It was basically 80 degrees today in Seattle, which means yet another summer approaches. I scrolled through my fashion Instagram earlier because I often use my own previous outfits as #outfitinspo, and I only found two really hot summer outfits from last year. The most exciting my hot weather wardrobe got was in Tahiti, where I mostly wore the same three pairs of shorts & shirts because they were comfortable and I was sunburnt.
Those striped shorts from the first picture featured heavily in my few hot summer outfits. I guess they are the most interesting?
My brother has been really digging into his personal style as of late, and continually texts me: “Does this look stylish?” He says, sending me a picture of yet another shirt and shorts look. To clarify, our styles are basically opposite. While Brent loves minimal looks with a bit of pizzazz, my looks are maximalist pattern mixed chaos. Yet we both have the same struggle – summer fashion is, to us, boring.
It’s boring. There I said it. BORING. Yes, there are super cute sundresses but a lot of a wardrobe is built in separates. I am not going to have ten or fifteen different sundresses, and for Brent who prefers more masculine looks, this isn’t even an option. And yes, I’ll admit that you can play around with silhouettes and lengths but unless you’re wearing a dress or romper, most of summer fashion boils down to: shorts/skirt & shirt. That’s it! There are no more layers or fun things to add because it is just too hot. Even today, I had Oliver take some photos of my outfit. When I asked him, he initially seemed surprised.
“This outfit?” He asked, as I handed over my phone.
“Yes!” I responded. I asked why he was so hesitant.
“Well, it’s not really that interesting,” he replied.
“Yes! That’s exactly the point I want to make!”
– Oliver and I, earlier today
The not-very-interesting outfit I had Oliver take pictures of today.
I’ve recently been on a bit of a journey to try and accept more minimalism in my fashion life. I scroll through so many cute accounts and blog posts and videos of people that are just in jean shorts and a white button down and they look so fresh and clean! Then I put the same outfit on myself and I feel like I am missing something critical – think those dreams where you are in class and realize you aren’t wearing any pants, that’s the feeling. I just want to add more: another pattern, another layer, something interesting. While I struggle with this year round to be honest (a couple of my recent forays into trying this out in cooler weather are pictured below) it’s easy enough to quell the something-missing feeling with another layer. “Oh, I’ll just toss on this jacket” I’ll say, or “I can add a collared shirt underneath.” With summer clothing, this becomes cumbersome and sweaty.
Some of my latest versions of simple outfits. In each case, I struggled to post them because they didn’t feel like enough, but the graphic sweaters helped convince me.
What really struck me about this infinite struggle in my life, is that Brent is having the same problem. Is it that less fabric = less interesting? Is it harder for us to somehow make a #look now that we have just less yardage to work with? In Brent’s minimalist style, the outfits above are honestly entirely too much, and in mine they are too little. Yet in summer wear, we feel the same. Does anyone else struggle with this as much as we do?
I decided to go back in time – I’ve traveled before to Del Rio for 4th of July where it is quantifiably hot. I thought perhaps that my Pacific Northwest locale had ruined my own inclinations toward cute summer clothing. So I went back in time… and found that I had very few outfit pictures from our Del Rio trips. You might be tempted to say it’s just because I was too busy enjoying my time with family, and to some degree you might be correct. However, I know that my need to prove that I was cute one day usually outweighs this (and Del Rio is accompanied with plenty of downtime for narcissistic photo shoots). I went back even further to our first trip to Seattle, which was warmer than we thought it would be, and still found no inspiration.
This is the best I could find from ALL 4 trips (three Del Rio, one Seattle). It’s really not a lot.
When I look at all of these pictures, the outfits are cute, sure, but none of them really feel like anything to write home about. I can tell that I’ve tried to spice a few of them up – I added a cardigan, or I included some fun contrasting socks – but for the most part they are just shorts and a t-shirt (or a sundress). They feel lackluster, and are definitely not inspiring. I don’t find myself wanting to repeat or recreate them.
I usually try to end these posts with an upside or lesson – something that we’ve discovered together – but in this case I really don’t know what the answer is. Perhaps I just need to keep wearing what is comfortable and find joy in the simplicity of summer clothing. Perhaps I will always feel like summer fashion is missing something and just wear clothes cause I have to. Perhaps I will find the thing that really cracks summer fashion (though more likely, I’ll realize that the thing is all in my mind).
Perhaps I will just soak up the sunshine while I wait for fall fashion to bring me life in layered patterns again.
Do you have the same struggles? If summer’s your jam, any tips you want to share? Do you have a season that you struggle to dress for? Share in the comments below!
