30 for 30: April 2015 recap

Ta da!

All of my 30 outfits, in one place. Just what you were hoping for on a beautiful Colorado Saturday morning :)

day 1 // day 2 + 3 // day 4 // day 5

What have I learned completing this challenge FOUR (4! yes, FOUR!) times now?

day 6 // day 7 // day 8 + 9 // day 10 

It's important to pick items that go (not match, just go). All black, all gray, all brown, all blue, etc. But it's also important to have a few items that require creativity. Prints, layers, things I might not normally pair together, or items I don't wear that often because I'm stumped on how to style them.

day 11 + 12 // day 13 + 14 // day 15 

This challenge always reinforces to me that less is more. Truly, truly, truly. 

Case in point: I created almost 30 different outfits with 30 items, including shoes and light jackets. 

I've got plans to go through my wardrobe (yet again) and pare down even more. I recently switched out my winter items for my spring & summer clothes. I thought I had more winter clothes than summer, but, nope. Turns out I have more summer clothes - they take up significantly more space in my closet than my winter clothes, except for my sweaters...riddle me that.

day 16 // day 17 + 18 // day 19 + 20

I also unearthed that the next time I do this challenge, I don't want to include light jackets/outerwear in my 30 items. And here's why - I tend to wear those jackets to & from somewhere, not during whatever activity I'm doing (usually working). So, from here on out, blazers are part of the 30, but faux leather jackets are not. Either are heavy winter coats, down vests, ski jackets, or things that I will take off once I enter my destination/layers that go OVER my clothes, that are designed to keep me warm. Follow?

day 21 + 22 // day 23 // day 24 + 25

Additionally, it's hard to dress for spring. Is it going to be warm? Cold? Why am I wearing so many dark colors in the spring? Why won't winter go away? Is it going to snow? I don't want to wear a heavy sweater, but it's less than 40 degrees right now. I could wear skirts and dresses, but I'm trying to move past tights for this season. The struggle is real, folks.

#springtimeintheRockies

day 26 + 27 // day 28 // day 29 + 30

So, there you have it. This time wasn't quite AS eye-opening as previous challenges, BUT it did reinforce what I already know, and serve as a great reminder of those lessons.

What's your favorite outfit from my 30? I've got a few:

day 1 //  day 4 // day 6 // day 15 // day 30

And some least favorites...

day 3 // day 5 // day 21 // day 26

See my 30 items here

Thank you for reading!

30 for 30: capping it off

I had a distinct thought at the end of this 30 for 30 go-round:

“This was a lot less painful than previous ones.” 

June 2013 // November 2013 // October 2014

1 & 2 // 3 & 4 // 6

I like to think it’s because I’ve matured, and my style has, too. I find myself being drawn to simple looks more than I was in the past. Solid colors, neutrals, basics, one really great pair of boots in a beautiful brown and a great bag in black. My 14, 18, and even 21 year old self would have dubbed my current self boring, especially when boots come in all colors of the rainbow (red! purple! green!) , and tried to convince me that more purses = more fun (really, I had TONS of bags. none that really fit my everyday needs, though. yes, they were cute, and yes, they were plentiful and colorful, but my smaller purse collection now has me pretty satisfied. however, if I were to happen upon the perfect bag, so be it).

7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11

So, this time, I started with a more condensed closet, more pieces that I really like and reflect me, now. From there, I chose pieces that I thought would play nicely together – gray, black, navy, a few “wild cards,” but overall, the ability to create more cohesive looks, instead of a few really great looks, and a lot more “meh” looks.

13 // 14 // 15 & 16 // 17

I’m still so intrigued by the idea of a “capsule wardrobe.” I keep thinking of things I could replace in my closet (getting rid of 2 or 3 pairs of “meh” black flats for THE pair), or what my “capsule wardrobe” would be comprised of:

all black? all navy? all gray?

all animal print? all stripes? all neutrals?

all button-ups and skinnies?

