One Dress, Five Ways – How to #WearTheChange by Making Your Wardrobe Go the Distance
- Words by Peppermint
How many times have you stood staring at an overflowing closet, lamenting the fact you had absolutely nothing to wear?! It’s a sad reality that the average woman only wears 20% of her wardrobe – the horror of being labelled an “outfit repeater” often leading to wear-it-once purchases that then stay hidden, collecting dust till the end of time. So, while we wait patiently for the Clueless technology of our dreams to become a reality, inspired by The Social Outfit‘s Wear The Change challenge, we tasked our digital editor, Lauren Baxter, with styling one of our free sewing patterns – the Peppermint Bardon Dress – five ways over five days. Because just like the loveable Lizzie McGuire, we’re all outfit repeaters ‘round here.
An ethical fashion challenge set during Refugee Week (20-26 June), Wear The Change aims to raise funds for The Social Outfit’s non-profit community programs. Participants style one garment five ways over five days to shine a light on the problems of fast fashion all while supporting women from refugee and new migrant backgrounds with training and employment pathways in the fashion industry.
“Wear The Change means having the opportunity to support women from refugee and new migrant backgrounds with crucial training that can ignite fulfilling careers and lives,” 2021 ambassador Nina Gbor shares. “In addition to raising funds for The Social Outfit’s community programs for these women, it’s a chance to invite society to learn and engage in the lived experiences and realities of migrants and refugees. Ideally, it might foster more communication, empathy and more harmonious connections between various communities.”
If you want to get involved alongside changemakers like Nina, Jan Fran, Montaigne, Clare Press and more, head to the link here to register your interest and then get creative! There’s a tonne of prizes to be won by fundraising or just playing along on Instagram. Bonus points from us if you choose a Peppermint pattern to style!
LOOK ONE – LAYERS ON LAYERS
When layered over a simple black turtleneck and paired with boots, a bright print can go from summer to winter in a flash. Add a jaunty baker boy hat for bulk hipster points.
LOOK TWO – SUMMER LOVING
A gorgeous design on its own thanks to the lovely patternmaker Elbe Textiles, with a sun hat and strappy heels and you’ll be ready for fun in the sun.
LOOK THREE – KNIT PICKING
We’re all for a cozy knit here – the bigger and chunkier the better in our opinion. Add a belt and hey presto your dress is a fun, new skirt.
LOOK FOUR – FRINGE BENEFITS
Putting on a jacket, particularly one as extra as this vintage number, can easily change up your look. Talk about fringe benefits.
LOOK FIVE – BUTTONED UP
Don’t be afraid to wear your loud and proud pieces to the office. Whack on a collared shirt underneath and hello business-casual.
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“My piece of advice for makers and designers? Run your own race… make sure your key decisions stay anchored in your brand’s core beliefs.”
- Bec Bligh
Quick show of hands: who’s opened a water bottle expecting a refreshing sip… and instead been greeted by the unmistakable whiff of uh-oh?
Because for something that follows us everywhere (desk, car, hikes, yoga…), the humble drink bottle is strangely prone to becoming a science experiment. Hard-to-clean corners and gaskets. Mystery smells. Bec Bligh and her husband Tim know it well. A six-month sailing trip along the Queensland coast left them with a lifetime of memories and one stubborn annoyance: mouldy water bottles they couldn’t properly clean.
So they did something about it.
Enter @EverVessel. Thoughtfully designed borosilicate glass and stainless steel bottles that keep things beautifully simple: durable materials, wide openings, easy-to-clean parts and none of the techy gimmicks that tend to age badly. Turns out simplicity, done well, is pretty powerful stuff. (Their many design awards agree!)
And lately they’ve added a little extra delight: the Artist Series, where creatives like Paola Castro, Ben Miners and Martin Thompson transform these everyday companions into tiny travelling artworks. There are more colabs in the works, too: hydration, but make it joyful! 🎨💧
We chatted with Bec about the sailing trip that started it all, the philosophy behind Ever Vessel, and why the most sustainable product is often just the one you keep using.
Tap the link in our bio to read the full conversation. 🚰
#EverVessel #ReusableWaterBottle
Pull up a chair… there’s room at this table!
For the first time, Feast for Freedom is bringing people together for a spectacular long-table dinner as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
A Longer Table is exactly what it sounds like: one beautiful shared table inside the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1), piled with generous dishes inspired by this year’s hero cooks, Noha and Nige.
From 6 to 9pm on Wednesday, 25 March, this is what you can expect:
🍽 A three-course shared feast
🍷 Matched drinks
🎶 Live entertainment
✨ A room full of good humans
Your ticket doesn’t just buy you a delicious dinner. It supports the ASRC’s vital work and helps create a fairer future for people seeking asylum.
Seats are limited, and long tables have a way of filling up quickly – head to @MelbFoodAndWine’s website to book now: feastforfreedom.org.au/mfwf
#FeastForFreedom #MelbourneFoodAndWineFestival #LongTableDinner #FoodForChange
Sew versatile! 🪡
Another great make from Lisa from @SunnySewsEveryday:
My #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress is finished and I’m so proud of it. It has been designed not to flap open and flash your pants in the wind, so I feel confident it will be a great wheelchair or standing dress in English weather.
#PeppermintPatterns #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Frame your face with the Peppermint Bucket Hat!
Stay safe and stylish in the sun with your very own self-sewn and self-drafted wide-brimmed bucket hat. This beginner-friendly sew is perfect for a sunny day. Get out your pencils – this pattern is created using equations and maths!
This DIY project was featured in Issue 53 and now you can access it for the lovely low price of only $5.
Sun-safe chic is always in style. ☀️
Find it via the link in our bio!
Photos: @KelleySheenan
#PeppermintPatterns #PeppermintBucketHat #BucketHat #BucketHatPattern #DIY
✨ INSTANT CLASSIC ✨
The Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with a few special details based on the ever-stylish shift shape – the perfect dress you need in your wardrobe right now!
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from our lovely sewing partner @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Location: @ShareTheDignityAustralia
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
It’s time to Feast!
Some recipes travel a long way before they land on your table to delight your taste buds. This year’s Feast for Freedom invites us to gather our friends, cook something delectable and raise funds for the incredible work of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1) while we’re at it.
The 2026 Feast features recipes shared by two remarkable cooks: Noha, who brought the flavours of Palestine with her when she arrived in Australia, and Nige, a Sri-Lankan Tamil cook whose journey with food began in the most unexpected of places.
You can host your own Feast up until 30 April – simply register online and get planning! Host a dinner, organise a workplace lunch, or gather your community… However you do it, the idea is simple: cook, connect and celebrate the cultures and stories that shape Australia.
Want to find out more? Head to the link in bio to meet Noha and Nige, learn more about their stories, and discover a delicious recipe to try.
#FeastForFreedom #PeppermintMagazine #FoodForGood #ASRC
