Possibly Back for a While…Maybe a 30x30?

I quit blogging for quite a while.  A number of reasons went into that decision, but the biggest one was that it was making me feel anxious.  I was doing the blogging for the wrong reasons.  Plus, some home stuff was taking precedence (as it should).

I am hoping to be back, at least for a while, in order to blog for myself--although I'm always happy if someone else benefits from it too!

I want to try the 30x30 challenge or Project333 and I'm not sure which one would be best for me right now, so I'm going with the 30x30 and we'll see if it turns into the Project 333.

This thread here does a great job of breaking down both.  Basically 30x30 is picking 30 items from your closet and wearing only those items for 30 days, creating a different look each day.  Project 333 is taking 33 items from your closet and only wearing those things for 3 months (while storing or donating the rest of your clothes for that entire time).  I'm hoping that by doing the 30x30, I will eventually pare down my closet so that I only have a specific set of clothes that actually work for me and that I wear over and over again.

I started by taking pictures of my 30 items, which was 33 since I thought originally to do the Project333.  On the 30x30 challenge, I don't think jewelry counts anyway if I am correct? (The count is actually 39 if I count the 3 pairs of tights to go under my skirts and the 2 coats since it is winter time, plus one undershirt for the two tops that are lacy and kind of see-through. I also did not count my purse…that would make it 40).

So, technically 40 items.  I plan to try this for the month of February and then re-evaluate everything at that point.  I like the idea--I will actually WEAR my clothes instead of having them sit in the closet for the most part.  I own way too much.  This may force me to ultimately live a more streamlined life in general.  I'm all for that!

I downloaded a really cool app (for free!) called Pureple that allows you to create a wardrobe list from your pictures and then create outfits based on that wardrobe.  It also will remix your items for you.  You can also set up a calendar so you don't have to think about getting dressed for the whole month!

I will admit that there will be two days that I will not follow my own challenge.  One day I will be part of my admin's interviews and need to wear a suit jacket and a business dress.  Another day I will be giving a presentation as part of my job and will also need to wear a suit jacket and business dress.  Could I have included these items in my challenge?  Sure.  But I didn't.  Mostly because these are isolated incidents that only happen once a year probably and I believe everyone ought to have those few items on hand that get used only every once in a  while.  Those are special circumstances pieces.  :)

Here are some (terrible) pictures of the items I chose (I did not include the coats or the tights as those will be used as needed and are not a part of the outfits.  Nor did I include the undershirt for the same reason.).

The hardest part was deciding how to pick my items.  I looked at a lot of capsule wardrobes to figure out how many of each category of clothes I should pick out--like how many pants vs how many shirts, etc.  I decided to do the rule of five: pick five items from each category.  That was my starting point.  I started with pants, since I don't wear pants all that often and I figured that would be easiest.

I picked out my favorite pair of skinny jeans (not pictured--I just took a pic of a pair of jeans since the ones that will actually be in the wardrobe were dirty).  I then picked out a pair of black pants and a pair of gray pants.  I figured I could wear these with anything and they would be great for work.

 Then on to skirts.  I love wearing skirts, so this was harder.  I picked out a striped pencil skirt since it goes with everything, a black/gray/burgundy pencil skirt that I love, and a pale mint pleated skirt for something different and trendy.

That concluded the bottoms--I had six instead of five, but that was okay.  For the shirts, I picked mostly sweaters since it is COLD.  Five sweaters and five tops.  I went with ones that were red and gray with two "interest" sweaters that were perfect for February (one said LOVE and the other has a heart on it).  Next was the tops.  I went with mostly black and white with one "interest" piece that is navy with white polka dots.  Then I picked out five cardigans/blazers.  Gray, black, and red were my choices, to go nicely with     everything else I picked out.

 

I picked out two dresses to round out the wardrobe: a navy one and a black and white striped one.

Finally for shoes and accessories.  Since it is winter, I went with mostly boots, but included two dressier shoes: a flat and a kitten heel.  For jewelry, I went with pieces that could be remixed or combined together.  These are jewelry pieces I wear often anyway.

We'll see how it goes.  This will be an experiment of sorts to see if I can actually stick to it.  Anyone else done this? I would love to hear about your experience or any advice you may have!