A Rainy Run + Wardrobe Challenge

Hi friends!   I just got in from a humid and rainy 3.5 mile run.  Originally my training plan called for three miles but I ran 3.5.  I had to put my garmin in the car about fifteen minutes into the run because of a torrential downpour.  I didn’t want the garmin to get ruined from the rain.  “Take my eyes, but not the shirt garmin.”  Any Forgetting Sarah Marshall fans out there?  So, the first mile and a half of the run was complete in just under fifteen minutes with the iPod.  The remaining two miles were just me, my breath, the rain and the godforsaken humidity.  I think I finished around 35 minutes total but who’s counting right?  I have to say, I really enjoy running in the rain.  There is something really liberating about it.  And, it helped ease the humidity a bit.   I really can’t wait for Fall running weather!

Obligatory post-run, no makeup shot.  My hair is wet from the rain.  I think. 

So, I’m really excited about this next challenge that I’m about to partake in, along with my bestie Kristin and anyone else that feels so inclined.  What’s the challenge, you ask?  Well, it is not fitness-related.  Rather, it relates to something that we all deal with on a daily basis- our wardrobe.  Don’t get me wrong- I love me some fashion and clothing (heck, my senior superlative was “Most Fashionable”), but lately I’ve found myself staring at a closet full of clothes with nothing to wear in the morning.  We’ve all been there.  In fact, last week I decided I was going to purchase some tops at Banana online to wear under my suits, as I got an email blast offering 30% off (dang you Banana and your effective marketing tactics!)   So, I’m sitting there on my lunch break, eating, perusing the site and adding items to my cart.  I’d added around four items when I stumbled upon this blog post by Naomi Seldin, a blogger for the local paper.   In it she references an article featured in the New York Times discussing people who decided to only wear six items of clothing from their closet for an entire month.  Restrictive?  Yes.  Extreme?  Perhaps.  Liberating?  Definitely. 

For whatever reason, this article really spoke to me.  I have a closet full of beautiful, well-made clothes.  Why do I feel like I need more?  The irony of reading an article on practicing clothing minimalism and engaging in less consumerism while filling my online shopping cart was not lost on me.  After finishing the article, I clicked away from the Banana site and began discussing the challenge with my bestie Kristin.  She thought it sounded neat too.  We began hatching our own plan.  Instead of sticking to six items like those persons in the NY Times article, we’d select ten from our wardrobe.  From this, the 30 day wardrobe challenge was born.  The basic rules:

• Select 10 items of clothing from your wardrobe to wear for one month.
• The challenge does not apply to workout clothes, undergarments and pajamas.
• If we have special event, we get a bye (for instance, my stepsister is getting married August 28th.  Clearly I have to wear my bridesmaid dress).
• Get creative with the accessories that you use- be it fun shoes you haven’t worn in a while, old jewelery that you’ve forgotten about or a belt that you can’t find a use for.
• Photograph each outfit of the day to see the evolution of the 10 pieces over the course of the month. 
• Do not spend any money on new articles of clothing during the challenge.

Why engage in this challenge?  Well for starters,  it is going to force me to think outside of my fashion “box”, if you will.  Additionally, I think it will open my eyes to the possibilities of outfits that I can create with clothes that I already have.  Some other reasons include:

• Being economical.  During the challenge I can’t spend money randomly on a top that strikes my fancy.  Impulse buys may not seem like a lot at the time- what’s thirty dollars here and there, right? – but it really adds up.
• It will force me to appreciate what I already own.
• Ease of getting ready in the morning.  Heck, I only have ten items to choose from 😉
• Once the challenge is complete, my wardrobe will seem new and fresh  (I’m assuming!)
• The creativity will then extend to my entire wardrobe, not just the ten pieces (here’s to hoping!)  🙂

So, what ten items am I selecting?  My office dress code is professional, so I have to work around that.  With that in mind, I chose:

1. Black wool-blend pants
2. Black wool-blend pencil skirt
3. Black wool-blend suit jacket
4. Black tulip skirt
5. Dark denim skinny jeans
6. Black light cardigan
7. Mint green dressy tank
8. Black and white patterned shirt
9. Dark green dressy tee
10. Fuschia cardigan

So, I’ll have to create all of my outfits from those ten items.  We are starting the wardrobe challenge Monday, August 9th and it will run until September 9th.  I’m excited for it!  Who’s with me?  If you don’t want to join the challenge, let me know what sort of clothing items you would include in your list of ten!