I had an incredible time taking part in this summer’s 10×10 wardrobe challenge hosted by Caroline of Un-Fancy, and Lee of Style Bee. It’s been almost two years since I had done a wardrobe challenge before this one, and this was a super fun, low-pressure way to dive back in.
I included 10 pieces in my mini-capsule wardrobe, but only ended up wearing 9 of them. I included: 4 shirts, 1 skirt, 1 pair of jeans, 2 dresses, and 2 pairs of shoes; and ended up not wearing one of the dresses.
In this review, I’ll wrap up this challenge with a couple of review questions, my own standard review Qs, plus some 10×10 wardrobe challenge specific ones from Caroline’s wrap up post.
Shall we dive in?
What worked?
What worked – most things in this challenge worked, which is always a fantastic feeling. Most of the wardrobe pieces worked, and they worked well together. Most of the blogging and documenting parts worked as well.
I think the things that worked particularly well were:
1) having a focus for the wardrobe and the challenge. I wanted to experiment with styling tee shirts, which I’ve never worn a ton before.
2) photographing all the possible outfit combinations before hand and then sharing which one I wore that particular day, rather than trying to take a photo, edit it, post it, and write about it each day. This took a ton of pressure off, and I think if I had done it the other way, I’m pretty sure I’d have given up sharing outfits halfway through.
There are a couple things I’d tweak, and keep in mind for next time, but on the whole I think this was a smashing success!
What didn’t?
Like I said, most things worked in this challenge, but the main thing that didn’t work was one piece in my wardrobe.
I added a semi-dressy dress to my wardrobe at the last minute. Because my aim for this challenge was focused on tee shirts, this was a kind of as a “just in case” piece – just in case I needed something a little more put together.
But I didn’t actually end up wearing my “just in case” dress, and sort of wished I had swapped it out for some sandals instead.
Did your clothes work for the weather?
Yep! I was a little worried that we might have a chillier morning or evening than I had planned my wardrobe for (no light sweaters, no summer sweatshirts, etc.), but everything ended up working out fine. And if I had run into this problem I could have worn my green plaid button up as an over-shirt (like I did on Day 6).
Did you wear anything that wasn’t included in your 10 pieces?
Other than accessories, undergarments, PJs, and workout wear – nope!
How did laundry work out?
Hand-washing individual pieces, plus spot cleaning took care of everything over the two weeks. Though I am now tossing everything I normally machine-wash into the laundry bag for a more thorough cleaning.
Which outfit was your favorite?
I think it’s a toss up between the outfit I wore on Day 2: green plaid button up shirt (made by me), black jeans (Uniqlo), plus Salome Buttero boots (Dr. Martens’). And the outfit I wore on Day 5: soup tee-shirt (Uniqlo), black & white abstract maxi dress (H&M), plus Salome Buttero boots (Dr. Martens’) again.
Which outfit was the most outside your comfort zone?
Most definitely what I wore on Day 6: green plaid button up shirt (made by me), soup tee-shirt (Uniqlo), silk skirt (made by me), plus sneakers (Nike). But I figure that the whole point of a wardrobe challenge is to try new things, so I went with it.
What to keep in mind for next time?
For next time I want to keep in mind that:
- This was a TON of fun – so do it (even if it seems like an inopportune time).
- Three pairs of shoes might seem excessive for 10 days, but then again, they might not be, so consider it.
- On days when you have nothing to say, you have nothing to say! Let that be ok.
And that’s that! I hope you enjoyed this 10×10 wardrobe challenge as much as I did, either as a participant or just as an observer.