I got all dressed up and put on makeup despite having nowhere to go, and it's the best I've felt in months

• A fashion challenge starting to go viral on Instagram asks participants to get all dressed up to stay at home.
• The #AllDressedUpWithNowhereToGo challenge was started in late March by Sophie Williams, a fashion stylist in Dubai.
• I decided to give the challenge a try and realized how much I missed getting dressed to go out with friends or on a date with my partner.

In April, I tried the quarantine pillow challenge, which had people all over social media posing in pillows they had transformed into dresses.

Participating in that challenge was a lot of fun and forced me to step out of my comfort zone, as I showed off a lot more skin than usual. While there are a lot of fashion challenges going around social media right now, the latest one that caught my eye can be found under the hashtag #AllDressedUpWithNowhereToGo.

Sophie Williams, a Dubai-based HR professional turned stylist, started the fashion challenge in March

Williams shared a photo of herself wearing her wedding dress around her home.

"I had been wearing sweatpants and lycra for weeks on end, so I just decided I was going to wear my wedding dress and go about my day," she told Insider. "I thought it might be funny to take some photos and challenge my friends to wear something outrageous, bizarre, or just something you wouldn't usually wear to do dishes in."

Let’s play a game! Two of my favorite things to do are Socialising and Playing dress up. Although I can still do one of those things, the other one is a little tougher due to Social Distancing. So, being the social interaction craving extrovert, that I am, I decided to invent a little game to get my fix. I call it: #alldressedupwithnowheretogo . The game is simple: 1. Get dressed up in your favorite outfit and go about your stay-at-home-day 2. Document your highlights 3. Share your highlights on the gram, mention who you have been Nominated by and challenge new friends to do the #alldressedupwithnowheretogo challenge . My highlights were: 1. Eating my lunch in the formal dining room with the fancy cutlery... alone 2. Doing an online course I have been wanting to take for ages on @udemy 3. Couch snuggles with Elton 4. Attended an awesome @officiallyquigley webinar 5. More couch snuggles with Elton plus trash TV This game actually made me feel blooming fabulous and it also gave me some comic relief, so I hope it will for you too . Do you accept the #AllDressedUpWithNowhereToGo challenge? @natasha__bird @ashleyvgorrie @sophiekai @kelly_power @hala_obeid @kell_young @cassandramaymoore #stayhome #stayhomechallenge #stayathome #stayathomechallenge

A post shared by STYLED.bysophie (@styled.bysophie) on Mar 22, 2020 at 7:12am PDTMar 22, 2020 at 7:12am PDT

Williams admitted she was actually feeling down about having just left her corporate job to fully launch her styling business before the coronavirus pandemic started, so putting on her wedding dress was a way to cheer herself up.

"I was really sad and I just wanted to wear something that was going to make me feel really happy," she said. "The most amazing and beautiful thing I own that has the most incredible memories I've ever had in my entire life is my wedding dress. I just thought, 'I want to wear the most special thing I have,' and it made me feel really nice."

And so, the #AllDressedUpWithNowhereToGo challenge was born.

Since sharing her first take on the challenge in March, Williams has continued to post fun photos of herself all dressed up at home on a weekly basis.

"It's something I look forward to! I use it as an opportunity to get spruced up a little bit and just have a little bit of fun," she said. "I just want to bring light and laughter to a tough situation and make people feel better."

I’ve got love for you, if you were born in the 80s, the 80’s . . Today’s #alldressedupwithnowheretogo look is inspired by the 80’s, my favorite era, when it was all about getting as high as possible... by that I of course mean; High pony’s, high shoulder pads and high sheen colorful metallics‍. Decided to switch my high heels for a pair of classily borrowed hotel slippers though to ensure least chance of hospitalization due to ‘spaghetti arms’ dance practice in the living room ... and yes the soundtrack has been on repeat all day #hungryeyes . . . . . #dressedfromthewaistup #80scocktaildress #wfhstyle #rotatebirgerchristensen #metallicpink #workfromhomestyle #pinkmetallicdress #fashionstylist #Fashionstylistdubai #dubaifashionstylist #stylistdubai #sustainablefashiondubai #workfromhomestyle #wfhstylechallange #workfromhomestyleinspo #zoomstyle #wfhhits #wfhootd #stayathomestyle #makeitrotate #iwasborninthe80s #hotelslippers #dirtydancing

A post shared by STYLED.bysophie (@styled.bysophie) on May 12, 2020 at 10:13am PDTMay 12, 2020 at 10:13am PDT

Hearing Williams talk about why she decided to dress up inspired me to do the same, and I haven't felt this sexy in months

Don't get me wrong, I know I'm a sexy human whether I'm dressed in leggings and a T-shirt or a ball gown, but putting on the outfit for this challenge was the first time I had worn clothes as if I were going out in about four months.

I chose to wear an old Forever 21 dress and Nine West heels I bought at TJ Maxx last summer. This is an outfit I would normally wear to go on a date with my partner or out to dinner and the club with my friends during a hot summer night in New York City. It was also the first time I put on makeup since the last time I was in the office, which was at the beginning of March.

I'll admit that I went into this challenge thinking it was just going to be for the picture, and I didn't think at all about how I would feel after seeing my final look. I was so happy to be dressed up that even my partner commented on how giggly I was during our mini photo shoot.

I ended up wearing the dress for the rest of the day just because I felt so good in it, and I also didn't want to wash off my full face of makeup right away. I did take off the heels, but having the dress on around the house made me feel like a queen because I knew I looked good and I was having fun doing something unexpected.

I'm not the only one who felt fabulous after getting dressed up at home

Jennifer Black, the founder of Wear the House, saw the challenge and decided it would be the perfect opportunity to show off a piece from her collection of silk pajamas.

"Pajamas can be dressy because they don't always have to be casual," she said. "I think it's important we still embrace that excitement of dressing up even though we don't have anywhere to go."

Early night, let’s do this!! #newweek #newgoals . . . . . . . #letsstayhome #thesetimes #quarantine #stayhome #staysafe #love #postivevibes #girlboss #staypositive #girlonamission #dowhatyoulove #interior #mood #bedroom #bedroomdecor #homequarantine #howihome #myhomebeautiful #inmydomaine #makehomehappy #selfisolation #wecandothis #home #pjs #pajamas #wearthehouse

A post shared by J E N N I F E R B L A C K (@sojendecor) on Apr 4, 2020 at 10:11am PDTApr 4, 2020 at 10:11am PDT

Just like me, Black was impressed with the final result and revealed she plans on continuing the challenge just like Williams.

"Dressing up has always been like an art to me," Black said. "It doesn't have to have any rules, as long as you are happy and you love what you are doing.

"I'm not really worried about how many likes I get," she added. "It's all just about me expressing myself."

• Read more:
• 10 fashion challenges on social media that will serve as a fun distraction
• 'Summer House' star Paige DeSorbo has mastered the stylish loungewear trend. Here's what she wore every day for a week.
• 13 inspiring influencers over 60 you should be following
• People are sharing their stylish work-from-home outfits on social media, and they might inspire you to actually get dressed

Read the original article on Insider