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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

“The Midnight Un-Masquerade” by Gem Cassia

Submitted to Contest #145

I wake up in somebody else’s shoes. The reins of sleep still encircle my wrists and throat like strands of pearls, but this single ray of knowledge slices through the veil like the glint of a sharpened jewel. I know nothing else, but on this my faith is unshakeable— these are no shoes of mine. Like sheaths of molten ruby cradling the arch of my foot, grasping my ankles with clinging, bloodied fingers, they feel like an ossified skin encasing my tender flesh. I peer at them through the single standing mirror leaning agai...

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“Free at Last” by Rochelle Miller

Submitted to Contest #145

"Let's go to the dining room. I think dinner is about to be served." We walked together to another building, just across the lawn. "I'm sorry there are only little kids here this evening. The older kids will be back later; they're at the Oakland A's game right now. You'll meet them all when they return." The lady welcoming me to the shelter was nice. The officer who took me away from my mom made me ride in the back seat of the police car, just adding insult to injury. The last thing I needed was to feel like a crimina...

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“When she...” by Kimberly Karcz

Submitted to Contest #145

When she was five, she peeled away the tissue paper, and could feel the power of the package. The dress was a sleeveless powder blue with wisps of white in the fabric and the most intricate butterfly buttons. “If you are ever frightened, you can close your eyes and the butterflies will fly you away. When you feel safe again, they will bring you home” grandma whispered in her ear. “I think you should wear it to your first day of kindergarten.” The girl smiled and nodded her agreement. The dread of the app...

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“Dreams on meadows” by Marina Č.

Submitted to Contest #145

It was sunny, the light wind was twisting the grasses on the meadows. Skinny little girl with ginger hair and the pale face covered by the spots was running through grass. Her skinny long fingers crossed the tops of the grass. She wore blue shorts, a washed white T-shirt with straps and she was completely barefoot. She did not smile, the expression of her face looked dull, without any feelings. Her blue eyes looked thoughtful and tired, she is only about eight years old, but the body seemed older in terms of the body’s structure and attitude...

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“The Haunted Hat of 205” by Thomas Auen

Submitted to Contest #145

(CW/TW: content of sensitive nature including HIV, the supernatural, and death mentioned)October 4, 2017It’s been nearly a year since I moved in. The hat’s gone. He hasn’t visited either. Three times the hat and he appeared, sometimes arriving separately and sometimes together. I feel as if I’ve lost something. Is it odd to consider losing that which may never have been here? I’ve been thinking of this more and more since their presumed departure.“They leave us,” he had told me, specifically referencing his hat. He felt the hat had left him,...

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“The dress” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #145

_"What is this mother? Whoever wore something like that? I don't think I've seen anything uglier in my life." -"What kind of a question is that?" Amalia answered her daughter indignantly. "I myself once wore this beautiful piece." Elisabeth looked at her mother in surprise and rolled her eyes. -"Let's keep it civil, shall we?" Amalia tried her best to sound as stern as possible. "You mend that tear in the muslin, and I'll tell you the wonderful story behind that dress." -"What?" Elisabeth gasped, "Why? Mother please, this will give me a migr...

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“The Little Dress with the Long Ruffled Sleeves” by Abbey Ryan

Submitted to Contest #145

Note: This story contains sensitive content relating to mental health and pregnancy loss. She sets a black box with a big ribbon on the dinner table. It’s the kind of box that fancy stores put expensive clothes in, but I’m engrossed enough in my phone that I don’t really look up. She wants me to look up. Probably wants me to guess how much she spent on the box’s contents, but I don't do it. She clears her throat and I keep chewing my dinner, concentrating on what’s happening on my phone screen. I place my final fork-full of food into m...

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“Hand Shoe Elegy ” by VJ Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #145

Year 0 He dies during lockdown, on his way over to feed the cattle of a sick neighbor. The funeral was rushed and ill-considered, like a battlefield amputation. Two months later, when gatherings are greenlighted again, we decide to hold a memorial service. When we can’t find a decent photo of my notoriously camera-shy father, the event co-ordinator suggests we “highlight a personal item, something to focus on, maybe a favorite mug? His pipe?” Her hair is perfectly coiffed; her suit is immaculate. I become aware that I haven’t slept in two da...

