Wear Something Gaudy Day ✨

Overview

Wear Something Gaudy Day, observed annually on October 17th, is an unofficial holiday encouraging individuals to deliberately dress in a manner that is excessively showy, brightly colored, or considered to be in poor taste by conventional standards. It's a lighthearted celebration of self-expression, humor, and embracing the wonderfully outlandish, offering a playful break from everyday fashion seriousness and an opportunity to stand out flamboyantly.

Origin and story

The term "gaudy" originated from the Old French word "gaudir," meaning "to rejoice" or "to make merry."

The holiday encourages participants to creatively combine clashing colors, patterns, and oversized accessories.

Quick facts

• DateOctober 17
• TypeCultural / community observance
• Great forFriends, Families, Classrooms, Teams

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Ways to celebrate

"Gaudy" didn't start out as an insult. Its root is the Latin "gaudere," meaning "to rejoice" — the same root behind "joy" and "enjoy." A gaudy was even originally a large ornamental bead on a rosary, prized for its showiness, not mocked for it.

Trace the word back to "joy"

By the 1580s "gaudy" meant "joyfully festive," and only shifted toward its modern sense of "showy, tastelessly rich" around 1600. Read up on how a word for celebration slowly turned into a word for excess.

Debunk the Gaudí myth

It's a popular assumption that "gaudy" comes from Antoni Gaudí, the Spanish architect behind Barcelona's famously ornate Sagrada Família. It doesn't — the word was already in common English use centuries before Gaudí was born.

Dress the part

Reclaim the word's original spirit: pile on the loudest colors, patterns, and accessories you own and treat it as a small act of rejoicing rather than an embarrassment.

Helpful resources: Gaudy — Etymology, Origin & Meaning (Online Etymology Dictionary)

Fun facts

• The term "gaudy" originated from the Old French word "gaudir," meaning "to rejoice" or "to make merry."
• The holiday encourages participants to creatively combine clashing colors, patterns, and oversized accessories.
• It's an unofficial observance, celebrated purely for fun and to challenge fashion conventions.

Sources and attribution

• Gaudy — Etymology, Origin & Meaning (Online Etymology Dictionary)

External links may lead to third-party websites.

Continue your streak

Open one more holiday before you go to build daily momentum.

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FAQ

When is Wear Something Gaudy Day?

It is observed on October 17 each year.

What is Wear Something Gaudy Day?

Wear Something Gaudy Day, observed annually on October 17th, is an unofficial holiday encouraging individuals to deliberately dress in a manner that is excessively showy, brightly colored, or considered to be in poor taste by conventional standards. It's a lighthearted celebration of self-expression, humor, and embracing the wonderfully outlandish, offering a playful break from everyday fashion seriousness and an opportunity to stand out flamboyantly.

How do people celebrate Wear Something Gaudy Day?

Dress as loudly as possible and read up on how 'gaudy' comes from the Latin 'gaudere,' meaning to rejoice — the same root behind the word 'joy.'

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