From baked beans to Pot Noodle: Colourful Taryn’s household object dress challenge captures world’s attention

Taryn De Vere is well-known across the North West and is now going ‘viral’ across the world due to her colourful and original creations.

For the month of January, the accessories designer decided to brighten her days and find her dressing inspiration from things in her house.

So far, she has created outfits from the colour palettes and designs of items such as a tin pf baked beans, a Pot Noodle, a tin of Quality Street, a packet of panty liners, a tube of Euthymol toothpaste, bottles of stain remover and toilet cleaner, a carton of Donegal Creameries milk, a box of Colour Catcher, a bag of Smarties and a can of hairspray.

Each day, Taryn posts her outfits on her Twitter and Instagram pages and they have received a mammoth response. They have also captured the attention of people across the world and in the last few days, Taryn has featured on media in Australia, the UK, Germany and has been on Sky News and the Jeremy Vine Show, to name just a few.

Speaking to the Journal, Taryn laughed as she revealed that January was supposed to be her month off, but told how she is delighted her personal challenge is bringing joy to people in a bleak time.

“I’ve been working for the last two years straight without a holiday and thought I’d take this month off to just enjoy creative things. It’s my birthday month and we’d normally do something nice, but I soon realised that, with Omicron tearing through the country I would have to avoid all unneccessary trips. So I thought:’ ‘If I’m stuck in the house, why not be inspired by the house and create a different outfit every day, inspired by an object in it? I put the pictures online and it went crazy.

Taryn told how she also loves the ‘sustainability’ of the challenge.

“It’s about shopping your wardrobe and learning to wear the clothes you have in ways you might not have thought. Inspiration is all around us in how we wear our clothes.”

Taryn has been collecting vintage clothes since she was a teenager and as an accessories designer, she has amassed a huge collection, so there is no fear she’ll run out of inspiration. She wears each outfit that she put together for the entire day and works out what she will wear a day in advance. She said she thinks people are loving the challenge so much, not only due to the fact it is bringing colour and fun to what is traditionally a dark month, but also because there is a ‘universality’ to the household items and objects,

“Everyone is familiar with these products and it’s a bit of light-hearted joy. Based on the messages I’m getting it has become a meaninginful part of people’s day. It feels wonderful to be able to bring a smile to people’s faces.”

Many of Taryn’s online followes across the world are planning to join her by dressing up inspired by an object in their own house on January 31 and everyone is encouraged to join in. Taryn is also extending the challenge to February, when she will dress up inspired by items in other people’s houses. You can follow Taryn on Twitter at @TarynDeVere and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/taryndevere