Recently, Oliver and I were able to travel to French Polynesia for a ten day vacation. It was an exciting trip filled with a lot of firsts: our first major trip mid-pandemic, our first nature focused vacation, and our first trip to an island. We were so excited to have a chance to get away from everything and go somewhere remote and warm for a bit.
As you may know, Oliver and I are strict believers in carry-on only when we travel (you can read my review on our Osprey bags here or check out my how-to for packing here) and this trip was no different. However, this going to an island in the middle of their summer was a big highlight on a style blind spot for me: summer clothing.
I have never been great at choosing summer clothing. Growing up in Colorado, summer clothing was very much about “how can I stay as cool as possible” but I spent a lot of my summers in my bedroom at home, and not really out doing things because it was just too hot, so my summer clothes were whatever was comfortable from the thrift store. As I grew older, my style evolved for other months but my summer style stayed largely the same: comfortable t-shirt and shorts. I had a few years of summer dresses that I really enjoyed, but they were fleeting at best.
Now, I live in Seattle where our summers are still relatively cool. There is maybe one month of 80’s and sunshine, but a lot of the other days are still 60’s and overcast, so investing in a lot of summer clothing that I just really won’t wear seems like a waste. Therefore, packing for a trip to a hot island mid-summer was setting itself up to be pretty rough. As I told Oliver while packing, my job was almost made easy by how few summer clothes I really have.
To be honest, some of these choices were pretty optimistic…
While I didn’t necessarily have a wealth of choice in the clothing I brought with me, I did choose things intentionally:
Three crop tops: I picked these because they are light and comfortable – basically very easy to wear. Crop tops are a flattering fit on me, and they are cut a bit looser which I (correctly) assumed would be important in sweaty, humid heat.
Two regular t-shirts: this was more of a just in case choice that I imagined would mostly be plane wear to be a bit warmer.
The only summer dress I have (which, turns out, does not fit anymore)
Red check shorts: a pair that I’m not super attached to, but dries quickly and fit well. I always try to bring a set of clothing that can get ruined while travelling, just in case.
Purple patterned shorts and brick colored shorts: both are lightweight cotton pairs that fit well, look cute, and are comfortable to wear.
Linen striped shorts: not necessarily practical color (they can be a bit see through) but with intelligent underwear choices, these would be the most practical fabric-wise. Linen is cool and quick drying.
One tank top: mostly as a plan warmth layer, but ended up serving other uses.
One pair of thigh savers: my thighs rub together, especially in shorts, especially when sweaty, and I thought these would get a lot more wear than they did.
Two pairs of shoes – my Soludos sneakers for travel days, and Tiva sandals for when we were on the island.
Both swimsuits that I own
Honestly, going in I thought I had packed very well. The outfits were easily comfortable and classic; they were all roughly in the same color palette so they would mix and match well giving a lot of flexibility in outfits. I definitely learned a lot during this trip and would pack a bit different in the future. Below I’ll talk about each section, things I did well, and things I would change.
** Skincare/Hair Care **
I’m not a high maintenance person in this area, but I did bring more this trip than usual, and I do have some level of skincare routine that I feel is easy to replicate for other carry-on travelers.
What I Did: I brought these facial cleansing wipes, a day moisturizer, and a night moisturizer (both from No B.S. skincare line). I would cleanse deeply with a wipe, moisturize, and head to bed. If I felt the need to cleanse throughout the day, I would repeat with the day moisturizer. For hair, I have curly hair and a lot of maintaining curls is keeping the natural oils in the hair. I assumed the salt water would do a good job of stripping it, so I brought a lot of shampoo/conditioner sets.
What Worked: My choice of skincare routine worked pretty well even on a face that was dealing with an entirely new environment. At night, we were both pretty exhausted, so it was good that my routine was simple and easy. I use these face wipes – which did a good job of cleansing. About halfway through our trip, my skin started to clear up really nicely even which was neat to see in spite of the sand, sunscreen, and bug spray caked into it. Having a lot of conditioner was also great! I feel like my hair did pretty well until the very end.
What I Would Change: In the future, I probably wouldn’t even bring shampoo to a destination with salt water that we are swimming in every day. I used it maybe once, and the rest of the days I just cleansed with conditioner.
** Swimwear **
What I Did: I brought initially two swimsuits, as well as two extra period swim bottoms (I’ll talk about those more later).
The super cute front of the swimsuit… and the impractical back of many straps.
What Worked: Definitely having multiple swimsuits was a good idea, and in future I would bring at least two again. Things would not dry overnight, unless they had been in the hot sun for a bit and since we were sometimes swimming in the evenings to cool off before bed, our swimsuits often weren’t dry the next day. Having a few interchangeable swim pieces to work with made swimming more enjoyable day to day.
