Week Three

This week has been a good one for the challenge.  Over the long weekend (no school on MLKJ Day) Nate & I were in St. Louis; then Tuesday, instead of regular school, we had a teachers institute day; and then three days of regular school.  So I didn't have to worry QUITE as much about making each outfit new.  

However, one of the speakers at our institute day Tuesday did make a comment about how junior highers ALWAYS notice what their teachers are wearing.  I guess it's okay if they notice, just as long as they don't remember!  

Here's a look at the week:

(A little note: While the scarf worn Monday is the same one worn Friday, please know that the Thursday scarf IS a different one.  I realized afterwards that the two probably look a little too similar to wear two days in a row, but oh well!)

Less Materialistic, More Creative, or Something Else?

We are 2/3 of the way through with our 6 item challenge!  Starting out, I had some reasons about why I was going to do it, but I hadn’t thought out or developed them very much.  At the most, I thought about how it could be a push against materialism (and everything that entails).  At the least, I just heard about it, thought it might be fun, and wanted to give it a try.

Now that I’m actually in the midst of the challenge, I’ve been doing some thinking about how the 6 item challenge may – or may not – be affecting me.  My thoughts may be mumbled and jumbled, but here are 6 thoughts about my 6 items:

1)      I like not having to think that hard about what to wear in the morning.

2)      On the other hand, I think way more about accessories than before.  I even bought a new pair of tights.  I’m wondering am I becoming less concerned with how I dress or more concerned, just in a different way?

3)      So far I’m convinced that nobody pays close enough attention to what you wear to even realize you’ve been dressing in the same clothes.  (Why do we think we are so important that everyone notices what we look like each day?)

4)      Either #3 is true, or nobody will be willing to tell you they know you’re wearing the same clothes even if they do notice.

5)      This challenge is definitely awakening my creative side – causing me to figure out new ways to combine outfits, add accessories, or make my own accessories (more to come about my attempts on that later).

6)      I like the idea of simplifying the wardrobe.  This could mean buying less, which could also mean supporting sweatshop-manufacturing less.  This could really work even if we focused more on accessorizing possibly with hand/home-made items.

More musings to come...

WiWW

Okay, my turn!  Since Allison linked up to the Pleated Poppy, I thought I'd better get on that too.  Here's what I wore this Wednesday:

Dress & Cardigan - Ann Taylor Loft

Headband - homemade t-shirt upcycle creation

Belt/Sash - Target (from a different dress)

Necklace - It's so old!  I think it's a hand-me-down from Allison

Tights - Gap

Boots - Ugg

Don't worry the rest of the week will be posted when the week is over.  For now, check out other WIWWs on The Pleated Poppy!

What I Wore Wednesday

Last week, Aimee told me about The Pleated Poppy and Lindsey's mission to post her outfits every Wednesday. There are a bunch of blogs linked up and some people post all of their outfits from the week, and some just put up their outfit from the day. (If you're really interested in my outfits from this past week, check them out here).

It was too late to join in for last week, so I decided to link up today. What's one more challenge to add to this one, right?! This morning, I wasn't really thinking about it, so I guess my outfit could have been better. But at least I've got on Aimee's super cute necklace!

Black Cardigan - Ann Taylor Loft

Gray Tank Top - Ann Taylor Loft

White Tank Top - Target

Skinny Jeans - Old Navy

Boots - Emu's

Necklace - Vintage Rummage Etsy Shop

A note about the necklace: the 1st graders were kind of surprised to discover that the flower on the necklace was not real (when they have ever seen a necklace with real flowers, I don't know, but that was the big discovery of the day!)



Confession Time

We are at about the halfway point of our little experiment, and I have a couple of confessions to make...

Confession #1: This is harder than it seems. Well, I know you probably already think it's hard, wearing only 6 items of clothing. But here's what I really mean: It seems like it should be easy to get dressed in the morning and take less time than usual because there are only 6 items to choose from. But it's actually kind of hard to figure out ways to make my outfits look different. I think I've worn all the items in all the possible different combinations.

Confession #2: Even though I have LOTS of different accessories, I am still getting tired of the ones I have. Lucky for me, Aimee and I just traded a few. Look for me wearing a couple of things you might have seen in her pics!

Confession #3 (and this is the big one): Yesterday I did not get out of my pajamas! It was Martin Luther King, Jr. day and there was no school and it was so cold that I just stayed in bed and watched episodes of Angel (no judging!) on Netflix (my new favorite thing) for most of the day. So all that to say, there is no picture from yesterday - I didn't think anyone needed to see me in my p.j.'s!

Anyway, here are a few catch up pictures from the weekend (minus Monday)...

Insert: (Day 16: the lost day)

Stay tuned tomorrow, when we link up with What I Wore Wednesday at The Pleated Poppy

What I Heard Last Week

After week one, I mentioned how I kept wondering if people noticed my repeat outfits.  This past week I decided to pay attention to the positives.  Here are the comments people did make about my appearance this week:

*Monday: "Cute pink scarf"
*Tuesday: "I like your headband."
*Wednesday: "Those are new boots, aren't they?"
*Thursday: "Did you get a haircut?"  (The answer would be no.  Although if I didn't just get one a couple weeks ago, I'm thinking that would be a good distracting technique for this 6 item challenge.)
*Friday: "I like your scarf."

So, as Allison said, either people are just being nice or nobody is noticing.  You can decide what you think:

Accomplishing My Goal

Remember my 2 goals for the week? (read about them here if you forgot) Take more creative pictures and wear more creative outfits?

As far as the pictures go, I took some in different places this week AND I discovered the "picnic" editing option in Picasa. I think it's made a huge difference in the creativity of my pictures! (BUT, I'm still kind of playing with it, so sorry if you can't read the text on the pictures.) 

As far as the outfits go, I have worn things this week in ways that I have never worn before in my life! See: day 8 - skinny belt over the sweater; the real day 10 - belted scarf; and day 11 - cardigan sweater tucked into a skirt. 

A few people have asked if anyone has noticed/commented on how I am wearing the same things over and over again. It's interesting because I feel like people should notice and comment on the fact that I wore the same black skirt to work three times this week (and two days in a row), but instead (and maybe people are just being nice) I am getting lots of comments on the accessories. Even the 1st graders, who notice everything about me, don't seem to mind the same-ness. Instead it's, "Oh, I love your nail polish", and "Your scarf is so pretty", and, this from a 6 year old boy, "I like your earrings. Where did you get them?" (um...little boy...you do not need to worry about where to get earrings.)

I don't know if I'm convinced yet that 6 items is the way to live, but it hasn't been as awkward and boring (yet) as I thought it might be.

Now, see if you think I've accomplished my goals for this week...  

P.S. If you are feeling inspired by the leg warmers to go see "Black Swan", please don't (it might be the most disturbing movie I have ever seen). Just buy some leg warmers and get "Center Stage" from the Redbox!