Oh hey there! Remember last week’s post about this little style challenge (a.k.a the spring 10×10 style challenge) I decided to do?
Well I finished it!
Hurrah!
It was… interesting. I loved it, I hated it, I was glad for it, I got annoyed with it…
Bottom line?
It was good for me.
So here are my thoughts on the challenge:
- Living with only ten items is a lot harder than it seems.
I thought it would be easy, peasy since I picked pieces that were tried and true. And while it was easy, it was also so… boring. The only piece that really excited me was the linen dress, but everything else was a bit too basic. But I think that’s also the the nature of living with only ten items. You really do have to select pieces that are versatile which means that they run the risk of not being overly exciting.
Lesson learned: while basics are important, so are pieces that are a little less versatile and a little more interesting. No wardrobe is complete without a good balance of both.
2.
I thought I would be okay with such a small number of clothing because “I just wear the same things all the time anyway”, but as it turns out I actually wear more variety than I thought I did… which means I was dressing much more subconsciously than I thought.
Lesson learned: I need to be more “conscious” about my dressing so I can hone in even more on what clothes I like to wear and what clothes I don’t like to wear. In other words, I think I can whittle down my style aesthetic even more so that my closet is truly only filled with pieces that I absolutely love and adore. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I still have some fringe pieces in my wardrobe that I think could make a friend or family member more happy than they make me.
3.
I like blue tones more than I thought I did. I didn’t realize it until after I took this Instagram photo, but my tones were all blue. That really surprised me! I’ve always thought that my favorite colors to wear were red or pink, but after putting these pieces together, I’m realizing how much I really do enjoy blue. Who would have thought!?
Lesson learned: pay attention to what your closet is telling you. Sometimes you don’t realize a certain taste or preference until you can see it happening in front of you. That sounds odd, but I think sometimes we can elevate what we want to like over what we actually do like.
In summary: I still love every single piece that I chose and will continue to wear them frequently, but focusing on such a small group of clothing made me really appreciate the rest of my wardrobe.
So would I do it again? Absolutely! But next time I plan to jazz it up a bit.
Here are my ten outfits:
What about you? Did you participate in the spring 10×10 style challenge? If so, what did you learn? If not, would you be willing to try something like it? Let me know in the comments below!
Also, stay tuned for next week! I have an exciting announcement to share with y’all (eek!).
Until next time,
I participated while being on holiday for ten days, which seemed like a good idea, but I ended up struggling. The temperatures changed higher than forecasted in one city (80 degrees!) and the second city we were in had colder temps than predicted! So I ended up buying a outfit for hiking in one city, and a thick hoody sweater for the other. I also packed two items that never left the suitcase – both recent purchases I hadn’t worn yet – one became too wrinkled to wear and was dry clean only (doh!) and the other was a great dress that simply felt too dressy (even though it’s not at all). What I learned is that trying to get outfit shots while on vacation is hard to do, and not having access to washing machines is even harder. But a good long soft cardigan can help to cure any wardrobe deficiences.
Oh that would be hard! I definitely don’t think I would want to do it on vacation for all of the reasons you listed haha! Vacations are meant for relaxation. 😉 But that’s why these challenges are so good right? They teach us so much about reality vs. fantasy in our wardrobes. Hope you had a good vacation!
I can see how having only 10 pieces can be a bit boring after so long. However, I think you came up with great combinations! I, also, love that you found out things about your wardrobe that you did not see before doing this challenge. It seems that you have a fresh outlook on your wardrobe, which is great after doing the 10×10 challenge. I really want to try this challenge, because I feel I finally have a wardrobe that can sustain itself with only 10 pieces. This morning, I found myself staring at my wardrobe wondering what to wear, and that tells me I may have some pieces that are becoming fillers. I may shoot for the second week in May, after school is finished for the semester. Right now, there is just too much happening to even thing about downsizing my wardrobe.
Thanks Erin! Hopefully we’ll see you in the summer challenge. 🙂 And I don’t blame you… definitely focus on school and then worry about your wardrobe. It’ll wait right? 🙂
I’m excited to plug into your blog! I’ve just started to learn about minimalism-I know a little slow. Quick off the cusp question, I have several high waisted jeans & need a few crop tops to complete the look. Any ideas where to find? Thanks!
Not slow! It’s your perfect timing. 😉 Everlane has some great ones that they just released! Definitely check them out… they are one of the more affordable ethical fashion brands.