “Do you own a mirror?” “Yes…” “Have you ever used it?” A miffed look. “What? I’m being practical.” “I look great, George.” “Sure. If you say so.” A deep sigh. “Well, what should I do?” “Don’t look like you do. You won’t be able to get anywhere the way you look right now. You must understand, Kiran, that in this industry, hard work is not the key to success. Looks are. You need a makeover. Take your specs off.” “Maybe I should. I wouldn’t be able to see...

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Bathtub Shine

Weekly Contest #145

Note: This story contains mentions of race and violence. Harlem, 1926 I looked dazzling. My heavily made-up face and short finger-curls made me glamorous and chic, the cosmetics catapulting my looks from plain to striking. “Sienna, you’re up,” Iva, the manager of the dancers, told me as I applied my scarlet lipstick, the final touch for the effect I wanted. A full-figured, dark-skinned woman, Iva hailed from Charleston. For some reason, she refused to cut or straighten her long, course hair, and instead opted for styles from the previou...

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Dumb and Restless

Weekly Contest #145

 Dumb and Toothless When your front tooth falls out in the middle of a fashion presentation, you might think that nothing worse could happen, and depending on your point of view, you may be right. Or wrong. I worked at a very stressful and physically constraining day job, looking through a microscope, sitting still for hours at a time. To have relief and variety, I joined a company which sold ladies’ clothes at home presentations. It was fun. I went out at night, met new, interesting people, took my clothes off, and came home with money...

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The Magical Dress

Weekly Contest #145

The girl squealed with delight at the way the dress fit. It had a tight cream-colored bodice that hugged her curves perfectly. The floor length skirt flared out at the hips with sweeps of iridescent colors layered throughout the sheer material. It had an amazing shine when her hips moved in just the right way. The actual heart shaped sweetheart neckline dipped just enough, and the soft material came up to cover her youthful bosom perfectly. She held her breath as she turned to look at her back in the mirror. She squealed again when she didn’...

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Leave when you're ready

Weekly Contest #145

Andy Weier was sick of it all. Sitting by his piano in his small apartment, he loathed everything about himself. Through the window the sun was sliced thinly through the blinds, illuminating the dust in the air; like smoke pillars from a village where they burned their dead all at once. Andy Weier had been trying to write a song about it. Andy Weier sucked at writing songs.With all ten fingers splayed out on the keys of his Roland FP-30X, he invisioned someone with the gravitas and weight of Leonard Cohen singing this upcoming epic; nothing s...

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Not Today, Not Tomorrow, But Someday

Weekly Contest #145

“Write a story where a particular piece of clothing appears three times”. Every day of the week except for Monday was a day I could feel happy about. I don’t know what I ever did to Friday to deserve it, after that I started hating it. It was a Friday that she called me. I remembered her hyperventilating, she couldn’t say it so she had to get a nurse to do it. Then the nurse said quietly, in a whisper, “Hello, this a nurse from Krópavogur Hospital. I am very sorry for you to hear this-”, she paused for a while and I’d like to thank...

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Peasant Style

Weekly Contest #145

Peasant Style  Packing her clothes was the last thing she had to do before leaving. Vail had been her home for years but with their recent divorce and Martin working at the same lodge, it was time to leave. The large maroon bag was zipped and hauled onto the floor, ready to be rolled out into the tiny kitchen. The house they’d shared was only a rental, the pile of ski’s, poles, and pieces of clothing she couldn’t fit in her luggage was just stuff. Her job as a ski instructor was cliché for a Colorado girl, but she’d loved it. Growing up...

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Lost or Found

Weekly Contest #145

Susan sat across from Gavin, her date from Plenty of Fish. The waiter poured their wine. Gavin spoke at length and with authority on many topics. Having little knowledge and fewer opinions, she took him at his word. ‘How did I agree to meet?’ Tuning in, she realized he’d begun another chapter on the Speed Dating event he attended. “You’ve been to one, right?” She nodded. “They’re amusing if you like feeding frenzies. But like in poker, if you don’t know who the mark is…” “It’s probably you…” He laughed, not knowing she meant herself. She ...

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THE ONE MISSING STAR

Weekly Contest #145

THE ONE MISSING STAR “ Do you see how he got dressed, our very dear friend? Oh, I say, at least, he could spare us the sight of those disgusting hairs on his beautiful muscular legs…..All he had to do was wear an ankle-length skirt, if he didn’t want to shave” Marilda , she laughed heartily, even though she pretended to be disgusted by how he showed up at the masked ball, he, Teddy Boy, their friend Alice’s boyfriend. Kate remained silent , her eyes glued to the skirt Teddy Boy was wearing. S...

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Green Pajamas

Weekly Contest #145

Have you ever looked back at your life, wondering which of your decisions had a direct impact as to where you are now? Sure, every choice you make has the ability to influence the future, and some are more noticeable than others. Would you live somewhere else if you opted for a different college major? What would life look like if you chose to get back with your ex-partner when they pursued you again three years ago? Answers to those questions are probably deeper than the mystery of what would have happened if you ate toast for breakfast ins...

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The World's New Wardrobe

Weekly Contest #145

     Ralph threw the last carton on the shelf–glad to finish the final incoming load in the stifling home furnishings warehouse.          He couldn’t wait to shower, change into “street clothes” that would let him feel human again and head for his favorite watering hole down Main Street. He believed that, after a few “cool ones” even the flea-bitten, fly-by-night boring rural outpost of a town where he had wasted much of his life might start to look good.   &nbsp...

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An Abandoned Harley In Reno

Weekly Contest #145

He rolled under the covers of the uncomfortable king-sized bed, feeling the pajama tops bunched up around his stomach. He lay on his side, not ready to wake up, and considered the reasons to face another day in another city. What casino hotel is this? His wife booked the hotel. He couldn’t recall the name and decided he didn’t care. Is she here? He turned his head just enough to open one eye to see the silhouette of his still-sleeping wife contrasted against the gray shadows on the far wall. How long are we here? He couldn’t remember what sh...

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WEARING THE GUY IN THE PICTURE

Weekly Contest #145

By William Snesrud Somebody was softly kicking my feet as if trying to get my attention. “Hey old man, you need to get up and move before they come through and haul you off again.” As I slowly opened one eye at a time, I realized I was no longer in my comfy recliner but instead on a hard surface with the sun glaring down on me causing issues with focusing as I opened my eyes. Yep, something was vastly different than my tv room at home. I seemed to be laying on something rather hard and much uncomfortable as I looked up into the brigh...

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