One of the joys of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day is admiring the scenery – the peaks of mountains rising around you, a beautifully wooded trail, the reflection of a serene lake in the early morning. You’ll also admire the fashion choices of your fellow participants; from the lunch Crew decked out in 50’s diner garb, to the walkers in front of you with blinking foam tubes on their heads. Everywhere you go on the 3-Day, there’s something to see. We caught up with a few fashionistas in Philadelphia this year and asked them to tell us about their stylish 3-Day attire. In the spirit of Halloween and dressing up, we hope their creativity and flair for costumes and fashion is as fun for you as it is for us.
Alaine, of the Philly Camp Services Crew, caught our attention with her sparkly wings, pink camo pants, star glasses, and multi layered tutu. Alaine said she found most of the pieces of her costume at Party City, and her inspiration started thanks to a Camp Services theme. “Except for the t-shirt (which I had), our theme for Camp Services was Fairy Tale Princesses, so I picked Tinkerbell. Tinkerbell wears green – so I chose to be Pinkerbell, but Pinkerbell is a tomboy, so that explains my pink cargo camo shorts.” We think Pinkerbell is a great look for you, Alaine! Alaine says she will be at the 3-Day every year until we find a cure.
Alaine, or Pinkerbell
If you’ve been at the 3-Day this year, you’ll probably recognize William from Seattle. William wears a walking kilt and long, knee high boots. William’s boots, from the Westco Shoe company, are known as a Highliner boot. “The key on wearing these for such a long walk is the socks, which make a big difference.” The kilt is Seattle–made and called a utilikilt. “On the 3-Day walk I wear three different styles of kilts, because it’s incredibly comfortable for walking in. I couldn’t see wearing sneakers with the kilt so I got the boots to go with the kilt.” While William is German, he graduated from a Scottish school. Other than looking awesome, William credits his walking style as being a great fundraising tool when he trains in his outfit. “This outfit actually raises a lot more awareness. People come up to me and start chatting with me about what I’m wearing, and I have a card that I hand out to people. On one side it has the reason why I’m walking, and the other side has links to my fundraising pages.”
William rocks the Utilikilt and Highlander Boots
Some people find inspiration for their outfits from their kids. The Washington D.C.-based Lady Jugs found their fashion inspiration through their children’s swim team, the Lady Bugs. “We had to be red and black,” they laughed. The Lady Jugs bought their tutus, made their own shirts and hats, and purchased black stickers to add spots to all of their ensembles. The stickers were originally felt dots, but were re-evaluated after “one got eaten by my dog,” notes a member of the team. The Lady Jugs wear different outfits every day, and even decorate their tents with lady bug dots. What’s one advantage of wearing red and black in a sea of pink? “We can find each other! We stand out and people remember us.”
Lookin’ great, Lady Jugs!
We have to say hats off to the team Power of Pink from Havertown, whose feathery contraptions lit up the balmy gray skies in Philly. It initially took 45 minutes to craft the first iteration, and then once they had a prototype, they said creating the feathered hats was fast. “We made a little template, glued feathers to it, and then started sticking feathers through the hats. We wanted to go big this year! This is our take on the fascinators from England. Duchess Kate was our inspiration,” a team member said. Do they have any advice for those DIYing their own fashion for the 3-Day? “Make sure it’s comfortable! You can’t have anything poking you or else it will be a long 60 miles.” Like the Lady Jugs, the Power of Pink team also loves that a unique look sets you apart from the crowd. “We had no problem finding anybody anywhere. We can see the hat, even if there are hundreds of people at the pit stop!”
The power of pink!
Another team that caught our eye were the Jersey Shoe Breast Friends. While their shell bras were purchased, they hand-crafted their tee-shirts, clipping off little sections and adding beads for a delightful fringe. They also glued starfish and shells to their pink caps, and like the Lady Jugs, they also had a different outfit for each day.
Breast Friends
No matter your fashion choice for the 3-Day, we always recommend that you spend some time training and moving in your outfit. While a frilly, feathered frock may look amazing, you’ll want to make sure you’ll feel amazing, too, as you boldly take on an incredible 60-mile journey. We love seeing the fun looks of our 3-Day family, but we know that no matter what, they’ll always look great to us; because courage, kindness, and hope are always in style.