17 // 18 // 19 & 20 // 21

And while I intend to strive for a “less is more” wardrobe filled with the perfect (for me) pieces that fit and flatter, I’m also thankful that I have the closet I have now. Not just that it’s large enough that I can continue to whittle it down and “curate” it, but that it currently contains things I bought in the past that I might be too apprehensive to try now; that it has variety; that lots of things in there fit me at different sizes; that is has a lot of colors and styles to play with; that it’s something I put together over time, not over the course of a few days; that it covers me and keeps me warm.

22 // 23 & 24 // 25 // 27

Sure, there’s pieces I would love to add, and even today I got the itch to go to Target – not because I NEED anything, but because I wanted to satisfy a shopping itch. I’m really learning a lot about myself, my lifestyle, my motivations, and my choices the more I blog about my style. It’s really making me questions some past wardrobe-related decisions:

why did I buy so many tank tops?

why did I ever wear baby doll tops? 

why did I think stepping on the hem of my jeans was ok (not cool, but ok)?

28 // 29 & 30 // 31 + new boots

It’s fun to have this facet of my life documented and be able to see the evolution happening and the wheels turning.

See my list of 30 items here.

Workin' Girl

This is what I wore on my last day at my old job this past Friday. I'm still at the same University, but now in a different department. I left on great terms and it was really tough to leave! I've really enjoyed the people I worked with there, but am looking forward to new responsibilities & challenges in my new position.

Shirt: WalMart

Skirt: Urban Outfitters via clothing swap 

Sandals: Maurice's

This is what I wore to my first day at my new job yesterday. I scored this dress at Kohl's over the weekend with some Kohl's cash and a coupon. I'm trying to find dresses that provide more coverage so I can wear them to work - easier said than done, my friends. 

Things went well my first day, but you know how you can't really jump into a new job the first day? There's lots of paperwork and processes and orientations and trainings to go through? I'm ready to be done with those and into my new support role! Of course, I know I won't learn it all in a day, but I'm ready to get rolling with the learning and the doing :)

This super cute clutch is from Aéro - they sent it to me before their Aéro Rocks Fashion event last week. It's the perfect size for when I don't want to carry TOO much, but need more than what can fit in my little carry-all wallet.

Unrelated to switching jobs and outfits, I'm going to discontinue my "monthly outfit recaps." They're a lot of work to summarize what I posted just days ago, and they feel redundant to me. Please let me know if you think otherwise. Are there any topics you'd like to see more of? Running, budgeting, living within our means, my supersweetsupercute dogs?

Dress: Kohl's

Wedges: DSW

belt: thrifted

clutch: c/o Aéropostale

linking up over here today

30 for 30: What I did/didn't do/learned/saw/discovered/decided

Above are the items I started my 30 for 30 challenge with. I tried to choose some things that would lend themselves to mixing & matching, and some that would stand on their own. Not sure how well those ideas worked out in practice, but that was the thought I started with.

And here is what I came up with. All 30 of them. Any favorites? 

So let's recap/reflect, shall we?

What I learned from my first 30 for 30 challenge...

- I get dressed a lot faster with less items to choose from. My Mr. thinks I should always do a 30 for 30 for this reason alone...

- I love to wear my white sandals.

- It's too hot for pants.

- Next time, I should choose items that are all brown OR black (or all tan, etc.), not a black blazer with brown wedges.

- I think this challenge would be easier for me in the winter - I could layerlayerlayer and come up with different combinations to my hearts content.

- More neutral shoes might have been a better choice, instead of pink sneaks & sparkly white ones.

- This past month has made me realize I really don't need any more clothes - I need to pare down my HUGE closet AGAIN and keep what I LOVE and reflects ME, and is flattering. So, why did I go shopping this month? Great question, friends. The items I bought weren't that expensive - but maybe that's the issue. I buy inexpensive (but cute!) things and then just hang onto them foreverrrrr. Ask my BFF, she'll tell you.

- I'm impressed with myself that I kept this up and didn't flake out. Not that I'm flaky, but it would have been easy to throw my hands up in frustration and call it quits.

