For me, the point of doing a challenge like the Eight Pieces/Seven Outfits is to test the limits of what we think of as “normal” and “enough”. The way to get the most out of these challenges is to do a little reflection about how it went, what I would do differently, and what I learned that I can apply to my everyday clothes choices.

Eight Pieces – Seven Outfits!

So here are my thoughts:

1. This kind of challenge isn’t hard. In fact, it can be liberating to know in advance what I’m going to wear. When I get a job and my life becomes more routine, I could see trying to do this more regularly.

2. Planning is required. Other people who participated made some comments that it would have been nice to have a different shirt, more color, etc. I think some of these “regrets” can be mitigated with a little more preparation. When I do a challenge like this or pack for a trip, I actually write down what pieces I’m going to choose, what outfits they make, and then decide what days I’m going to wear them. Once you start writing things down, it’s easy to spot the pieces that maybe you will only wear once, that are taking up space in your suitcase or on your list but really aren’t pulling their weight. I almost didn’t add the black tights into this challenge, which would have meant eliminating the dress that I love. Instead I added the outfit with the purple tank top and black tights; being able to wear the tights twice made them totally worth it. But I wouldn’t have even thought of that outfit if I hadn’t been writing everything down. (BTW – if you want a packing list to mark up, download this one here for free.)

3. They can’t all be winners. Hopefully if you plan ahead, the outfits will be diverse and interesting enough so you don’t feel like you are wearing the same thing every day. However not all of the outfits will be awesome. Maybe I’m a bad planner, but I still get the occasional dud. Outfit #7 in this group didn’t feel great to me. But hey, six out of seven isn’t bad, right?

4. Focus on basics. I should write a whole post on this topic, because I feel like this is my entire mentality right now for my wardrobe and my outfits. Quality basics are the backdrop to your showstopping pieces. But I know when I look in my closet and think “I have nothing to wear!”, it’s because I have too many showstoppers and not enough basics. Currently I am intentionally acquiring high quality basic pieces (remember these pants??), and my wardrobe options have just exploded. I would say in this challenge, I had five basic pieces and three showstoppers. That’s a pretty good ratio.

5. I have more than enough clothes. This is always a surprise to me, but with a little planning and smart use of my basics, I certainly have plenty of outfit options for a variety of situations. (Are you listening, self??)

OK, that’s enough navel gazing. This has been a great challenge, and I hope that I can keep this five concepts in mind for the coming months as the weather changes and my wardrobe will need re-evaluating.

Outfit #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, and #7

Did you participate in the challenge? Any thoughts or reactions??