Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog

Menu

✕
CONNECT
Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites
BLOG
Success Stories
APPS
TOOLS
Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships
ABOUT
About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

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

Posted in Nonfiction on Oct 25, 2022

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 28 stories

“Just a pair of flip flops” by Hannah Cooper

Submitted to Contest #145

I looked down at my bright pink flipflops as the water laps over my toes. In the distance I can hear my brother and dad talking about different types of fish. The sound of their fishing poles being cast out onto the lake. My younger sister playing in the water in-front of me. I couldn't have been older than ten years old.Dad always took us to the lake during the summer. Our weekends with him were free of electronics and full of bonfires. Roasting marshmallows and camping in the RV on hot summer nights. At that age you never think about the f...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Buster Browns” by ELIZABETH ESCAMILLA

Submitted to Contest #145

BUSTER BROWNS I could remember as a little girl, I was always intrigued with some of my classmate's shoes. Coming from an immigrant background, I grew up with scarcity as my everyday fashion snag. As I took my mind to Karl Clemens Elementary, the bell rang and I made my way to our assigned desks. I always lifted my desktop to make sure my pencil and eraser were still there where I left them the day before. It was part of my daily routine along with checking out Rosie's, Susan's, Ester's, and all the little girl’s shoes. The white ones w...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Lost in the Renaissance” by Alena Richards

Submitted to Contest #145

Every year, the dress would appear on her bed one afternoon. She was at the age when she measured time in seasons and school days, so she was never sure exactly when this would happen. But she knew it was always after school started and before the weather cooled and the leaves turned red and gold. She’d been waiting all summer for it. Finally, she came home from school one afternoon to find the dress laying on her bed. It was sheer and dusty pink, with frills at the bottom and long flowy sleeves. A deeper pink velvet vest went over it, ...

1 comment 1
Read story

“The Crimson Sweater ” by Rheee O.

Submitted to Contest #145

I remember the first time I’d seen the once beautiful, crimson sweater. It was when I attended my mother’s funeral, at the ripe age of 11 and a half years old possessing feelings of dejection. I didn’t completely understand the weight of the situation me and my siblings were placed in because my mother died, nor did I know what would happen to us next. However, I do remember the obituaries that were given out that gloomy day; more specifically, I perfectly remembered the cover of that small book. It was a picture of my mother, using her ...

0 comments 0
Read story

“A turtleneck and A Lifetime of Firsts” by Blaire Miracle

Submitted to Contest #145

There are so many firsts we experience throughout our lives. Straight out of the womb, I had my first first; I was my parent’s first baby, I was a first grandchild, a first cousin and I was the First born, of four girls. As the first born, my clothes became “hand me downs” for my little sisters. My clothes were mostly “hand me downs” from my older cousins. As a toddler, I had this rainbow turtleneck that I practically lived in. I refused to pass it to my sisters, and even when it became too small, I would wear it like a bikini top. My rainbo...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Old Red Rag” by Natalie Schumacher

Submitted to Contest #145

         “Lets go Nat’” Dad shouts before walking out the door. I scream, “I’m coming!” I hear the door shut behind him. Crap. I throw on his old high school swim jacket. It smells like chlorine, has three holes, is a really worn out red color, and a bunch of swim patches from all the meets he’s been too. It’s my favorite jacket. I wear it to swim practice almost everyday. I run out to the car with one flipflop on and the other in my hand. I throw open the door, jump in and exclaim, “Petal to the ...

0 comments 0
Read story

“A Good Week” by Lucas Wilhelm

Submitted to Contest #145

Jaxon was odd. He liked that. Some people even would call him crazy. He liked that too. His name was odd too, though he didn't like that. He hated his name because he thought of it as the only part of oneself that one has no control over. His mother had said that she had been drunk when she had named him. Jaxon knew that was a lie. His mother had never been drunk in her life. She had never experienced the wild, confusing, freeing feeling of drunkenness. He knew his mother had never lived. He knew she had missed out. He liked that. Jaxon was ...

0 comments 0
Read story

“That's Not My Belt” by Tom Davis

Submitted to Contest #145

“Hey Billy, wanna play kickball with us?” a boy in his class asked him at recess. “Nah that’s ok. You play without me. I’ll just sit and watch,” Billy said as he looked down toward the ground. “Come on Billy we need another player to even the teams,”  Billy agreed to not make any trouble for himself and took the field. The pitcher looked around the field to make sure his team was ready. He noticed Billy looking down at his pants. “Billy, pay attention,” he yelled   The ball is rolled toward the batter as he took two ...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Appropriately Dressed ” by Sandra Russo

Submitted to Contest #145

No one ever snapped my bra. Which came as no surprise to me or my 40 C's. I didn't date. No one paid me compliments. My mother frequently told me I was ugly. I had to hide under oversized clothes. Baggy and resembling elephant skin. Grey, taupe, beige and any other dull color was required to hide my ugliness so that I wasn't vain and distracting.  One day, I was riding in the passenger seat of the family car listening to my mother lecture me on how no one would ever love me. I jumped. I jumped from the moving car. The pain in my ch...

1 comment 1
Read story

“Butterfly Love” by Virginia Coleman

Submitted to Contest #145

Dear mom, I know it is a parent's instinct to turn all their child's flaws into loveable traits. But after washing and mending my overalls for the 5th time that week you had to finally admit, I was troublesome. The beautiful Saturday afternoon sun was filtering through the tree behind our house into my bedroom. I hated being grounded. It wasn't even my fault! Those boys had paid me five bucks to climb that tree, I didn't know there was a sparrow nest there. With an angry sparrow mama. I heard the sound of your sewing machine from your craft ...

0 comments 0
Read story

“The Last Good Day” by Alan Kerr

Submitted to Contest #145

Daylight seeped under the door and into the closet. Teddy blocked out as much as he could with loose clothing, but some light still got through. He could still see some but not enough to not need his Batman flashlight. After stuffing a couple of socks at the hinges he clicked on the flashlight which he had taken offhis Batman utility belt, the utility belt that Kim Chambers from down the street had caught him wearing at the park one day. He was embarrassed enough by her finding him in a cape and Batman utility belt that he climbed into ...

2 comments 2
Read story

“The Prescription Sunglasses with the Strap at the Back” by Evan Babbs

Submitted to Contest #145

Stephen loved the semi-colon. Stephen knew that this love was irrational yet in his heart he knew it to be true and he could not have it any other way. Stephen walked from his English class into the halls and felt cramped. He could do anything; he was big and held potential and in him ebbed and flowed the feeling that he could accomplish great things. He felt wide-shouldered and imposing, not with physical prowess, but with the knowledge that he was armed with the ability to fulfill and endless number of possibilities that awaited him. The...

0 comments 0
Read story

“The Mink Stole” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #145

Laura and Nikki bounded ahead of me, rhapsodizing about the racks of used clothes. I followed, trying to hide my irritation. Had I not worked like mad for years so that she didn’t have to shop at places like this? Buying brand new clothes had been my dream throughout a childhood of wearing hand-me-downs and thrift shop purchases. Now my would-be fashion designer daughter thinks it’s cool to shop in these places.“Mom, the planet is being overwhelmed by the cheap fashion industry. Think of all those poor women slaving in sweat shops to make th...

0 comments 0
Read story

🌟 Similar 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

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

Fluff – 20 stories

Contest #145

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: It's Called Fashion, Look it Up

$250

Prize money

165

Contest entries

96

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 13, 2022 EST

Won by Avery Mossop 🏆

Title: The Overalls

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

NEW VIDEO COURSE 🎉

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