DisneyBound all year ‘round ~ By Erika
If you follow what’s trending on social media, especially in the Disneysphere you might have come across the word ‘DisneyBound’ or ‘DisneyBounding’ this week. Some of you may be scratching your head wondering what in the heck I’m talking about. Those of you who follow my posts on The Main Street Mouse may have seen me use that word in some of the blogs about adding extra magic to your trip. Although not a new concept related to Disney, you can thank ABC’s show ‘The View’ and a Mr. John Stamos, who are at Walt Disney World filming the show this week, for bringing this fun and fashionable way to represent your favorite Disney characters into the spotlight.
To clarify, a DisneyBound is taking regular street clothes and putting together an outfit that represents a Disney character in one way or another. For example, a Disney couple may want to represent Ariel and Prince Eric, so the person representing Ariel would find green pants, jeans or shorts (depending on the unpredictable Florida weather) and a purple top, or white top with purple clam shell graphic, and they would represent Ariel. They might accessorize with a hair bow that has similar colors or that has a little Flounder on it, maybe a bracelet made from a fork or a ‘dinglehopper’ as Scuttle calls it. Prince Eric would have blue pants, a red belt and a white shirt. A simple and easy nod to the movie’s depiction of his outfit. That Disney couple is now officially DisneyBounding. It’s really that simple.
Although John Stamos and his girlfriend Caitlin McHugh decided to DisneyBound at Walt Disney World, some people have made DisneyBounding a part of their everyday life, whether they go to a Disney park or not. To support this fashionable trend there are plenty of social media groups dedicated to bringing people with a love of DisneyBounding together. To participate you don’t necessarily need to make a habit of DisneyBounding you can join the groups to share your occasional bounds or find inspiration. Many times these groups are all accepting and inclusive of fun fashion choices. It really is something special to be a part of.
Because you can DisneyBound whenever you want, this my cue to introduce to the TMSM family a wonderful Disney inspired woman who spent an entire year (yes, 365 days) DisneyBounding. Her name is Brittani Enos Blake and I got the opportunity to ask her a few questions about what it was like to DisneyBound for a whole year. Check out my Q & A session with her on this trend:
E: How did you first become aware of DisneyBounding?
B: It had to have been 4, maybe 5 years ago. I was on Tumblr one night, and happened to see a post of a Cinderella inspired outfit that was beautiful- light blue color, sparkly shoes, and pumpkin purse- amazing. I saw “#DisneyBounding” in the tags and decided to explore this new (to me) word. I found so many posts by talented people using fashion and creativity to put together outfits inspired by Disney characters. I honestly thought it was the coolest thing in the world. It made me immediately grab a notebook and start putting together my own ideas. I just so happened to be going on a Walt Disney World vacation a few months from then and it really helped make the vacation more exciting!
E: What inspired you to do complete a year worth of bounds?
B: I got married in October of 2015 and the one thing everyone who had planned a wedding before, told me “Find a hobby! You will miss wedding planning”. They were so right. Luckily, I already had a hobby. The only thing to figure out was how to expand upon it and get more involved with it. I had seen two members of the DisneyBound Facebook group (DisneyBounders Unite!) do a yearlong challenge, and I thought “This is it. This is the perfect way to do something for myself, and this is the perfect year to start it”. So, in 2016, I decided to make an unofficial resolution of embracing joy. My joy just happened to be Disneyfied.
E: Did you repeat any outfits or characters in the year?
B: My original plan was to not repeat any characters, and for a while, it was smooth sailing. Eventually, though, I did repeat a few. The first reason being that, on the aforementioned DisneyBound Facebook page, there are events every so-often. Some members create an event for their birthday, and these events have a theme, for example “The Little Mermaid”. This made it really difficult to participate if I didn’t repeat a few times. So, my new compromise with myself was to never repeat an outfit. And that I completed successfully!
E: Was it expensive to collect all the pieces, or did you work with what you had in your closet?
B: For most of my outfits, I used pieces from my own closet. Luckily, I have been roughly the same size for years, so I have a lot of clothes in my closet! At the beginning of the year I looked at my closet (which is sorted by color) and noticed that I had very little yellow or brown clothing. I knew that would eventually trip me up, so I went out to buy those colored items. I started with very basic things- a yellow sweater and a brown shirt. For my birthday and holidays, I asked for gift cards or clothing, as well.
If I was planning a special bound for an event (a Disney trip, a movie premier, a party, etc.) then I would be willing to purchase an outfit. My goal was to do it for as little money as possible, but without sacrificing the quality of the outfit. In other words, I still wanted it to look good, especially as people were telling me that my outfits were something they looked forward to every day! I didn’t want to disappoint.
E: Where was your favorite place to find items for your DisneyBound?