What I Would Change: If we did a trip like this again, I would purchase entirely new swimwear for a couple of reasons.
The swim wear I brought was very old, and three of four main swim items did not fit well. This made each day of swimming unnecessarily uncomfortable.
The swim top that I brought which fit best has a lot of straps at the back. This made it both inconvenient to put on/take off each day (especially if it hadn’t dried all the way) and particularly uncomfortable over my (inevitable) sunburnt back.
The four main pieces didn’t really match, and weren’t interchangeable. It would be nice for future trips if I could mix and match pieces throughout the week.
** Period Items**
Getting down and dirty for a minute here, but I wanted to specifically talk about my period underwear and swimwear.
What I Did: I brought six pairs of period underwear – two heavy flow, two medium, and two light flow. I brought two pairs of period swim bottoms.
What Worked: Honestly, all of these items were a god-send for many different reasons. I highly recommend that women wear a pair of period underwear on long haul flights, whether or not they are actually on their period. Since they are designed to help wick away moisture and contain things, they help immensely with staying comfortable in a situation where bathroom breaks are scarce and you will be sitting for a long period of time. I use Thinx for the underwear. The period swimwear were also amazing – in addition to providing comfortable bottoms to replace those that didn’t fit well, they worked marvelously well in a situation where bleeding in the water was potentially dangerous. They were easy to clean, dried well, and held up even after long days of activity. The ones I brought are these from Ruby Love.
What I Would Change: not a lot to say here, except that either from bugs or other conditions, my older pairs of period underwear got rather destroyed. So maybe keep this in mind if you’re travelling to a similar, bug ridden and humid locale.
The sneakers were perfect for skipping about, and my sandals were great when I wasn’t enjoying the super soft sand.
What Worked: Overall, both of these choices were pretty solid for their given purposes. My sneakers held up well and were comfortable for hurried airport running and walking all over the city, and my sandals did exactly what I asked of them both on land and in the water. I ended up using my sandals exclusively in our bungalow because there was just dried coral for the ground – practical in the mind of the owners, but not great underfoot. They were comfortable, easy to clean, and quick drying. The sneakers also gave an added benefit of protection and comfort for my bug-bitten, sunburnt feet on our last day of travel.
What I Would Change: this was, honestly, the first place I have bene to where flip-flops are actually a practical choice of footwear. I ended up pushing down the backs of my sandals and treating them as slide on shoes for a lot of the trip because you’re in and out of shoes a lot. Being light, small, and easy to pack I think a pair of flip-flops would have been a welcome addition.
** Clothing**
What I Did: you can see the list of clothing I brought above. Add to that a light jacket (not waterproof) and a thin raincoat (both from Outdoor Research) since we knew it would be wet season, and while we were there I purchased a sundress from a local shop.
Two of the crop tops which made multiple appearances. Also featured, the red checked shorts that doubled as sun-blocking swimwear, and the brick red shorts that were super comfortable. Light rain jacket in the first photo.
What Worked: The crop tops were a GREAT choice. Since they have a looser fit, they didn’t rub or cause any issues with my sunburns. They also provided better airflow than my longer shirts, which fit tighter near my butt. All being made of thin cotton, they dried quick, and I wore them many times. The two t-shirts also worked well for their intended purpose – flight clothing. Since I didn’t want to wear them during the week, I ended up having a nice clean shirt to wear going home which felt really good.
The shorts ended up working nicely as well. The red checked shorts were perfect for swimming on the days where we wanted a little extra protection from the sun. The brick colored shorts (United by Blue brand – highly recommend) were awesome, and I wore them most of the days because they were just perfect – not too fitted, very comfortable, just the right length, quick drying… etc.
The sundress I purchased from the locals was, no surprise, very well suited to the environment. Perhaps a bit of a poor color choice for Tahiti, it will make a great summer dress for Seattle.
First photo shows my flight outfit – arguably the least practical. The second photo shows my super cute local dress – arguably one of the most practical.
What I Would Change: The plane to Tahiti I wore the light jacket and a pair of leggings. While this worked well flying out, I just could not stuff my swollen, sweaty legs back into my leggings. I also could have gone without the linen shorts – they are a bit less soft, so they bothered my sunburns and I was really only able to wear them on my last day. Not a practical choice for an 8 hour flight home either, but I had little choice since my other shorts were straight up gross after 7 days of wilderness living and my leggings weren’t happening. In the future, for flight wear I would bring a looser pair of sweats or joggers that still look nice and keep me warm, but would be easier for end-of-vacation me to wear.
