The Summer 10×10 challenge is fast-approaching (start date: July 27th) and while my Instagram is abuzz with participants, I would like to make a quick invite to grad students/academics out there. A 10×10 is a 10-day challenge where you pick 10 items of clothes and remix them into 10 days of outfits. (More on that here!). I’ve completed 4 challenges now and I think they’re a great opportunity for grad students in particular! Here’s why:
So it turns out that when you stop buying all of your clothes from Forever 21 (ok but still some of them..), they can also last a lot longer…and they can last even longer if you do some basic maintenance to keep them looking nice. I feel that no one ever told me this?? In the last year I’ve been taking some baby steps toward being an adult when it comes to clothing maintenance. Here’s what I’ve been up to that I’ve found worth my time/money.
This season marks my three year anniversary of dressing using a capsule wardrobe, and I have no idea how I got dressed before I made the change! If you don’t know what a capsule is, it’s based on the idea that too many clothing options lead to decision fatigue, and dressing with less options will maximize your wardrobe. Caroline, over at Un-Fancy, suggests 37 pieces, and the idea is that they should all focus on a similar style and color palette. Here’s a get started guide if you’re interested.
When I first got a capsule, I was in love with allll the colors (teal, seafoam, lavender, blues, red, pinks, yellows….to name a few), and I basically quit color all together, because I realized that if you buy only neutrals everything matches. Lately I’ve been missing color, though, so I am working on incorporating more color into my capsules. Here are my picks for this spring and summer:
My ideas for how to bring color back into my life are pretty apparent in this pic:
-Select only a couple of colors
-Pick colors that pair well
-Focus on adding color with accessories
-Steal Home Depot paint chips to keep myself on track (taping these up next to my closet has been helpful and reminded me of what colors I should focus on)
I’ve been enjoying this tomato red and yellow so far. Here’s a link to my pretty yellow sandals, red purse, and all the bandanas.