Summer 10x10

I was scrolling through instagram two weeks ago and saw a post by Lee of Style Bee reminding all that the Summer 10x10 would be coming up. Since I've felt less than successful after the last couple 10x10's and didn't think I was going to participate, I didn't pay too much attention to the details and kept scrolling. Then on the weekend, I happened to have some time on my hands and was playing with my clothes, when I started to realize that I was making a bunch of great outfits out of the same few pieces. That's when I decided to go ahead and participate. What I didn't realize was that the challenge isn't supposed to start until the end of July. I decided to dive in early, so read on to see the pieces I picked and find out what my plan of attack is this time.

Since I'm ahead of the game this summer, I decided to properly photograph all of the pieces I chose and make a nifty little graphic with them. It took quite a few hours (and an entire season of Pioneer Quest), but I have now learned how to take the background out of a picture in Photoshop and I'm pretty proud of myself. This new skill has already come in handy for non-blog related things, so I'm happy I got my butt in gear and learned. 

The Plan

As I mentioned above, I haven't been very successful with the last few 10x10's. I get excited in the beginning, but crazy schedules, wonky weather, and boredom always get in the way of me finishing. Since I know that a straight ten days of the same pieces doesn't typically work for me, I've decided to take a new approach. This time around I'm making ten outfits and I will wear them all, but throughout the course of the month, rather than over the same ten days. For me, this challenge is more about being creative with a limited number of items than about wearing those items all in a row. I'll do my best to take pictures of the outfits as I wear them. 

9 + 1?

You might notice that there are only nine pieces in the top picture and that is because I've only got nine items in my summer 10x10. I wasn't paying too close attention to the numbers as I was making outfits, just grabbing the clothes I was loving most at the moment, and ended up not immediately needing a tenth piece. I'm leaving my options open and might end up adding in some sort of top layer or another shirt. For now, I'm excited to wear these pieces (I've already started) and see where they take me :)

Winter 10x10

If you spend any time reading style blogs with a sustainable or capsule wardrobe focus, you might be familiar with the 10x10 Challenge. It was created by Lee Vosburgh of Style Bee and the idea is that you choose ten items and create ten outfits with them. You then wear those outfits for ten days. I participated last spring and had a lot of fun, so when the Winter 10x10 rolled around I knew I wanted to participate again. I've been mulling around the idea of starting up a blog for a while now and I thought the 10x10 challenge would be a good way to get the ball rolling.

Goals:

1) Add more color into the mix.

The first time I participated I stuck to a very small color pallet of black and gray. This time I wanted to have a bit more color.

2) Get creative with pairings.

I wanted to try some new ways of pairing pieces and accessorize more. 

3) Document.

I wanted to at least take a mirror selfie of every outfit I wore. 

Included:

• Green Button Up: A piece I was obsessed with two summers ago, but haven't worn a lot lately. It layers well and is dressy enough for days when I'm in court for work.

• Gray Turtleneck: I've been wearing turtlenecks constantly this winter and knew I would need one as a warm layer during this challenge.

• Bright Red Sweater: This is one of my favorite sweaters. It's comfortable, but the bright color makes it anything but boring. I wore it constantly last year and it's still in heavy rotation this winter.

• Burnt Red Sweater: Two red sweaters might seem excessive for a ten piece collection, but this one is another of my favorites. The more muted color and boxy shape give it a totally different look.

• Denim Pinafore Dress: I thrifted this dress in early December and it has been on heavy rotation. It's roomy enough that I can layer sweaters under it, which has been ideal for this cold winter.

• Black Jeans: I hadn't worn my black jeans in quite some time (mostly because I'm bad at keeping up with laundry), but they were the turning point for this collection. I originally had a pair of straight leg dress pants, but everything clicked when I switched them out for black jeans.

• Black and White Wide Leg Pants: I included these babies for a couple reasons. First, the wide leg makes me feel elegant, but also like a total boss (there's something great about taking up space). Second, they are roomy enough to fit a pair of leggings underneath, which makes them warm without adding a lot of bulk.

• Green Army Jacket: This jacket made the cut because it is warm, but thin enough that I can treat it like a sweater and layer it under my winter coats. I think it makes most outfits look more pulled together.

• Black Ankle Booties: I wear these boots at least four out of seven days a week, so they had to be included.

• Black Lace Up Boots: I recently bought these second hand and was dying to wear them. I like that they have a platform, which makes me taller without the making them uncomfortable.

What Happened

I went into this challenge with a lot of enthusiasm and a great batch of clothes. The ten days, however, did not go as planned. It was both the best and worst time for me to be doing this challenge. Eight out of my ten days were extremely busy and on days nine and ten I was seriously burned out. This meant I almost completely lost track of which outfits I'd warn, didn't take daily pictures, and was too rushed to do much accessorizing. It also meant that getting dressed in the morning was, for the most part, really easy. I didn't have to think too much about what I was going to wear.

What I Learned

• I was successful in adding color to the clothes I chose, but by the end of the ten days, I was craving more black. I've been trying to expand out of my black and gray comfort zone over the last year and I've been pretty successful. This challenge reminded me that it is great to expand, but it's also ok to stick with what you love.
• I had gotten it into my head that no one should see me wearing the same piece of clothing twice in one week (even if it was my favorite) and the 10x10 really helped snap me out of that. Now my coworkers can expect to see me in the same things over and over.
• I'm leaving this challenge with a desire to edit my wardrobe a bit. The ease of getting dressed during the challenge has me thinking about how I can edit or organize my wardrobe in a way that carries that ease into everyday. 
• Going ten eight days wearing the same ten items of clothing made me crave the rest of my closet. Styling outfits is my favorite past time and this little break has made me more enthusiastic than ever to play dress up. 

So the challenge may not have gone the way I had expected and I may have met only one of my three goals, but I did get this cute picture with my cat.

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