Goodness, outfits have not quite gone according to plan this week. There have been weather changes, accidental switches, and more than one outfit that just didn’t work. But before I get into all of that, if you don’t know what a 10 item wardrobe is (hint: it’s not exactly 10 items) you can read Define Your Style through the 10 Item Wardrobe to get caught up to speed. You can also read Week 1 Reflections and Week 2 Reflections if you’d like to see more outfits that I created using the 10 Item Wardrobe approach. Now let’s talk about Week 3 Reflections. Here are the outfits I planned on wearing at the beginning of the week:
Outfit’s I Didn’t Wear and Why
If you read last week’s reflections, you know that I was planning on trying to pair a top with my chambray dress. The dress/top combo looked ok, I think it would work better if I had a different dress. I’m getting rid of this dress y’all. (I still say y’all sometimes, even though I only lived in Texas for 3 years) I’m tired of trying it different ways, tired of talking about it, you’re probably tired of hearing about it. So, that makes 25 items of clothing in my spring wardrobe if you’re counting.
The next outfit I didn’t wear was this striped shirt and floral skirt. Even while I was planning to put these two together, I had my doubts. I wanted to stretch my comfort zone and create outfits I’d never worn before, so I went ahead and planned on wearing these together. In Week 1 Reflections I talk about mixing patterns and paying attention to scale. Each print should be in contrast to the other. For example, a big, spaced out floral and a thin, close together stripe. I think the stripe is just a little too big on this shirt to pair with the skirt, they feel like they are competing with each other. When the husband and best friend both voted no, I knew it wasn’t just in my head.
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Striped Button Up | Skirt, old (similar) | Earrings, old style (similar)
Please excuse the messy room. I didn’t plan on sharing this, but wanted to show you what I meant about the scale of pattern. And yes, that is hat hair.
I didn’t wear the patterned top and the jogger pants, but I still plan to. I discovered a problem in my wardrobe that I need to remedy first. My favorite tank top that I’ve been wearing on repeat for the last several months shows under this top. Not in a cute a cute way, but in a that looks weird way. The back of the tank comes up too high and shows above the shirt. First time I’ve run into this problem, so they are still a favorite, but I’m going to have to find a different cut to pair with a few of my summer tops. I have 2 other styles of tank tops that were in the wash, so I’ll have to try those later.
Outfits I Wore But Didn’t Love
This outfit was not planned, a result of the above poor outfit choices. It’s really not one of my favorites, and I’ll speculate as to why. The linen tee and jeggings are both dark and I really like to have contrast in my outfits. I should try this tee with my lighter jeans (they were in the wash). The salmon cardigan helps, but I don’t like that it is the same color as my shoes, too matchy-matchy. I was running late and just put on the closest pair of sneakers I could find. Also, the linen tee has a small stain that I can’t get out along the neckline. It is probably completely invisible to anyone else, but I know it’s there and now I don’t want to wear it. One of the downsides of a small wardrobe is keeping up with the laundry. The linen tee was clean, linen tee it is.
Linen Tee, old (similar style) | Cardigan, old | Jeggings | Keds | Earrings | Ray Bans
The Outfits I Liked
I just want to wear this button up with everything. I love navy, love the pattern, love it with my favorite casual t-shirt. I was wishing for a pair of neutral sneakers for the 20th time (for sure going on the “to buy” list), but the leopard print works too.
Gingham Button Up | Jeggings | Sneakers, old (similar) | Earrings, old style (similar)
I wore the coral (salmon? idk…) striped tank and cardigan combo again, but this time with dark denim instead of white pants. (which you can see here) Really comfortable, really easy. Wore it with my ages old sandals that I hope to replace soon. Darn this no shopping craziness I signed myself up for.
Cardigan, old | Striped Tee, old | Jeggings | Earrings
Ok, so I accidentally wore this outfit instead of the one that I had planned. I knew I was planning on wearing the white linen tee and the striped button up together, and I knew I was planning on wearing jogger pants. So I put them together and really loved it. Later I realized I meant to wear the tops with jeans, which I think I will also really like. So, a goal accomplished. I want a wardrobe that easily mixes and matches, this outfit was a great example.
Striped Button Up | Linen Tank, old (similar) | Necklace, Stitch Fix | Jogger Pants, old | Earrings
This outfit was so fun. My sidekick is pretty cool too. It’s a long sleeve tee and jeans, you can’t get more basic or comfortable without wearing sweatpants. The right accessories can really make it stand out though. Add leopard print and a cute hat and all of the sudden jeans and a tee look put together. I plan on this formula being a summer staple, swapping long sleeves and jeans for short sleeves/tanks and shorts.
Long Sleeve Tee | Boyfriend Jeans | Sneakers, old (similar) | Earrings, old style (similar) | Hat
Saturday morning left me without an outfit planned, so I pulled on my favorite black and white striped tee to discover it has a hole in it. I am really, really sad about this. (Down to 24 items!) You can find a long sleeve striped tee just about anywhere, but I really loved that this one was light weight, and had interesting details like drop shoulder seams and a unique hemline. Banana Republic only has size large left. 🙁 So instead I pulled on this striped button up and just, you know, buttoned it up. Sometimes simple is best.
Striped Button Up | Jeggings | Keds | Earrings | Ray Bans
Ok, so next weeks outfits could get kind of dicey, I’m running out of new ways to wear the same items. It’s also supposed to be cold this week, so some of the outfits I planned might not work. I might just re-wear some outfits I’ve already shared.
A little recap of lessons learned from this week:
- After 3 failed attempts to make an item work, it’s probably time to part with that item.
2. I like contrast in my outfits.
3. Contrast the size of patterns.
4. I need to do more laundry.
Thanks for reading, have a great week!
****UPDATE**** If you would like to read the conclusion to the challenge, you can read 10 Lessons I Learned from the 10 Item Wardrobe.
