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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#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.

Nonfiction – 59 stories

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

Science Fiction – 38 stories

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

High School – 20 stories

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

Nonfiction – 28 stories

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

Fluff – 20 stories

Stories

“Safe Spot” by Mike Panasitti

Submitted to Contest #145

Foley Gaspers nearly ran out of fuel driving to Venice Beach in a 2000 Camry he had stolen from his girlfriend, Sarah. He abandoned the car on a narrow one-way street.He walked to the boardwalk, intending to make his way to the pier for a jump and a swim, but had issues. Fish to fry. He was under the impression Sarah was having an affair with a co-worker.She was tired of his unfounded accusations. Why would I want to sleep with Kingston? You’re the one with the problem, Foley. You can’t even figure out whether y...

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“A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #145

TW: Swearing, brief references to the beast with two backs. I woke up with a headache that could crack a god’s skull. It panged for the pure blackness of deep space. Dusty floorboards kissed my cheek as I grumbled to my feet. Dancing in the air, particles of dust were keeping the party going. Throbbing agony pulsed with the beat of my heart. The ache extended far beyond the confines of my head into the air beyond. Curtains that didn’t deserve the name were letting in m...

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“The Handkerchief Shirt” by Susan Sidell

Submitted to Contest #145

The Handkerchief Shirt A Short Story by Susan Sidell susan@susansidell.com May 11, 2022 The sticky humidity had burned off in the oven of the city sidewalks when Jazmyn strapped on her second-hand roller skates. The party guests were gone and Jaz breathed in the friendly loneliness. Now that she was ten years old, Jaz would no longer have the court-required babysitter. She was on her own during the long summer days until school started. She poked at the frayed spot in the lace and squinted at it. Should she knot the edges of the stri...

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“The Daughter I've Never Known I Had” by Gabriela D. Martin

Submitted to Contest #145

You wouldn’t think much of me if you met me at the local café. My insipid appearance has been an excellent façade over the years. Nothing can obscure my special powers better than loose jeans and floral T-shirts. I can’t help but giggle at the eye-rolls and gagging sounds my plastic crocs trigger when I stroll downtown.I no longer wonder why I’ve been entrusted with these powers. Just accept that it’s some type of karmic compensation for the lack of talents in other domains of my life.If looks matter nothing to me, why do I buy left-behind c...

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“I am The Crow” by Kevin Marlow

Submitted to Contest #145

{The names of the guilty have been changed to protect them from the innocent.}Brandon Lee was dead. An accident they said. Having been around guns since I was old enough to point my finger and say POW! I wasn't sure I believed it. A loaded gun is that, loaded. A live round is an ominous thing to hold. It vibrates with the confined kinetic energy it contains. The graceful flow of the trigger sear releasing the firing pin feels like poetry until the powder ignites. BANG! One has to train themselves not to flinch and pull off target. The best m...

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“Love at First Snipe” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #145

He’s a quiet, retiring illusionist on the run from the world. I’m a classically trained assassin who was sent to kill him. We were bound to fall in love. I know what you’re thinking. Rayelle, Rayelle, isn’t it a breach of contract that goes against everything you were taught at the academy? Well, yes, but shut up. You don’t choose who you fall in love with. You choose the price you negotiated to be paid to kill him. &...

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“Little Black Dress” by Rebecca Miles

Submitted to Contest #145

Glancing up from swiping bottles and boxes across the scanner, Katie hardly recognised Sean in his chic Italian jacket and chinos. She half wondered if the fatigue of the late-night cashier shift, as well as the monotony of the job, was making her mind play tricks on her. He looked flustered at first, but then grinned at her before dashing back across the store in pursuit of a little boy. She paused mid beep; it was Sean in the flesh. Watching him give chase, Katie leaned back on the swivel seat and thought back to her French evening cl...

