Amanda Brownlow In the month of May, I attempted a 10 items for 30 days capsule wardrobe challenge. I must admit that I was moderately successful! But it is also harder than it looks.
Here’s what I learned.
Laundry must be kept up with.
Forget the term “capsule wardrobe challenge”. Try “haha you better keep up with laundry challenge”.
I picked four shirts for this challenge. They ended up being the most worn items. That being said, I had to stay very diligent with laundry.
Wash, dry, fold, and put away all had to be done in the same day. Otherwise, I would end up wearing athletic gear all day or my swimsuit cover up (it only happened once!). I would know to wash clothes whenever I had to wear the dress I had. No shirts were left!
I developed a clothing schedule.
Laundry day occurred on a very consistent basis, and I developed a clothing schedule. This rotation of what I wore looked like this:
Monday-Thursday: t-shirt and shorts/jeans/skirt
Friday: dress
Saturday-Sunday: t-shirt and shorts
With that rotation, laundry was done on Tuesdays and Fridays. Often there wasn’t enough for a full load, so I added Little Guy’s clothes.
The thought of what am I going to wear??? disappeared. I knew exactly the clothing that was clean vs. what was dirty. Minus the weather being insane in the month of May, it was easy dressing in the morning.
Clothing with stains kinda bothers me.
I did not notice how stained or well-worn my shirts appeared. That was until I wore them each at least once a week.
One shirt is so well loved that the arm-pit stains were crazy. I used to wear that shirt hiking and working out until I purchased better shirts for that about a year ago.
Another shirt had a big, light yellow curry stain down the front. And it’s white. Sigh. Luckily OxiClean got most of it out… only for me to stain it with pasta sauce. I’m banning myself from white shirts for life.
But you know what? I wore those shirts all month long because I was committed. I tried my hardest to get those stains out and sucked it up if they didn’t.
It has motivated me to take much better care of my clothing (and treat stains as soon as they happen).
Why do I keep purchasing ill fitting clothing?
I’ve been a bigger size most of my adult life. When I lost 25 pounds in 2017, I continued purchasing the size that I used to be and was comfortable in.
Double whammy – I only purchased fast fashion. Not only are fast fashion clothes sometimes poorly made, they are cut weird and wear out faster.
Two out of four shirts are ill-fitting in this capsule wardrobe challenge review. With only four shirts to wear, I became painfully observant of how every item fit.
I did break one rule.
The ONE rule I did break was that I bought a new item of clothing.
I thought that I loved my black and white shorts. Reality? Nope. I didn’t at all love them. So I bought a new pair of solid black shorts. They’re pretty basic, but I love them enough that I started wearing them right away. I tucked the black and white shorts away as to not wear them again.
I learned what I loved to wear.
Out of all the clothes I buried deep in my dresser, out of sight and out of mind, I was able to think of what I wanted to pull out once this was all over.
The clothes that you’re able to specifically think about and want to wear without seeing them for a month or more at a time really means that you should keep them. The other clothes that are “meh” feeling should be discarded. Or kept separate from your other clothes until you’re ready to give them away.
By having these items that I loved tucked away, I learned that I love a simple, more minimalist style. I don’t need a crazy pattern or color. Basics are best for me. Gone are the days of worrying if something matches.
Overall review of my capsule wardrobe challenge
Am I glad that I did a capsule wardrobe challenge? Yes.
Will I do another challenge like this? Probably!
Why am I taking time to reflect on this challenge? Because I learned valuable lessons during the past month that I wouldn’t have otherwise. I figured out my style. I really realized that I need to stop purchasing clothes from Target (as we all should).
Because I learned that I can live with less but feel like I have more than I need. Sure it’d be nice to have a giant wardrobe some days. But I really don’t want to keep up with it all (or do all that laundry and organizing)!
Did you join in on my capsule wardrobe challenge or have you done one in the past? Let me know in the comments!
I need to make my wardrobe less confusing 🙂
It’s so great not having to think about what to wear!