It was evening.

I could hear the sound of boots squishing the last patches of snow on our front porch. Then, a key in the door.

My husband was home.

I snuck quickly to my perch- ready, waiting, and silent.

The door opened. Izzy ran to the door to greet him, her behind sashaying back and forth in excitement.

“I’m home!” he said. There was a pause. The only sound was the little thud-thud of Izzy’s happy jumps. He walked a few steps down the hall. “Are you here?”

As he passed the stairwell, where I stood, arms outstretched, I announced, “Tonight, I will be dressed as the light of your life.”

My husband looked at me, covered from head to kneecaps in gold, posed like Quailman on our stairs. Without missing a beat, he said, “Oh ok. You look nice!”

This wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to attend our Valentines Day dinner dressed as a T-ball trophy. Instead, I’d planned a post that would offer up 5 different ideas for Valentines Day outfits, all Hygge-approved. But, after weathering 5 snowy days in the house, I was done with Hygge. I was done with sweatpants. I was done with bulky sweaters. I was done.

So, instead, I dressed as the sun.

Let’s get into the lab, shall we?

THE EVENT: Valentines Day dinner (our first as a married couple!) at Cafe Flora, my favorite restaurant.

THE BROKEN RULE: Well, it’s Hygge month and this is not a Hygge outfit. In that sense, I’ve lapsed on my intentions for the month.

This could also be construed as breaking the rule Trends are fleeting and a poor investment.

I was inspired by the monochromatic looks I saw from New York Fashion Week, both on the runway and on the street. While none of these items are new, or particularly trendy on their own, the whole shebang was based on a trend.

THE OUTFIT: I don’t have gold boots. (Now that I write this I’m convinced that I need some, but presently, I don’t have any.) For that reason, my outfit wasn’t a purist’s monochromatic look. However, from the knees up, I was committed.

I started with a goldenrod apron dress from Madewell. I added a gold lamé bomber jacket on top, then finished with some giant face-shaped gold earrings. I was on a roll, then, so I added a bit of gold eyeshadow, too.

THE EXPERIENCE: Over and over again, this experiment teaches me that when an outfit makes me nervous, I’m bound to have a great time.

This outfit wasn’t what I planned. It wasn’t cozy, comfortable or Hygge-approved. But after days, and days, and days of Hygge, I needed a change of pace. I may have swung farther toward the opposite of Hygge than most people, but that’s what having a fashion experiment blog is all about, right?

Our dinner was really nice. Both the food and the people watching were excellent. (The couple next to us brought their own Tupperware (to a fancy pre-fixe dinner!!!). One of the them had never heard of El Chapo. The other described El Chapo as a drug guy who’d never been captured. (Definitely not true.) We eavesdropped, entertained, through much of their bizarre conversation.)

THE CONCLUSION: We finished our meal, and headed home, stuffed and rounder than before.

I cranked up the heat in the car, and released my belt to give my insides more space. We took the scenic route, past fancy houses, towering trees and the lake.

Once inside, I immediately changed. Off came the layers of gold, off came the control-top tights, out came the earrings. Back came the sweatpants, back came the “Sleepysaurus” fleece sweatshirt, on went the thick socks.

We spent the rest of our night curled on the couch, next to the fireplace. We drank tea, watched Seth Meyers videos, and cuddled with our little dog.

My big gold outfit worked. I was back to Hygge.