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“Ms. World ” by Simrin Dhillon

Submitted to Contest #145

India looked around the dressing room and chuckled lightly to herself. Canada looked like she was about to excuse herself to pass out in the back room, and Japan clearly didn’t know how to breath beneath that corset. She took a moment to pat down her saree, the orange and yellow fabric smoothening out beneath her as she traced her hands against the fine silk. India knew she was a fierce contender for Ms. World, and she would have happily taken the crown (and the prize money) on the first day were it not for one thing standing in her way.&nbs...

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“Drinking With the Enemy” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #145

Having an entire city, near enough an entire nation giving him the silent treatment must have been odd for General Linus Lumin. Being from the Empire of the Holy Proclamation, he probably wasn’t surprised. His red and gold armour glittered in the bright midday sun. Danielle remembered similar armour from battles with elite soldiers of the empire called Nephilim Knights. Lumin’s armour had a symbol of the sun across the breastplate. &nb...

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“THE HOUSE WITH NO DOOR” by Kate Baker

Submitted to Contest #145

THE HOUSE WITH NO DOOR We played there as children, innocent and excited to be anywhere that wasn’t home. Somewhere a call from mother couldn’t be heard. It was ‘off the beaten track’ as I’d heard adults say about places that were hidden. Thirty years later, this house is hiding from itself. The seventies in rural Cornwall was a life in the slow lane. Too far for Londoners to make a short visit and enough sea that those from nearby France didn’t bother to enter England via our county. It was, and still is, a quiet plac...

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“Dressed to Kill” by Carter Msilisi

Submitted to Contest #145

“Wake up!” A voice in my head screamed. I felt a piercing headache drill into my brain. I grasped at my temple as I sat up on the single bed, I found myself in. I looked around the room and I could barely make out the blandest bedroom I had ever seen in my life. Whoever lived here had an obsession with dark grey. The curtains were in a smokey grey shade and were closed, keeping the room dark and soulless. The duvet and pillow under me were both also in some kind of shade of grey. There was a weird smell that lingered around the room. It was ...

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“Like Father, Like Son, Like Son, Like Son.” by Katharine Widdows

Submitted to Contest #145

T/W - death, animal hunting and implied racism._____________My father died today.But I won’t remember a faded man in a hospital bed rasping for breath. Not if it can be avoided. As my Range Rover crunches through the rain-showered gravel of his drive, my mind crunches through my favourite memories of him coming home. That sound will always mean one thing to me – that he is alive and has returned. Though it can never be true again, it can always be a comfort.I swing open the split, stable-style door. The man never rode a horse in his life, bu...

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“Masked Prison” by Jules Davis

Submitted to Contest #145

The magician led Evie to a room she had never been to before. There were a lot of rooms she had not been to within that vast house that seemed to contain entire countries behind its locked doors. Her midnight blue dress, a gift from the magician, shuffled at her feet as she attempted to keep up with his long strides. Each of her steps caused the shimmer of her dress to catch on the candlelight; sparkles danced on the walls around them as they glided down the halls. They came to a door with an ornate handle. It looked old and untouched f...

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“Slipping on Dreams” by Rebecca Miles

Submitted to Contest #145

Once upon a time, in a city where the dreams were as big and glittering as the glass towers scraping the sky, a ball was announced to which the rich and the beautiful would be invited. Cards, stamped in real gold leaf and sprayed with scent, were issued. The chosen few rang their favourite designers and instructed them to cancel all other appointments, until that memorable day in May. In a land far far away, where the dreams were just as big but the chance of achieving them somewhat smaller, Elaro slipped on her flipflops ...

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“Mirror me” by Holly Guy

Submitted to Contest #145

TW: swearing. You are me. I am you. We are one. We were one for years. Twenty-two, to be precise. And then you left me. Our bond was ineffable, perhaps the closest assimilation is that we are twins. Joint by the mind, infatuated with each other’s thoughts and dreams. Remember the long summer evenings, playing in the park, our long blonde hair whipping back and forth as we rocked higher and faster on the swing. And when we would fall off (which was more common than not), I would be there to soothe you. For twenty-two years, the smile on ...

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$250

Prize money

165

Contest entries

96

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 13, 2022 EST

Won by Avery Mossop 🏆

Title: The Overalls

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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