How I Styled 30 Outfits With Only 16 Pieces
Have you ever stared at your closet and grumbled, “I have nothing to wear!” ?
If you take the time to read this entire post it might just change the way you look at your closet.
Living in a tiny house and being abundantly aware of my limited closet space gives me the opportunity to be stumped more often then not in front of my wardrobe. I usually either try to put something new together (and ultimately end up hating it once I leave the house) or throw on my few favorite pieces and assume that everyone I know is thinking, “She is such an outfit repeater, doesn’t she own anything else?”. First off, let me tell you that nobody is thinking that: 1. Because they are WAY too busy hoping nobody will notice their own personal flaws, and 2. they’re likely unhappy with their own outfit in some way or another.
The first time I tried unleashing my closet was when I was in high school. I had recently been on a missions trip to the Philippines and was extremely annoyed with myself for ever feeling like I had “nothing to wear” when impoverished children across the world had only two shirts to their name. I set aside 10 pieces and wore them for 30 days, and the reactions I got were extremely surprising; NOBODY NOTICED. On the 15th day I wore was an unbuttoned flannel shirt with a cute black dress (usually I never would have paired up flannel with a cute dress, and on top of that, I’d already worn that flannel shirt twice already that week: once under a crewneck, and another time as a regular button up), but I was running out of options at that point. I received a huge compliment from a girl I never spoke to in class and she had no idea that my outfit was an experiment.
I personally believe people enjoy the familiarity of recognizing a striking blouse or sweater that they’ve seen on you before. It gives them the opportunity to say, “I love that shirt on you!” or, “I love it when you wear that top, it brings out the blue in your eyes!”. We all know that one person in our life who seems to have a never ending wardrobe; they’re always wearing clothes that make you feel like they wear something once and then you never see it again. I think we subconsciously set the bar at this person’s level because they always seem to be wearing the hottest trends and looks, but I think this benchmark is unreasonable and downright unhealthy. When we choose to be happy with less, comfortable with less, and capable with what we have, it gives us the opportunity to save time when we get dressed and feel more confident during the day. Plus, it gives your bank account a rest.
The first time I read this quote it stuck to me like mud on a hog:
“Buy your clothes with care, put them on with precision, and wear them like you completely forgot about them”
This quote basically is saying: confidence is displayed when you wear your clothes, not when they wear you. I have no idea who this quote came from, I saw it on Pinterest years ago.
Try it yourself!
Set aside these items and wear them for 30 days, trying to make new outfits each day.
It’s okay if you end up repeating an outfit once or twice, just don’t give up!
4 bottoms
9 tops
2 jackets
1 fun item like a dress or romper
Things to keep in mind when picking out your 16 pieces:
Avoid pieces that look similar (prints, colors, etc) or you will feel like you’re wearing the same outfit even when you’ve got different articles of clothing on. For example: in the images below you will notice I picked a black skirt and some billowy black pants, those ended up being extremely similar in appearance. Same with the MULTIPLE floral shirts I chose. 😂
If you want to do one less of something and add it to a different category, feel free! Sometimes its better to have 8 tops and 3 jackets
W E A T H E R : Depending on the time of year this project can present you with some chilly challenges so make sure to choose pieces that will be warm enough or cold enough. And if you are attempting this during the winter, layering is your friend!
Here are my 30 different outfits using 16 pieces. Enjoy!
