Just three more outfits to go for the 10×10 challenge that I’m hosting with my girl Lee of Style Bee. (In case you missed it, you can find all the 10×10 challenge details here.)
I have to say, I’m a little excited to see the challenge wind down. At this point, most of my energy has worn off, and I’m ready to see my other clothes again.
When I start to lose energy on a project, I always find it valuable to revisit why I’m doing it.
There are so many great reasons to do a 10×10 remix, like learning to pack for a trip, practicing contentment, or finding a clearer sense of personal style.
But the real reason I’m doing it is to put myself in a position where I have to try new things — things that may or may not work out.
My inner dialogue throughout this challenge has been something like this:
Can I make 10 outfits from 10 pieces of clothing? Try it and see.
I don’t know though, what about when the weather ranges from the 30’s to the 80’s? Try it and see.
I need more variety. Can I eek out a few more options by wearing this dress as a shirt? Try it and see.
Not everything works out, of course. But, whether I think the outcome is a “success” or a “failure”, one thing remains:
When I try things, I learn something new.
FIRST IMPRESSION
Let’s get into today’s outfit. And it doesn’t include my thrifted cashmere dress! Got to give it a break at some point. :)
How about that color on color, huh? I’m into it, but I feel sorta like Lee did in her IG Stories yesterday — that it’s better in person than in pictures.
There’s a lot going on in this outfit — more than meets the eye — but I’ll get into that down in the styling notes.
In the meantime, let’s chat about laundry real quick.
When I wore this pleated top last Tuesday night, I promptly dropped a piece of pizza on it. Whoops. So I had to wash it right away. Twice, in fact, because that grease was persistent. But it eventually came out just fine.
Other than that, I also washed my white tee after one wear, and I’ve washed my base layer about every other day. My jeans are still fine (and I wash them as little as possible anyway) and my sweaters are staying fresh thanks to my base layer underneath and a sweater freshening spray
How’s laundry been for your 10×10? Doing more than normal? Less?
WEATHER + DAILY ACTIVITIES (AKA WHY I’M WEARING THIS TODAY)
It’s another typical day for me: working from home most of the day, running errands, and gym time.
Today’s weather is sunny, in the 40s and 50s. Because it’s chilly, I ended up putting a base layer underneath the pumpkin colored top and my swing sweater for a little extra warmth. Works like a charm.
Here’s why this outfit works for today:
- I’ve got on three layers, so I’ll be warm throughout the day.
- This outfit is comfortable enough for a day of writing.
- None of the pieces are delicate, so it’s fine around the house.
- Usually I’m concerned about dog hair, but even though I’m wearing black denim, dog hair doesn’t really stick to these jeans. You better believe I’m never letting them go.
PIECE #7: BLACK DENIM
On that note, let’s talk about these black jeans.
They are by Joe’s Jeans and I found them at Nordstrom Rack years ago. Somehow (I have no idea how) they have this magical quality where dog hair doesn’t stick to ’em. It either falls off on it’s own, or I can give it a little brush and off it goes.
Because I spend so much time working from home (and cuddling Steve) this is awesome. So awesome, in fact, that I need these jeans to last forever. I wash them as little as possible to preserve the dye, but even still, they are slowly losing dye and turning from a soft black to a grey.
The good news? I can dye them!
One day. They don’t need it now, but someday I’m going to get over my fear of dying things and just do it! Besides …
Anything is possible — try it!
STYLING NOTES
WEAR DIFFERENT SHADES OF THE SAME COLOR: As I’m exploring color, I love the idea of adding depth by wearing different shades of the same color. Now, I know this might not be for everyone. My definition of different shades, may be someone else’s definiton of matching that missed the mark. I get it. But personally, I’m into it.
LAYER A CROP TOP OVER A LONGER TOP: I decided to play with proportion a little bit, and layer this slightly cropped sweater over this longer top. This time, I think it works because, while the hem lengths are different, the shapes are the same — both tops have a swingy silhouette.
PLAY WITH CONTRASTING TEXTURE: Don’t you love that nubby, textured sweater against that silky top? Even though these pieces are similar colors, the texture contrast makes things more interesting.
• • •
And there you have it!
So tell me: How’s your energy level with the challenge today? Does it help to remember why you started it in the first place? And how’s laundry been for your 10×10? Doing more than normal? Less? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Share away in the comments.
Make sure to hop on over to Lee’s blog to see her outfit today, too!
See you tomorrow for outfit eight!
xo,
• • •
Liked today’s outfit? You can shop it and support Unfancy at the same time by using these affiliate links:
01 | Blouse (old) | same blouse in different colors | similar in spice (on sale) | similar in spice (on sale)
02 | Swing sweater (made responsibly) | similar | similar for less
03 | Black denim (old) | similar (made responsibly)
04 | Chelsea boots (old) | similar | similar (on sale)
Oh, I completely love this idea of wearing different shades of the same colour. I do this a lot, I think it can tone down colours as there is less contrast and make them easier to wear. I tend to do it with shades of blue, or greens or berry shades (as that’s what suits me), it also pulls your outfit together too.