I didn’t need the chub rub shorts, and definitely didn’t need two pairs. Since they take up little space, I would probably bring one again but not both.
I would also have appreciated more sundresses, especially that fit comfortably. It would have been nice to just throw on a dress over swimwear and sunburns, rather than having to pull shorts or a shirt over every time. Also I forget how much I enjoy wearing them, and I think long term I just want to work more sundresses into my wardrobe.
In the future, I would have just brought the rain jacket. While it’s not better than the other light jacket for flying, I didn’t use the light jacket at all while we were there, and I didn’t even use it for the return flight. The rain jacket, however, worked very well as both rain and sun protection.
** Final Thoughts **
Overall I learned a lot about myself this trip, but especially so about my fashion choices and I’m feeling re-invigorated to spruce up my summer wardrobe come the warmer months. I definitely want to add more sundresses to my wardrobe, and I need to find a few more practical swimsuits.
I also realized that a lot of my assumptions of why clothing would or wouldn’t work were correct – which feels good when going into a trip with very few options. When we go on our next warm weather vacation, I’ll have bolstered confidence in my packing skills, and a lot better of an idea of what I’ll need.
How do you pack for nature-focused vacations? Do you have any wardrobe blind spots? Questions for me about travel, fashion, or any of the products I mentioned in this post? Comment below!
These pants are basically leggings – and that’s why I LOVE them.
I had never been on board the leggings as pants train. It started pretty young, when leggings first resurfaced. My mother (who had been around for the first legging adventure) would tut tut about how no one wore shirts that covered their butts, and how you could see their underwear! In the beginning, this was certainly true. Leggings were initially made from the same material as tights so they were frequently see through, and not meant for #pantslife.
But as more women wore them as pants, the industry followed. Leggings quickly became an athleisure staple – they were stretchy, bendable, and didn’t fall down like classic workout pants. They were also a lot more flattering than sweats of the past, and made workouts like yoga, pilates, and running easier than other athleisure could. The problem: athletic leggings looked just that. Athletic. They were thicker, sure, to solve the problems that come with a lot of bending, stretching, and wear and tear, but they weren’t necessarily cute. And cute leggings, like much else that is cute, were still not good enough.
So I staunchly held out on the “leggings can’t be pants” hill, convinced I would die on it. For many, many years, I hoped along with articles in fashion magazines and op-ed pieces alike, that the legging trend would die. Even as I started wearing them more with outfits (always like tights with a skirt or shorts over them) and they grew to be a staple in my own wardrobe, I continued to tut tut those who wore them as pants.
Another pair of pants that are definitely just leggings!
The realization was a slow one – I’ve always been stubborn about my fashion choices – but it came in drips. I would read an article here and there, extolling the brilliance of leggings as pants. I started to recognize the problems with telling women what they can and can’t wear, especially in the face of men being allowed pretty much whatever. I realized that I honestly envied women who were out at Target or casually walking through the airport in the comfortable stretchy fabrics of leggings alone, without the extra constraints of a skirt or dress.
The big turn came one busy Saturday filled with social engagements. Our first event was mostly walking around so I’d worn a beautiful skirt that fits perfect when standing, but quickly grows uncomfortable while sitting since it has an unforgiving waistband. When we got home, and prepared for our next activity (board games – sitting only) I realized I didn’t want to fully change clothes. So I wrestled and wrought in my mind, looking in the mirror and bending over and asking my husband “can you see my underwear” and finally laid on the bed extolling my fears to my helpless lover.
“I can’t just wear them as pants, can I? I don’t understand why it’s fine if other people do it, but I just can’t!”
Me, lying on the bed, wallowing
Oliver, being the man that he is, quickly assessed the root of my fears. We discussed how initially they were meant to be tights, but they’ve evolved from that. And if the leggings themselves can evolve, can’t my opinion of them, and my use for them? So, bravely, for games that evening I wore my leggings as pants for the first time. Admittedly in the comfort of my own home, among friends who I knew wouldn’t care (or likely wouldn’t notice), but you’ve got to start somewhere, right?
Now that you have the background – we can get to the heart of the issue. Should leggings be worn as pants? And I have to say, yes. Not only are the standards in the industry different (now even cheap Amazon or Old Navy leggings call out “full coverage” and “thick, not see through fabric”). Not to mention the comfort: quality leggings that fit right are second to none on comfort levels. In bleak winter mornings, I’m much more liable to reach for a pair of cozy leggings than any of my jeans. Throughout the day I find my whole body is more comfortable wearing the stretch fabric instead of unforgiving denim, plus I’m not nearly as sweaty or smelly or chafed… That’s the thing about leggings – they’re just so damn functional.
