30 x 30 Challenge, or The Best Laid Plans

One of the style blogs I read daily is Kendi Everyday.  She challenges herself seasonally to a 30 for 30 Remix.  The rules are pretty simple.  Choose thirty items of clothing, make thirty outfits.  One of the rules used to be to not shop for thirty days, but today she relaxed that rule to more of a guideline.

This challenge appeals to me because, as I stated in my previous post, I am a person who has a ton of things in her closet but tends to gravitate toward the easiest things to wear.  I also am a chronic shopper who will wear a new item like crazy and then forget about it when I add new things to the rotation.  

Before.  This doesn't include what was in my dresser or what was in the basement  waiting to be washed, dried or folded.

I originally planned to take on this challenge at the beginning of April.  However, toward the end of March, things got incredibly crazy at work.  I wanted to have the chance to not only carefully select my items, but to box away everything I wasn't using.  Putting everything else in bins serves two purposes.  First, it helps me avoid temptation.  Also, when I pull everything out again, I'm sure I will find some "out of sight, out of mind" items that I won't mind letting go of. 

I had a stay-cation planned at the end of April, so I decided to use that opportunity to go through everything. 

I divided everything into four categories:  remix, store, swap and donate.  I watched The Kids In the Hall while doing so.

The first Remix pile contained 61 items.  I cut it down again to 40.  Then to 36, then to 32.  That last cut was the hardest but I think I did well.  I ended up with a mix of beloved favorites, new items, and items I love but for some reason never wear. This is a tricky time of year with the weather, but I think I chose pieces that will layer well.  We'll see!

The final cut!  6 dresses, 4 tanks, 4 shirts, 3 cardigans, 4 skirts, 2 jeans, 2 pants and 5 pairs of shoes.

Please note that the platform shoes on the right are just stand ins.  I ordered the ones in the picture from Blowfish and they broke the first time I wore them.  They didn't have anymore Garrens in stock so I chose a pair of Gimmicks instead.  What's interesting is that when I ordered, I liked the style of the Gimmicks better, but wasn't thrilled with the color choices.  

I'll start posting outfit pictures soon.  I was going to start on May 2nd, but then I fell pretty seriously ill.  

Wish me luck!