About the Recipe
Have you ever thought about where you wear your clothes?
Every clothing item, such as a dress, jacket, top, skirt or trousers, is designed for a different section of the body.
But what if we could wear our clothing differently from how it was designed? What would happen if we turned our clothing literally upside down, inside out, and on its head?
Participatory Learning
Critical and Creative Thinking
Learning Through Doing
Learning Goals
Nurturing a sense of playfulness and experimentation when dressing and engaging with our wardrobes, developing an idiosyncratic fashion sense.
Fostering anti-trend, anti-consumption-based behaviours,
challenging our clothing consumption habits.
Understanding the value and usefulness of our clothing, both its tangible and intangible qualities.
Further Explanation
Through experimenting with where we wear our clothing, this activity challenges our preconceived assumptions about the role and function specific clothing items play in our lives.
It aims to encourage a more experimental approach to fashion and dressing, de-gendering our clothing.
Ingredients
A variety of clothing - this can be the players’ own clothing or sourced and provided (such as from other people’s wardrobes or thrifted)
Drawing materials of your choice – paper & pens, pencils, crayons etc.
Optional: A Mirror, Music
Designed Resources
You can use these resources digitally or printed:
Wear Where? Task Cards
Wear Where? Draw and Reflect Activity Sheet
Optional: Presentation Slides
Recipe Prep & Play-Space Set Up
RECIPE PREP
You will need the ‘Wear Where?’ Task Cards and ‘Draw and Reflect’ Activity Sheet.
The ‘Wear Where?’ Task Cards can be printed and cut out or viewed and used online/digitally.
The ‘Draw and Reflect’ Activity Sheet can be printed, instructions copied on players' own paper or notebook or used digitally.
PLAY-SPACE SET UP
You can arrange the Play-Space so you are all seated or standing in a circle with clothing in front of you. Ensure there is enough room for everyone to move around and experiment with the clothing.
Remember, you’re playing too!
Method
INTRODUCTION & DISCUSSION
1. Introduce the recipe - see the ‘About’ section for what to say.
2. Facilitate a discussion around the players' interactions with
their clothing. You can discuss this for as long as you like, but at least
5-10 mins is recommended.
Ask the players if they are excited to experiment with their clothing.
Ask the players if anyone has experimented with dressing-up or playing with clothing before.
Dressing-up can be defined as experimental play with clothing.
Ask the players how they define different clothing items. For example, what is the definition of a skirt, a top, a dress, pants, a jacket?
Ask what the difference is between how you define different clothing. For example, how can you differentiate a top from a jacket (both are garments with armholes).
Keep challenging players' answers, asking them to critique the function of their clothing items.
PLAYING WEAR WHERE?
3. Follow the instructions on the different ‘Wear Where?’ Task Cards.
Experiment for as long as you like but a recommended minimum is 15 minutes.
The tasks can be followed in any order. You can choose to play all the cards or only a few of them.
Players can use different clothing items for each task card or use the same clothing items in each task.
You can choose to all play the same task cards at the same time or you can each complete different task cards.
Encourage the players to be creative and experimental. These cards are designed to be interpreted – there is no wrong way of interpreting them!
If players have access to a mirror, encourage participants to look at their experiments in the mirror – this can help them physically see the different ways of wearing and interacting with clothing.
Optional: Play music while dressing up!
Optional: Players can create their own instructions! How creative can they be? Encourage the players to come up with their own ideas.
4. After you have finished playing the ‘Wear Where?’ task cards, each player should complete the ‘Draw and Reflect’ activity sheet.
If you are not using the activity sheet, ensure everyone has a piece of paper or notebook to use and read out the instructions for them to follow.
5. Facilitate a group discussion regarding the players’ answers. Players can showcase their drawings to the group and discuss what they drew.
Encourage the players to think about how they can incorporate new ways of wearing their clothes into their everyday.