13 April, 2012
Style

The 15/30 Project – half-way through!

13 April, 2012

It has now been two and a half weeks since I began The 15/30 Project. In case you missed my first post explaining it here, the 15/30 Project is where you take fifteen items of clothing and create a “capsule wardrobe” that you wear for 30 days straight. The idea is to really get you to wear and appreciate what you own instead of just going out and buying more clothing, and the aim is to reverse fast-fashion or at least slow it down a bit. Shoes and accessories are unlimited as are gym clothes, sleep clothes and swimsuits.

The project also states that you can’t shop for the month and that you should document your outfits with photos… and said photos are scattered throughout this post!

Here’s a reminder of my fifteen pieces:

The Clothing
First, let me say that I have become much more creative with my clothing and how I wear it. I have pulled out my fitted black skirt (typically banished to night-time attire only) and worn it during the day with casual heels and a denim top. I have dressed up and down the blouses and pulled out chunky necklaces from the depths of my jewellery box. There are the yellow pants and the print tops, but that is it for colourful clothing amongst my fifteen pieces – so I immediately went out and had the brightest red mani and pedi done, and have been sporting orange or fuchsia lips nearly every day!

This project also made me appreciate just how a versatile a white button down shirt can be. This may be a given to everyone else, but I typically wear all the prints and colour I can get on my body at once, so toning it down a bit and appreciating a simple piece is really a new concept for me.

The Challenge
Honestly though, I am sick of my fifteen pieces. My man is threatening to burn my tan cardigan! I think he misses seeing me in my pretty girly dresses and skirts… or he just misses seeing my legs and/or arms in general. For a while, I was started calling it the “Black Pants Project” because those seemed to be my everyday attire!  I neglected to include a coat in the mix, which proved to be a challenge in the first week when it was still chilly in the evenings. To remedy that, I just wrapped the biggest scarf around me and adamantly proclaimed its “accessory” status!

The white tux jacket was a bad choice. I should have added one more blouse into the mix because between the heat, my ability to spill anything and everything on myself, and the week that it takes to get something dry-cleaned, I am quickly running out of clothing! Also, I work as a photographer full-time so I am frequently lying on the ground to get the shot. Fitted white satin jackets are actually the worst thing to wear to do this in, so the denim shirt has proved to be the best option time and again.

After the first 14 days, I made a list of every combination that would be presentable and now am just deferring to my master list instead of actually thinking about what to wear. I must say, it takes far less time to get dressed in the morning!

The Shopping Ban
The style blogger portion of my job involves me going to stores day in and day out to tell you, the reader, what is new and cool and what you may want to include in your cupboard. This is a bad situation for someone who is not supposed to shop! Now, I can say that I have not purchased any clothing these past two and a half weeks. I did, however, pick up a necklace that I had a gift card for. I also bought an amazing beaded clutch from a friends’ new start-up line. Lastly, I bought a few bits of lingerie at Sheer, which was much needed! The attendant told me that it does not qualify as clothing because you wouldn’t wear it out alone. So with that justification, I shall again say that I have not bought any clothing during the challenge. And really this project was about clothing… not accessories and lingerie. It’s a grey area really, so I’ll let you make the call.

I have realised that I am a bit of a masochist because I have found a new sick pleasure in trying on armloads of clothing at Zara and then handing it all back to the dressing room attendant. This could prove to be good after the challenge is over as well, so I can get the rush from trying something on but save my credit cards the torture of actually purchasing it!

The Documentation
Far too many self-portraits have been taken over these past few weeks! My man came home early to see me scampering through the house in towering heels and the clothing from the previous night because “I forgot to take a picture and I have to document!” Luckily, I have my own studio so I have just been putting the camera on a tripod and snapping a few shots with a remote. Finding new ways to hide the remote has proved to be very fun… almost like Where’s Wally… behind a purse, in the pocket, in the hair, etc. At least my mom in the States can feel like she is seeing more of me… even if it’s only on Pinterest!

Almost Done
One and a half weeks left! I am really looking forward to wearing a colourful dress again! It is officially spring and my pastels and florals are calling! This is my favourite time of year and I love pulling out last season’s winners and reworking them into this year’s trends. I will continue on with the rest of project, and hopefully, will realise that I truly can get by with less. This has certainly made me more inventive with what I already own. If I can channel this creativity into the rest of my wardrobe once the 15/30 Project ends, then the combinations will be limitless! I may never need to shop for clothing again! Then the project would have performed its purpose! Note that I said may never have to shop for clothing again…. not accessories!!!

Check back for the final part of my 15/30 Project experience soon! You can also follow my progress and see my daily outfits on Pinterest here.

Photos by Sabrina Sikora Photography

You can also follow the 15/30 Project on Pinterest.

Other bloggers participating in the challenge include:

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