They are also extremely accessible: now that they are in the lexicon of style for good, there are plenty of cute, reliable options out there for anyone, on any budget. I’m even seeing more and more curvy and larger sizes from regular brands, and brands that cater to larger sizing jumping into the market.
These were actually sold as leggings but here they are being pants!
Leggings are workhorses without being inconvenient. They are breathable, they are soft, and they are warm. They allow freedom of movement while creating a cute silhouette that is almost ubiquitously flattering.
Naysayers be naysaying, but I’m going to work on getting over my own fears and hangups because at the end of the day, they make me feel better, and isn’t that what fashion is all about?
Those of you following this blog probably remember that I started this 10 x 10 Challenge because of a friend who reached out to me. My friend, Eowyn, also did the challenge with me throughout those two weeks.
A quick note about Eowyn: she came to me about a year ago saying that it was impossible for her to find professional clothes she liked and could afford. We went to the thrift store, and found her a whole wardrobe that day. Since then I’ve seen her make many fashion choices that are brave and inspiring. When she reached out to me to do this challenge I was so nervous – but also very excited. I wanted to see what she calls “Closet by Carley” in action. I wanted to see how she wore all the lovely pieces we painstakingly chose together. But mostly I wanted to see her in the clothes that had been making her so happy.
What follows are Eowyn’s thoughts on the challenge, edited only for clarity.
“Generally speaking, I identify as a minimalist. I find that limited items prevents me from getting overwhelmed, keeps my budget generally managed, and also I see minimalism as a way to reduce waste. So when I first stumbled across the 10 x 10 Challenge and the idea of capsule wardrobes, this seemed a natural fit for me.
In the past 10 years, I’ve tended toward mix and match clothing featuring solids and simplicity. This has been a huge advantage when traveling as well, as I usually only need what appears to be an overnight bag even for two to three weeks of travelling – except that one time that customs was suspicious of my limited baggage.
That being said, I wanted to try this challenge for different reasons. I wanted to stretch outside my comfort zone in some big ways:
Patterns
Modern and more “trendy” fashion
Brighter colours
Using layering as more than just temperature regulation
With all this in mind, I set to my choices (pictured above):
orange jumper (Amazon)
lavender tank dress (Amazon)
red leather jacket (Thrifted; added week two when I realized the relentless nature of the rain and unlikely use of a sheer mauve top)
high-waisted white pants with leopard and cactus print (Thrifted)
coral and navy striped tan cardigan (hand me down from Carley)
turqoise velvet jeans (Thrifted; added week two when it was apparent that I wasn’t going to wear those cute strappy sandals I just bought)
black and white crop top (Thrifted)
light blue denim tank (Thrifted)
navy blue ruffled tank (Thrifted)
black lace-less oxford heels (Thrifted)
Thus my weekly wardrobe choices were significantly simplified to the following:
Week One of the ChallengeWeek Two of the Challenge *red jacket added with black and white top but not pictured*
— What I Learned —
Fashion is something I have always thought of as unnecessary and beyond me a little, but I really appreciated dressing intentionally.
The last day (bottom left, second picture set) I wore things that layered pretty much for pragmatism only and I found this to be my least favorite outfit. I discovered my go-to fashion is frankly quite boring.
Layers! I truly enjoyed layering with the jumper and dress (such as with the jeans) over the articles to shape them into a top or bottom instead of a whole outfit piece, even adding depth to the jumper by layering items beneath the jumper. I will definitely be doing this more.
Accessories – you can reach change a #lewk by having a cute hat, belt, or scarf. I do this well in the winter when it’s cold, but I should do it more in other seasons.
Sensory issues – I have sensory issues with clothing. The length, the feel, the weight can all be problems. Layering items definitely allowed me to compensate for some of those things in new ways.
Minimalism doesn’t have to be boring. When wearing my typical tank/jeans/shawl, I was bored by cozy. Yet I was able to make new outfits every other day that honestly piqued my mood and made me excited.
Pattern mixing – this is still hard for me. I really wanted to wear the leopard pants with the black and white top, but I just didn’t have it in me to be so loud. I settled for the panted under the dress to act as leggings and still this was a lot for me. But I would do it again. I found that patterns really spiced up an outfit to create interesting ensembles.
— Some Additional Thoughts Worth Considering —
Fashion is a privilege – I think it is worth noting that everything in my wardrobe was thrifted, gifted, or less than $15. A long history of limited funds is a large portion of why I have always felt fashion unattainable and thus not worth exploring. This challenge really highlighted the ways in which income affected my fashion and I suddenly understand how certain brands can deeply alter a person’s sense of self. That being said, I think it’s important to note that it can be done. Knowing how to look for brands in the thrift store (and show a lot of patience) has single-handedly provided me with a professional wardrobe I wouldn’t otherwise have had access to.
