A woman who owns a construction recruitment company made an unorthodox — but on-theme — fashion choice when she wore an evening gown made from high-visibility vests to an industry awards ceremony on October 4.
Kelly Cartwright, 31, owner of Core Recruiter in Norwich, England, came up with the idea to honor her industry after she was invited to a “swanky ceremony,” according to SWNS, the British news service.
Cartwright said she felt more comfortable in the neon-orange high-vis vests and work boots than evening wear — and hired a seamstress to make an outfit for the National Federation of Builders’ Top 100 Influential Women in Construction Awards.
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“I always struggle with anxiety and imposter syndrome, but I think wearing something you’re comfortable in settles your nerves a little bit more,” Cartwright said, SWNS also reported.
She said she’s “comfortable at a building site in [personal protective equipment]” — but less so at an event like an awards ceremony.
“I joked and thought I should just wear my PPE, but I thought, ‘I can’t rock up in muddy jeans and a high-vis jumper,’ so I thought I would take it to the next level,” she said.
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And indeed she did: She said that everyone was “astounded” by her outfit, and appreciated the message it was conveying.
“I loved the dress,” she said, as SWNS noted.
Seamstress Hannah Wilde, 48, was happy to oblige Cartwright’s unusual request for an evening gown.
“Hannah smashed the brief completely,” said Cartwright.
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To construct the dress, Wilde used six extra-large high-vis vests.
She deconstructed the vests, then used the material to cut out the pattern pieces for the dress.
The construction of the dress took “just under a week,” Wilde said.
“The response has been amazing and so positive toward not just the dress and its design, but the meaning behind it,” Wilde told SWNS.
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Cartwright’s bold fashion choice also may have started a trend, said Wilde.
“I have had inquiries from across the country about making similar [clothing] for other people,” she said.
“And have had a lot of bookings coming in for next year’s wedding season following the dress being seen online.”
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