- This challenge made me experience a whole range of emotions regarding blogging: overwhelmed, excited, underwhelmed with myself, sad, happy, excited, apprehensive, and looking forward to posting. Sometimes, all within 1 day!

- Packing only a carry on with only these 30 items to choose from was pretty simple.

- I sometimes looked forward to having a limited number of items to choose from when getting dressed - less decisions to make.

- But I was also really excited to have full use of my closet again :)

So, there it is! I did it! Maybe I'll do one again this fall or winter. What do you think about completing one? I can only recommend it! Any other challenges I should try?

Happy Tuesday!

Aaaaand, I'm linking up today with My Thrifty Chic :)

May Outfit Recap

This was May for me and my little blog. We started with snow and ended with green green grass. And now we're into summer. But are we though? Really? The weather seems to be all over the place. I sound like a broken record, dontcha know? 

Maybe this is just me, but I have a hard time transitioning from winter/spring to spring/summer. Not in the way you'd think. Just hear me out. I LOVE summer - love love LOVE it! But, every year, without fail, I forget how hot it can get. I try to wear layers like I did all winter, and then I'm roasting. It takes me a few weeks to remember that I don't need to wear 800 layers - really, more than 2 is too many. Same issue as we head into colder weather. I wear a light jacket and forget how cold it can get. It's not that I have a short memory, or am unfamiliar with changing weather. I think I just get so used to layering and trying to dress warmly that I forget how to dress for hot weather. Anyways, don't worry - I will figure it out. Eventually. I don't need counseling or meds, but maybe some flashcards? I kid. 

Anyhoo, I repeated some items and wore some for the first time this season, and some for the first time ever. Any critiques/ideas/challenges for me? Remember, I am doing 30 for 30, but that will (eventually) end and when it does, I'll have access to my whole closet. I'm not sure yet how to feel about that - it's so full that sometimes it's pretty overwhelming...

UPDATE
Sorry friends, but there will be no Mr. Picks Mondays during my 30 for 30. He told me it's not that he doesn't like the 30 items I've picked out, but they don't provide him with a lot of "inspiration." So we'll pick back up with our regularly scheduled programming in July. Hope you'll still stick around!

April Outfit Recap

Here's a collage of the oufits I posted in April, for all you visual learners out there. Obviously I got dressed the other 14 days of the month, but these were the ones worth sharing on the days that also I put some effort into my hair & makeup (get more sleep or do my hair & makeup? it's a debate I have every. single. day).

My goal in doing this is to see what I do & don't like, see what is worth remixing, and see what needs to go. And also to evaluate my posing skills & choice of landscapes - I kid. But really, I do need to take some photos not by our apartment...Goal #1: take pictures somewhere other than by our apartment. 

I feel like I'm back in school and writing an analysis paper on the pros & cons of what I wore, how to fix it/make it better/make a profit (I was a business major), what I would change, and what I learned in summary. Maybe I should throw in a profit & loss statement, or some currency conversations for good measure. Just kidding - don't get me started on currency conversions. That's a story for another day when we have absolutely nothing to talk about, and you have a serious question about international finance...

Observations:

- Annie likes to wear brown boots.

- She likes to wear bright colors, purple & pink (not necessarily together).

- Scarves are pretty great.

- Annie likes to smirk.

- Apparently, she also loves to wear maxi skirts.

- She is into skinnies, even though her Mr. is not.

- She likes to dress in layers.

From the above observations, I have come up with these goals for our participant:

1. Take pictures somewhere other than by your apartment

2. Incorporate different hemlines & silhouettes by wearing more dresses, skirts, maybe even shorts?!

3. Continue to mix textures

4. Print mix more!

In conclusion, we can confidently say that Annie is coming out of her wardrobe shell, and is getting away from being matchy-matchy & boring. She still has some work to do, but she is making progress, and we estimate that with the implementation of the four goals stated above, next month's report will receive even higher scores. She should also get herself out of bed in the morning to work out, and then make herself look nice, because she knows she should.