Minimalism still worksfor me – I am all about the minimalist wardrobe. I love having a few items that I can blend together into interesting combinations. It’s practical, cheap, and requires a certain problem solving attitude.”
A big thanks to Eowyn for taking the time to write up all these thoughts, and for allowing me to share them here with you.
Have you tried a 10 x 10 challenge yourself? Wanting to try one? Leave a comment below, I would love to hear about it.
This is a follow up post to this post I made last week. If you haven’t read that post, you should definitely do so.
This week really started to highlight my greatest struggle with the concept behind the 10 x 10 Challenge: I wear so many articles of clothing every single time I wear clothes. For each of these days I’m wearing at least 5-6 items out of 10, making it so that you can only combine them into new outfits so many times.
Don’t worry – I actually had Oliver do the math – and apparently even with all the restrictions I can technically make 100’s of “different” outfits with the items I had. But did they really all feel different and unique?
While these limitations are usually fine on vacation, and even then I allow myself a clothing purchase while on vacation just to throw something new in the mix, it just feels bad when I’m looking at a whole closet filled with interesting clothes and here I am, wearing these same uninspiring items. There are definitely benefits to this challenge, though, and I’ll get into those at the end.
The Sunday before week two was spent lovingly in all grey sweats. We didn’t go out much – made a quick excursion to the beach for some exercise, and found some free stuff (hooray!) but somehow spending the entire day in cozy, colorless clothing felt right. Laying in bed Sunday night, thinking on the week ahead, I worried that I would be able to find new and interesting combinations wearing these same clothes yet again…
— DAY SIX —
Waking up this morning, I did not want to wear these clothes again, for a couple of reasons:
Today I am starting to mix and match the same outfits again
It’s been pretty chilly lately and will continue to be chilly this week which opens up new wardrobe options I didn’t previously have (and because of the challenge, still cannot wear).
I recently got two new dresses in fall colors that I wanted to wear.
Plus I forgot to fix my shoes over the weekend, so the cheat black boots stay! Somehow it made it better to keep cheating a little bit.
Also learned this day that chair posing is not my strong suit, and definitely needs some work.
— DAY SEVEN —
I didn’t take any notes on Day Seven, partially because I had a crazy awful day at work this day, but also partially because this outfit wasn’t super notable.
It was comfortable, and I felt good wearing it. Honestly, I’d probably wear this again outside of the context of the challenge. I like the way the colors and patterns play in the outfit; I liked the layered options keeping me the right temperature throughout the day.
My friends called this my “Ted Talk” outfit, and I feel like it’s the perfect name for this one – but also kind of describes the entire vibe of my 10 x 10 wardrobe: the weird mixture of cool/casual/professional.
— DAY EIGHT —
I honestly really liked this outfit, and it was one of the highlights. I started the day as that cool new headmistress at the private school that teaches everyone deep lessons and probably plays in a jazz band… and ended the day as weird-vacation-bro on top and princess on the bottom. Still loved it.
This day highlighted what one of my friends pointed out as an interesting problem I have through this 10 x 10: my pattern maximalism makes it hard for outfits to feel fresh without being able to easily change out details. Because I lean so hard into patterns, I want them to be front and center of the outfit. This makes it even more obvious when I’m wearing the same ones over and over again, and then they slowly start to fade as background noise instead of being the stars of the show I want them to be.
— DAY NINE —
Hit full ambivalence on this day. I have to wear clothes, and I have to wear these clothes, so just put some on. It was helpful that I’d taken pictures for all of the days, so I could scroll through and see which combinations I hadn’t done yet, and this was one of them.
Honestly, not my favorite outfit. I struggled with the button down – I preferred it buttoned all the way to the top under the blazer, but preferred it open a bit at the top without the blazer. The amount of times I went back and forth between blazer and not blazer throughout the day is why the buttons are just unbuttoned in the picture.
Throughout the week, but especially this day, I found it interesting how much longer it took me to get dressed when I wasn’t fully invested in the outfit. It takes longer to get the details just right – this day I went through several pairs of earrings and three or four different hairstyles before I felt good enough to go to work.
— DAY TEN —
I’ll admit that I phoned the final look in a bit, but at the end of a very long week of work, that was filled with after work social events, and the end of the challenge, I really just wanted to wear the most comfortable outfit I could, and so I did.
My head was in the clouds this day – cloud themed socks, the t-shirt I lovingly call “Sky Whale” shirt, my sunshine earrings… head in the clouds but heart and body firmly grounded. Also pardon my hair – it went from up to down several times throughout the day. I tried to give it a bit of life before the photo session.
