Woman wears same dress for 100 days

A woman in the US has worn the same dress for the past 100 days as part of a challenge by clothing retailer Wool&.

Sarah Robbins-Cole, 52, who works as a college chaplain and Episcopal parish priest, noticed she'd accumulated more clothes than she needed.

She joined the '100 Day Dress Challenge' along with 250 others, sharing her efforts on Instagram @thisdressagain.

The dress Robbins-Cole chose for the challenge is a long-sleeved black knee-length Rowena design made from sustainable merino wool.

The versatile ways she wore it seemed endless, including layering it with jumpers, cardigans, accessories and even pants. She wore it to work, to relax and to family functions, even hiking.

The challenge began on September 16, 2020 with the chaplain sharing her experience with her congregation.

"To my surprise, wearing the same dress for 100 days in a row didn't take anything away from my life," she said on Instagram.

"Instead, it's inspired me to go one step further and not to buy any new clothes or accessories between January 1, 2021 and January 1, 2022.

"I realised that, at my age, I have clothes for every occasion and if I need a ballgown, I'll dust one off that's been in my wardrobe since 1992!

RELATED: 'How I bought no new clothes for a year'

"I am thinking of clearing my wardrobe and having a big declutter, but I'll wait and see what I do wear over this coming year first."

Participants in the challenge were allowed to wash and dry the dress overnight, but if they were awake, they were expected to wear it.

The prize for having completed the challenge was $100, or a voucher to purchase a new Wool& dress.

It didn't hurt that Robbins-Cole was in lockdown during the challenge, although she was expected to share a photo each day.

On Day 1 she shared that she was in her "fourth zoom meeting of the day".

On Day 9 she pulled on some shorts underneath her dress for a quick run.

"Flattering cut and yet can disguise your running clothes if you are trying to get in a quick run in between zoom meetings," she said on Instagram.

On Day 16 she teamed the dress with a light denim jacket, while Day 23 saw her knotting the dress at the waist so it would go along with a pair of jeans.

Robbins-Cole made good use of all her scarves during the challenge, and by Day 43 she was working her way through several cardigans she owns.

The dress also turned out to be the perfect choice for Halloween.

"Happy Halloween!," she wrote next to a photo showing her pairing the dress with a witches hat. "My daughter told me to look scary. So much snow and leaves."

By Day 55, Robbins-Cole was layering up the dress for the North American winter with leggings and shirts.

"Today I wore a skirt over my Rowena Swing Dress and wore boots," she said on Day 61.

The dress was also a perfect choice for Christmas, easily dressed up to reflect the festive season. Her clergy collar even makes an appearance in several of her ensembles.

At the end of the challenge, Robbins-Cole shared her thoughts on Instagram, saying she felt inspired to live with less going forward.

Having worn the same dress for 100 days, Robbins-Cole has vowed not to buy any new clothes or accessories in 2021.

"The exceptions are if I blow out a running shoe or something like that, hand me downs, or a gift or gift certificate," she says.

"Oh, and a Sierra Tank Dress in the spring will be purchased."

But she says she will stick to op shops in future, and has also targeted other areas of her life in which she can create less waste.

"My other challenge is going to be more dedicated to library searches and eBooks for my doctorate," she says.

"Many of the books I have to read, I read in such a short time and they start to pile up quickly - even with three office spaces (home and at both places of work).

"I am excited to see the rest of the 100daydresschallenge participants complete this journey. This is a really wonderful community of women."