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“That Old Thing” by Etya Krichmar

Submitted to Contest #145

That Old Thing I neatly folded and put away that old thing into a drawer in my closet a long time ago. The old thing I refer to is my favorite red with the white polka dots dress. The white dots give it a character and make it look cheerful. I smile each time I look at them. My dress is still trendy today because of its ageless, classical style despite its vintage. Ever since I was a child, fashion has consumed me. I stayed on top of the latest trends throughout my life and still follow them today. I used to obsess over the Fashion Police s...

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“Gemini ” by Wednesdai Karl

Submitted to Contest #145

She woke up face down in a sofa chair .Head pounding and becoming more excruciating at the site of the sun rays beaming in through the hotel’s curtains. It was one of her wilder nights because where is she? …. Ziwe eventually got up off the couch and looked around the unexplainably clean hotel room for a light switch. She eventually found one and slap the lights on to reveal, absolutely nothing. She walked over to a little fridge in the corner of the room, these little fridges are infamous on Tv ...

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“An Ode to Dad Clothes” by Carly Jane Eddy

Submitted to Contest #145

My eyelids begin to open and the first whispers of morning creep into my mind. The popcorn ceiling slowly comes into focus as the night’s dreams fade back into memory and imagination from whence they came, like a creature receding into the shadows. I reach for my phone to check the time and my email. After a few minutes of reading a couple work messages that I know I shouldn’t be checking according to my Wife, and sifting through the morning’s latest on Google News, I decide I should start my day. The dog greets me with a warm approach in an...

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“About Last Night, and the Night Before That, and Probably The Night Before That Too.” by Laura Eliz

Submitted to Contest #145

TW: sexual situations of a queer nature.Whose the evil genius who made morning so bright? I thought to myself as I slowly opened my eyes and why am I up so early on a Saturday? And why am I wearing a black button up shirt with pink flowers that is too big for me and the boxers that I have on are not mine, they too are too big and plaid. I don’t own plaid boxers, and ew I am wearing someone else’s underwear. I slid out from over an arm draped over me and sat up and looked to the right next to me. It ...

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“"'Every day' is Two Words"” by Benjamin Boxer

Submitted to Contest #145

A thick layer of pitch-black oil shot out from the top of Nat Taylor's world and engulfed everything in sight and in mind. It oozed quickly down his peripheral and then hid everything before draining down the bottom. His world, that once held a vast array of colors from a high-speed car wreck, now contained only egregiously bright lights that blinded more efficiently than the oil itself.As the light washed away the oily remnants, Nat's ass poked out of a hospital gown, and he could tell that decisions about him were being made around him. He...

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“Talking Heads” by Jared Wing

Submitted to Contest #145

“Send this back. The code is all wrong.” Mario said to his virtual assistant. “Send it back to VIP Virch and tell Amber to redo this. I can’t look like this at the Milky Way Gala.” Mario was used to being disappointed. Despite being one of the richest men in the Metaverse, he still couldn’t get his reality to match the one in his mind. They called him eccentric but he preferred specific. He didn’t want anything wild or out of the ordinary, he just wanted him, Mario Bindini. The Metaverse had been created to make everyone's ideal life ...

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“My Jama Dress” by Laura Stephens

Submitted to Contest #145

"Mom! Did you know I'm a princess?" I'm so excited to tell her!"Of course, Melody, you're my princess."Gasp, she knows! This means, does this mean... "You're a Queen!" Oh, I'm so excited, both of us in one day! "Princess and Queen! Princess and Queen!""Alright, Princess, let's put on pajamas and go to bed.""Mom, what jamas are you wearing tonight?""Come. I'll show you." I love when she smiles like that. It makes my insides feel warm. Warm and snugly right before bed! "I'm thinking this one."S...

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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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