B: Thrift stores! During my challenge, I began my new found love of thrifting. It could get expensive very quickly to buy clothes, so I searched thrift stores first. Some of my favorite pieces I own have come from thrift stores in my area. I love that it’s also an environmentally friendly way to enjoy fashion, and to find a variety of styles of clothing- including vintage! Another awesome find during my challenge was Primark. The first stores opened in the USA during my challenge and it was great timing! The have a lot of fun and inexpensive basics to build an outfit.
E: What was your favorite DisneyBound and why?
B: I think about this a lot! I think I would have to say that my first (fall version) Scar DisneyBound was my favorite (I did a fall and winter version). The first reason being that I collaborated with friends from all over the world to do it. We all planned to DisneyBound as villains for the month of October, and it was awesome. There’s something very cool about knowing you have friends in the USA, Sweden, and Australia who all coordinated their outfit with you that day! Secondly, this DisneyBound was the first time I experimented with black lipstick. My style had been very “pastel” up until that point. I didn’t have the courage to try something so bold. Let me tell you, it was awesome! It may sound cliché, but it changed my life. I will never say the phrase “I can’t pull that off” ever again. (Probably the only time someone will say this) Much thanks to Scar. Thanks to a Disney villain, I found my confidence!
E: Would you do a whole year of DisneyBound again? If so, what would you do differently?
B: If I won the lottery and could afford a bunch of new clothes, or if someone wanted to trade closets (oh! that sounds fun actually!), I would definitely do another year. After a while with the same wardrobe, you feel bored of those clothes. I am currently do a month long challenge right now, and I think a month is a much better amount of time than a year. I’m really excited and into it right now, whereas on some days during the yearlong challenge, I would have to push myself to do it. Honestly, some days you’re just sick or tired and the last thing you want to do is a take a picture and post it online for thousands of people to see.
I do feel like it’s easy to jump back into because my mind is still set to “DisneyBound mode”. Every time I go to my closet now, I say “Okay, Brittani. Today we are just going to do a normal outfit”… it never happens. After a year straight, you just get used to the idea that you are channeling a character every day, and not only that- other people get used to it as well. In January, I had a lot of upset friends who were missing my daily outfits. I missed it too, but it was nice to not have to take a picture of myself every single day and my first pajama day felt amazing!
E: What’s the best advice you can give someone who is interested in trying to put together a DisneyBound?
B: Have fun with it! Everyone has their own style. You will see people who do mostly closet bounds, and you will see people who are incredibly talented and make their own intricate outfits (not me at all!). Don’t feel like you need to DisneyBound the same way as someone else. When I first started, my DisneyBounds were very basic and I only DisneyBounded in the parks while on vacation. The more I DisneyBounded, the better my outfits became. Your eye for details and colors strengthens and you begin to see DisneyBounds everywhere.
My favorite DisneyBounds are the ones that are in that person’s own person style. I would look at what you already have and see what DisneyBounds you could do with those items. If you’re looking to DisneyBound a particular character, start by looking at the color scheme and then decide how you want to color block- color blocking is an art form and it’s such a beautiful thing! Another thing I wish I knew when I started is that DisneyBounding non-characters is just as fun. You could do objects, scenery, rides, foods, really anything- and it makes it easy to use your whole closet, too … you know, in case you want to do a yearlong challenge!
So TMSM Family, as you can see, DisneyBounding can be something special to add a little extra fun to your Disney vacation, or it could be an everyday, once a week, or once a month activity that expands your creativity, pushes your fashion boundaries and allows you to share your love of Disney in a way that is trendy. I hope that with DisneyBounding being a buzz word this week you’ll have some fun and channel a little bit of your love for Disney to create a bound that makes you happy, brings you a little magic, or just reminds you of the Happiest Place on Earth. Until next week, Happy Bounding Friends!
*Check our Erika’s Etsy shop on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/imagineering.emporium/
Erika is excited to be on the TMSM team and where Disney Parks are concerned, you won’t catch her dead on It’s a Small World. If she asks to ride that, this is a clear indication that she is in danger and you must send help. You will, however, catch her performing Random Acts of Disney (R.A.D’s), park hopping with her amazing group of impressively talented and kind friends (usually in some themed attire), hanging out by The Haunted Mansion, and ugly crying during fireworks… then begging for a Mickey Premium Bar to eat her feelings…this is a judgment-free bio.
Otherwise, Erika works for the State of Florida and is actively involved in her community. Erika believes in empowering others and spreading kindness to people from all walks of life. Erika also makes custom designed Disney inspired ears, etched glass, gifts, and accessories. You can check out, like or follow her work on FB, which also links to my shop’s Instagram: www.facebook.com/imagineering.emporium. She looks forward to getting to know everyone and sharing the magic of Disney!
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