T E N items, over T E N days, to create T E N outfits.
I just finished up participating in the Fall 10 x 10 Challenge, created by Lee Vosburgh and co-hosted by Lee and Caroline Rector. It was my first time taking part in a 10 x 10 wardrobe challenge. I can honestly say I enjoyed it, it was easier than I thought, and also harder than I thought, it confirmed some things that I knew about myself, and taught me some new things too.
According to the guidelines, the items for the challenge include shoes and outerwear, but do not include accessories, pajamas/loungewear, and workout clothing. Here are the ten items I chose:
Tops: Everlane: The Pima Micro Rib Turtleneck, Target (A New Day): Leopard Print Pullover Sweater, Everlane: The Pima Micro Rib Long-Sleeve Crew, Old Tee (handed-down from my husband)
Bottoms: Levi’s: 501 Skinny Selvedge Jeans, Madewell: Skinny Overalls Eco Edition
Dress: Nordstrom (BP): Ribbed Henley Midi Dress
Jacket: Madewell Utility Jacket (old) (this year’s version)
Shoes: Nisolo: Ama Mules, Converse: Chuck Taylor II
Why I enjoyed the 10 x 10 Challenge.
- I think it is exciting to try new things and I like being challenged in ways that are fun for me, and that inspire learning and growth.
- The mix of pieces I selected allowed for easy outfits that I liked to wear.
- The community of people who did this together, inspiring one another and supporting one another, was beyond what I imagined it would be.
Why the 10 x 10 Challenge was easy.
- I picked versatile pieces that were a good mix between tops, bottoms, shoes, plus a dress. This allowed me to easily put together ten outfits; I could have made even more.
- Having a small amount of set options gave me such ease in the morning. I was never frantically trying to put together an outfit before running out the door in the midst of the morning rush. It was a departure from being ‘queen of the last minute.’ Ha!
Why the 10 x 10 Challenge was hard.
- I felt good the first few days, but by day five I started to feel a bit tired of re-wearing the same items. That feeling increased from then through day ten.
- The weather ended up being quite a bit colder than it normally is during this time of year in Nashville. I only had one jacket in my ten items, and I almost didn’t add it; it was the last item I picked. Because of that, I ended up having to wear that same jacket almost daily. It worked out because it went well with all of the other pieces I chose, but I did get sick of wearing it.
- I normally dress according to how I am feeling, and styling outfits is a creative outlet for me. The piece limit in the challenge took away the freedom that I normally have and like, to be creative and dress for how I feel (expressed most accurately and easily with access to my entire wardrobe). I could still dress for how I felt on a smaller level within the items I had, but the limit made things feel less creative to me, not more creative.
How the 10 x 10 Challenge confirmed things that I already knew about myself.
- Although I am aiming to have a more intentional, thoughtful wardrobe that is smaller than I have had in the past, I am just not a minimalist. This challenge is a fun reminder of not having an excessive wardrobe, but I will not live the capsule wardrobe lifestyle (for now anyways — never say never!). I tried it once with my maternity wardrobe when I was pregnant with Ezra and it worked well, since maternity clothes are a temporary thing, but I personally can’t see doing it long-term (two cheers for the people who do it!).
- I wear a mostly neutral palette, but without the portion of my wardrobe where the prints and colors live, I don’t feel like myself and feel “starved” for some whimsey.
What the 10 x 10 Challenge taught me.
- I can push myself to make sure that my basic pieces are minimal. (i.e. I do not need five plain black shirts)
- It was a helpful reminder to not be excessive overall — this includes buying multiples of favorite things and carrying an abundance of pieces in my closet. This also carries over into life, house decor, toys for my kids, anything that I can end up getting too much of.
- Learning to style outfits in a piece limit is helpful for packing when we travel. I have always been such an over-packer. I think a piece limit with versatile items would be ideal when we are limited on space.
What worked in the 10 x 10 Challenge.
- Overall, the mix of items that I had felt like me and my style, just toned down a little bit. I aimed for variety, wearability, and function with the weather, and I feel like I achieved that, for the most part.
- The Levi’s were the most “me” — I love denim so much.
- My two shoe choices definitely represented me, what I wear most, and my current style. Having two shoes that were completely different styles allowed me to totally change the feel of an outfit, just by swapping the shoes.
- I loved having the old tee and the leopard sweater, those were very “me”. The sweater added a subtle print, but is also neutral and versatile. The vintage tee added interest with the graphic print, but is neutral colors as well.
- The green jacket is very fall-ish and worked great; it could be added to every single outfit that I wore.
What I could have done better in the 10 x 10 Challenge.
- I liked what I picked but I knew going into it that I would miss having more color and prints.
- The overalls were a fun pick, but by the end I wondered if black skinny jeans might have been a more wearable choice with the tops I selected.
- Overall, I probably played it safe, easily creating ten outfits with what I picked. (safe pieces — not much whimsey) I like variety way more than repetition. It is definitely tricky to balance fun and function in a ten piece collection.
- I could have pushed myself further with accessories. This could have brought in more whimsey and fun. I like accessories but tend to wear less of them these days because they often feel “fussy” as I am running around with my kiddos all day.
Final thoughts on the 10 x 10 Challenge.
- Minimalism is outside of my comfort zone. It’s the opposite of what I am prone to. Although that is the case, I think it’s an important consideration and it moves me towards intentionality and responsibility.
- With this first challenge under my belt, if I do this again, I could push myself further to add in pieces that help make the collection feel even more like me (more variety in colors, and a print or two), even if styling outfits becomes more challenging in the piece limit.
- I tried to stick close to the rules so I could get the full experience of what it was meant to be. If I go for a second round, I would not include shoes and possibly not include outerwear, and then I would reduce the number of overall pieces because of that.
- I am not a planner, but this challenge took planning and the reward was some ease in getting dressed each morning. Having a rough outline of my wardrobe has helped me to see where I have too much and where I am lacking things. More on that to come! Soon I will share my journey through having kids and now re-building my wardrobe!
You’re beautiful; inside and out. Loved catching up and reading about what’s new in your life. I definitely need to take more of a minimalist approach to life. Kids make that even more difficult! Thanks for sharing. Love you lots, friend!
Thanks friend! Oh, agreed! Kiddos definitely make it super challenging. Miss you so much!
Hey Michelle, I’m intrigued by this challenge. The cultural part of me is a consumer, and I have a pretty well stocked closet as a result. However, my natural inclination is more minimalistic and so the resulting reactions to my closet (and so many other areas of my life) are feelings of being overwhelmed. Too much choice, too many options overwhelm me, but because I’m a product of my culture and social group, I do fall into the same patterns of buying in excess as most of us do.
I think this challenge would help me look at my clothing choices, and the underlying trappings of consumerism, in a different light and might help me find a little freedom.
Would you mind sharing the parameters, please?
I can identify with so many of the things you have said! I am not prone to minimalism, but I still absolutely feel overwhelmed with all of the “stuff” we have, in wardrobes and other things in life. The consumerism is definitely easy to get caught up in. Also, the devastating effects that happen from garment production on both people and the earth. I highly recommend watching the documentary, “True Cost”, if you have not already seen it. Yes, I recommend trying the challenge! The guidelines are to pick ten items from your closet and this includes shoes and outerwear. You wear only those ten items over a ten day time period. Not included in the ten items are any accessories like say, a hat, also pajamas/loungewear and workout clothes.