And now I will go off on a tangent and then completely embarrass myself...
Many of you probably know about some of the fashion activities around the blogosphere... I'm talking about What I Wore Wednesday, What We Wore, How I Wore It, etc. where you post some of the different outfits you wore during the week for your readers to see.
I actually like the motive Lindsey had for starting What I Wore Wednesday {WIWW}: since she home schools her three children and runs an AMAZING handmade biz from home called The Pleated Poppy, she found herself so busy at home every day that she often never got out of her pajamas. But she realized she was doing her cute little self (and her husband) a disservice by grunging it all the time, so she started WWIW on her blog to hold herself accountable for getting dressed up *most* mornings. Ladies all around the nation say it's helped them get out of their yoga pants and put a happily surprised look on their husband's faces. As someone who was almost too lazy to put on mascara for her most recent date night, I can relate to the temptation not to give your husband your very best {more on that later}.
Then there are the straight-up fashion blogs. Those too cute, vintage lovin', creative souls who look good in anything and don't mind standing in front of the camera. Some of these ladies post their outfits every. single. day. It's intense and overwhelming and a little awe-inspiring. As much as I want to say fashion blogs are silly and too materialistic, I have to say I admire these women who have the confidence to post their outfits online. I guess it's not really much different than a catalog or magazine, since they tell you where you can buy the same or similar clothing. And I probably shouldn't disregard fashion blogs anymore... after all, the lady presenting after me at my academic conference in the fall is presenting on fashion blogs. That's serious stuff.
Some ladies, like the BFFs over at Ask the Duplex, actually give clothing advice to the fashion-impaired.
Then there are other people who are using their fashion to support a good cause...
Elani just finished a 100 day campaign where she wore the same dress for - you guessed it - 100 days to raise money to support orphans in India. Read all about it here.
Jen is giving up buying any new clothes for nine months to help people in need. She is calling it The Difference Project.
Then comes the new movement in fashion -- "remixing." Really this concept is nothing new, it just has been given the trendy "remix" title recently. The goal is to wear the clothes you already own in new ways instead of going out and buying new ones. It's green, sustainable, frugal... whatever you want to call it.
Enter 30 for 30. Kendi at Kendi Everyday challenges her readers to choose 30 items from their closet and wear only those 30 items {hopefully in different creative ways} for 30 days straight.
I'll take the challenge. Well, kind of...
See, here's the thing. I am on a shopping freeze. My income-less summer has finally caught up to me, and I still have four LONG weeks until my first paycheck of the new school year lands in my bank account. My sweet husband has been giving me an "allowance" all summer so I have some spending money, but this is really NO time to be buying clothes. That means NO more shopping for me. No browsing at TJ Maxx. No $7.97 tank tops at Nordstrom Rack {I love those finds!}. No Urban Outfitters end of summer sale racks. Nothing. Nada. I cannot shop for all of August and probably not September either. I am giving myself this rule, and I am sticking to it.
So I had to find a way to keep myself occupied in the meantime and Kendi's 30 for 30 challenge is what I chose as my distraction. 30 items for 30 days. I'm doing it. Except I'm not super strict on it. I don't count shoes or accessories in the mix. I can choose 30 shirts, shorts, pants, dresses, skirts for the next 30 days, and hopefully I will be inspired to wear more of my jewelry, some of my headbands, and different shoes to make my outfits more exciting.
I will post more on the difficulties of this challenge later, because I'm sure I'm already boring you to death. Let me just say for now that this challenge is EXTREMELY difficult in the desert in the summer. There is no cute layering going on. It's more like what tank top or dress can I wear that will make me feel as close to naked as possible without being inappropriate??? I mean even a belt or a necklace can induce massive amounts of sweat. We are talking 110+ degrees every day here people. In fact, I wore a cheapy Forever 21 necklace last week when I was out in the heat showing my dad houses around Phoenix and my neck broke out into a little rash from the chain. Pretty gross. And with that I give you the first week{ish} of my 30 for 30 challenge...
{This is that embarrassing part I warned you about. And, yes, Micah laughs as he takes these pictures...}
DAY ONE
Shirt: Forever 21 {haven't worn it in over a year - hoorah!}
Shorts: TJ Maxx {old lady brand}
Shoes: Urban Outfitters {end of summer sale - last year}
DAY TWO {or the day I sweated like mad showing my dad houses for sale around Phoenix}
Shirt: Ross {it cost $6.00!}
Shorts: Forever 21 {hadn't worn them all summer!}
Shoes: Nordstrom Rack {Jessica Simpson}
Necklace: Forever 21
DAY THREE {trying out a long dress this summer... still not sure about it}
Dress: TJ Maxx
Shoes: Urban Outfitters
Hair: curly {aka lazy}
DAY FOUR {the first day I busted out a winter shirt and shoes and made them into a summer outfit}
Shirt: Banana Republic
Shorts: Forever 21
Shoes: Banana Republic
Belt: Can't remember {Banana?}
DAY FIVE
Dress: Target
Necklace: Forever 21
DAY SIX DOES NOT EXIST. I wore my swim suit or my work out clothes all day long. Every girl needs a break.
DAY SEVEN
Dress: TJ Maxx
Shoes: Target
Elephant Necklace: Forever 21
Husband: Mine
Apron: Anthropologie
DAY NINE
Shirt: Nordstrom Rack
Shorts: TJ Maxx {old lady brand again}
Shoes: Ross {$9.00 - pretty legit}
Necklace: Handmade by a former student
Dress: TJ Maxx
Shoes: Target
Elephant Necklace: Forever 21
Husband: Mine
DAY EIGHT
Dress: Nordstrom {BP}
Shoes: Ross {Nicole brand}
Headband to hide wet hair: Forever 21
{Except this is what I really looked like when it was time for Micah to take my picture.
Cooking like mad that night...}
DAY NINE
Shirt: Nordstrom Rack
Shorts: TJ Maxx {old lady brand again}
Shoes: Ross {$9.00 - pretty legit}
Necklace: Handmade by a former student
Although I find posting these pictures slightly mortifying, I must say I now feel like a REAL blogger.When I started my research project back in January, I was supposed to participate in my online community in every way possible. When I learned about WIWW, I figured I should probably do it at least once to be a true participant, but I didn't have the guts. I even took a few pictures of my outfits, but I never posted them. So here you have it. I am now a true blogger.
3 comments:
Amazing! Great job. I am inspired!
Great post. I totally agree, and have been refashioning a lot of my old clothes in order to save $. I really love the plaid with red belt. You look fabulous!
Good luck on your challenge. :) I love your handmade necklace... so pretty! :)
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