— FINAL THOUGHTS —
On the final day of the challenge, a friend asked if I would do it again to which I replied:
“No. Well… maybe. I think I need some distance from it. Some time. And maybe in a warmer season – summer? Where I don’t have to wear as many layers. Maybe.”
Here’s what I learned:
The blue shirt with the black pattern is underrated as an under layer in my closet, and I should wear it a lot more
The tulle skirt always makes me feel magical and elegant, but is quite warm when I’m moving around a lot. Better as a winter layer than I originally thought.
Short sleeve or no sleeve button downs should be a basic in my wardrobe, and I should own more of them. They make an easy addition to any outfit.
It is definitely worth investing in a few solid pairs of shoes that are of good make and quality and can be worn in the rain.
There’s a really nice feeling to wearing a clean black blazer. Even if I don’t work in a super professional environment, it’s nice to feel a little professional.
Jeans that fit well are CLUTCH and worth the time it takes to find them
My accessorizing game is lacking, as are my accessories in general. Throughout the challenge, accessories were an easy way to change the feel of the entire outfit – I should work to both get better at using the ones I have, and adding accessories that I can use.
What I think this challenge does really well:
Pushed me out of several comfort zones – I was forced to wear clothes I wouldn’t normally wear together during times or for events when I wouldn’t normally wear them. Through this, I learned several outfit recipes of sorts that I can lean on when I’m feeling uninspired or don’t know what to wear.
Reminded me how much I love the clothes I have – the classic “don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone” is definitely simulated in this challenge. I was so excited to have my full wardrobe again when all was said and done, and haven’t had any issues getting dressed this week.
Forced me to re-evaluate my constant shopping, and gave me some clarity on what clothes I should shop for, and what clothes I really don’t need.
What this challenge did not do:
Jump start me into a capsule wardrobe or “less is more” lifestyle – going in, I half expected to come out of the challenge ready to get rid of all my clothes and live only the small wardrobe life! But, as anticipated, I really do enjoy having a wealth of options to create the look and feel I’m trying to create each time I get dressed.
Make getting dressed every morning super easy/less stressful/less time consuming – in my research prior to the challenge, of looking through other people who had done the challenge before and their thoughts, a common theme was that it helped reduce their anxiety of what to wear in the morning. I did not find any reduced time or anxiety, and near the end, actually had increased struggles getting dressed in the morning. I think, personally, lack of inspiration is just as problematic as decision paralysis, and it’s important to find a good balance between the two.
Overall, my feelings about this challenge were similar to my thoughts on college: I’m glad I did it, I learned a lot, I’m glad it’s done, and I don’t think it’s for everyone.
Inspired to try the 10 x 10 Challenge yourself? Or have you done one of these challenges before? I would love to hear about it!
Like what you read? Have more thoughts? Feel free to comment below!
To start, what exactly does “10 x 10 Challenge” mean? A person doing the 10 x 10 will pick out ten items of clothing from their closet, and then wear only different combinations of these clothes for ten days. My friend Eowyn asked me about it one day, and wanted to know my thoughts. The long text exchange that followed can be pretty much summed up as such: these challenges were invited by minimalists to prove how great their minimalist wardrobe is.
It presented Eowyn and I with a problem. Neither of us has a minimalist wardrobe or style (in fact I would call mine a version of maximalism) and we wondered – could a 10 x 10 be done when you wear a lot of pattern and color? Thus began our two week long experiment.
Each person who does the challenge follows their own set of rules, so here were the rules Eowyn and I settled on:
Socks, underwear, and leggings do not count
Tank tops count as underwear (no one sees them)
Shoes do count
Coats, hoodies, sweaters, jackets, etc. all count
Accessories do not count
Work days only (weekends were free game)
With these rules in mind, I boldly forged ahead.
— PRE-CHALLENGE THOUGHTS —
I went into this with the expectation of failure, but fully desiring to prove the failure wrong. I wanted to show that yes, this could be done by people who don’t have an entire wardrobe of neutrals. I also anticipated I would hate everything chosen by the end of the challenge. I essentially follow a similar concept when I travel – and usually by about day eight of travelling, I hate all of the clothes I brought.
As I crafted my list, I already felt dismal. How many different outfits can I really make with these items? Will I be repeating the same outfit a lot? What if the weather is _______? I find that my anxiety increases with a more restricted wardrobe. This, in turn, only makes me want to do this challenge more. Take that, anxiety.
I ended up choosing the following list:
black jeans – high rise
blue jeans – high rise
black tulle skirt
grey sweater with “Hello” on the front and “Goodbye” on the back
black blazer
cropped button down short sleeve shirt with a french bulldog print
floral sleeveless button down shirt
blue long sleeve shirt with black design
purple t-shirt with a whale design
dusty pink leather sneakers
As I lay in bed, looking at the clothes I would be wearing for the next ten workdays, I felt strangely comforted that I wouldn’t have to work as hard to choose my outfit in the morning. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all…
— DAY ONE —
Immediately out of the gate I realized an error – I live in Seattle, and fall is the beginning of the rainy season. It poured rain the entire day and I regretted not including a rain layer. After chatting with Eowyn, we each decided that our items needed an edit – Eowyn exchanged a sweater, and I settled on raincoat being an accessory (like an umbrella). You won’t see my raincoat in any of these pictures but I ended up needing one almost every single day.
The outfit itself was great! Comfortable, warm, and easy to move around in. I felt ready to take on the work day. The outfit was funky, fresh, and professional.
— DAY TWO —
The morning of day two, I was once again concerned. The shoes I’d chosen are starting to fall apart (very sad) and the weather said rain all week. I worried that daily wear would both ruin the shoes and make my feet cold/wet. However, after re-assessing my bookshelf of shoes, I determined that this pair really did match the best with all the items I had picked, and decided to continue on.
At work, I was in a comfortable, functional outfit yet again. I had a strange thought trickle into my brain: could this be a uniform that I could get behind? I’ve often debated the concept of wearing a uniform, which many successful people claim is a key to being successful. It’s easier to start your day if you know you’re wearing clothes you love, and you don’t have to think about it.
In this case the fun sweater over a sleeveless, printed button down with high rise, well fitting jeans, was an outfit I could imagine repeating over and over again. It was comfortable. It could be professional. It could be casual. It had layers. I didn’t have to adjust or mess with anything throughout the day. It was… perfect?
— DAY THREE —
A day of firsts – first go round of the blazer, first outfit with the tulle skirt, and first day that it was genuinely cold on my way to work. Hence the scarf (accessory…)
Once again, the joy and whimsy of my clothing was fresh. I was comfortable for a full day of work, and even after work activities! Day three was full blown confidence at its height. I was not only doing this challenge, but I was owning this challenge.
— DAY FOUR —
This was the first day where I really wanted to add, change, or swap items. I kept thinking, “Oh this outfit would look so cute with these brown shoes.” But I pushed through the desire and decided to jazz it up with some adorable sheep socks. The socks helped.
The struggle with a 10 x 10 challenge is the rigidness – there is, quite intentionally, no flexibility built in. What if it’s actually much colder than anticipated (which happened) or what if you have a work event where you have to be dressier than your ten items allow?
On day four I pondered more about the 10 x 10 and it’s long-term friend, the capsule wardrobe. Is this something I could really do long-term? I think perhaps I could but I would need more than ten items. I think I would land somewhere in the 15-20 range to be really comfortable, and even then, I wonder if the lack of variation would get to me?
— DAY FIVE —
I cheated this day, and wore a new par of shoes for two reasons:
I was really going for a #lewk with this outfit that could not be achieved with sneakers.
This challenge is supposed to be fun and I just. couldn’t. put. the. sneakers. on. another. day.
This was the first day where it felt really silly to force myself to wear something I dread whilst staring at an entire bookshelf of shoes that I own and could wear at any time…
The outfit itself was super fun! I felt magical and witchy, like I had just stepped out of a Ghibli film and would be whisked away to a fantastical adventure at any moment. Also the cute dessert socks matched perfect with the shirt so #win.
— END OF WEEK ONE THOUGHTS —
Something that no one talks about when they do one of these challenges is the surprise laundry. Maybe I’m just not accustomed to doing laundry very often (I am not) or maybe I’m just messier/sweatier than most fashionistas (I probably am) but twice this week I had to wash the floral shirt and sweater because I was too smelly or dropped some food on them. I would look with dismay, then go scrambling through my house to find viable other things to wash with them (one day it was towels) because I just can’t bear to run a load of laundry for only two items. And what if I had to pay for laundry?
It’s interesting, both the freedoms and limitations offered by this 10 x 10 challenge. On one hand, you’re forced to be more creative with outfit pairings and how/when/how often you’ll wear specific articles of clothing. In a way, this is freeing. Yet the limitations always came like a slap in the face. I can definitely say I was looking forward to wearing whatever I wanted that weekend.
This is a two part post. Next week I will go into week two – the last half of the challenge. Be sure to check back in for my final conclusions!
Like what you read? Have more thoughts? Feel free to comment below!
Curly.Curvy.Candid 