I have dyed loads of clothes in the washing machine, it is really easy and a great way to refresh or change clothes.
To get grease out put a drop or two of dishi washing liquid, I like Dawn, on the slot and wash as usual. I know, I’m a dry cleaners daughter
Great suggestion Beth! Thanks :)
I love the layers! I’ve been experimenting with color on color, specifically a light khaki colored scarf over a camel coat, and have been really into it!
http://www.insearchofsheila.com
Can you show some of your failures and explain why you think they failed?
Hey Dina, I’ll talk a bit more about it in my wrap-up post :)
I’m so impressed.that all your outfits look so different!
I’m STRUGGLING. I feel like all my outfits are the same…and I’m definately doubting my sense of style. That lack of variety has awakened my inner
SHOPPING…ya know…that urge that tells you shopping will solve your discontent…
But I don’t need anything else…so I’m sticking to my pledge. Slow fashion. Ethical pieces only. Capsule…
Day 9…deep breath…
Holly J
http://closetmatters.blogspot.com/
Good for you, Holly! I know this challenge can bring out 2 sides of us — one that is satisfied and surprised how well a wardrobe works with so few pieces… and one that definitely is NOT satisfied and wants more! Maybe take the last couple days to get weird. Do something unexpected. Mix it up. It might not work, but if it does, you could have a total “a-ha moment”! :) Cheering you on!
Yes, Holly. Same here. Feeling like I didn’t choose my pieces well (and we are having March weather this week), I don’t know how to “style” OR it feels too over done. I decided to do something a bit different today & layered a tee over my turtleneck. Something about it takes me back to my grade 9 “grunge” look, and I almost even added a plaid button-down over top lol! I was really hoping I’d learn about my style during this challenge but it’s not happening :(
I’m really enjoying this challenge. I look forward to your posts everyday! When I saw that these two were in your challenge, I knew you were going to pair them together and was curious to see it. I don’t love it even though it photographs lovely on you. I would rather have a white or contrasting color like blue or green underneath. But, that’s the beautiful of this challenge, to see what works with what you’ve got!
I really like it you combined the same colour twice! And yes, the outfit is definitely perfect for a day you described. And the question WHY? you are asking yourself in cases you need motivation makes absolutely sense to me :)
xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
http://www.dressedwithsoul.com
This outfit was love at first sight for me! Great combo :)
xx.
Marie
Wauw, you do it so well Caroline. Very inspiring <3
I love the color on color! Beautiful combo. I’m on my last “good” outfit of the challenge, and am not sure how it’s all going to pan out for the rest of the 10×10. I have two distinct styles (tailored + preppy, and oversized + artsy), and am having a hard time figuring out how to mesh them for the next couple of days. With any luck, I’ll learn something new!
That’s the goal! Good luck, Alyssa! :)
I dyed a pair of back jeans for the first time a few weeks ago. I did it the old fashion bucket way because I don’t own a washing machine. Good news…they came out great and will be dying my other faded black jeans. Bad news…it was pretty labor intensive (lots of rinsing) and time consuming. It’s a weekend project.
I just chuck them in the washing machine (to both DYE and to rinse). But I’m careful NOT to wash them EVER again with lighter clothes (just in case)!
I love the how similar but different colors in the tops play off of each other. I’m such a fan of monochrome looks, especially when it’s not monochrome black, grey, or white.
During my 10×10, I didn’t lose steam with my outfits since I planned them all in advance, but some of the outfits were definitely less interesting than others and I was ready to wear other clothes near the end. (Being out of town with a limited wardrobe definitely helped as I didn’t really have other options with me!)
Hey Kimi, that’s the perfect time to experiment! Hope you’re enjoying your trip :)
I have successfully dyed a pair of black jeans twice (the same pair!) with no issues. They were a sort of faded black and once they really faded I thought they just looked old and dingy, and I figured I had nothing to lose by re-dying them. I did it in a bucket and followed the instructions on the rit package of dye. worked like a charm. you can do it!!
Hi, I don’t just love your outfits, I love your insights too!
This morning on the way to work I thought about what could be your outfit today and I – no joke – thought that we haven’t seen the blouse and the swingy sweater for a while.
I had my “Looking forward to the end of this challenge and seeing my other clothes again” day yesterday. I was not quite content with my outfit but wore it to work anyway. And it wasn’t so bad after all.
Laundry? I just hand-washed my black silk dress yesterday. The patterned sweatshirt had its last appearance today and ist going into the laundry basket tonight. Underneath my sweaters I wore a fresh base layer every day. I din’t count these for the challenge since they are invisible and not part of the outfit.
Two more insights:
I will feel extremely rich to have the full range of my closet again. No shopping needed!
I paid more attention than usual to accessories like belts, bracelets and scarves.
Woohoo! Thanks for sharing your insights as well, Tina. And thanks for participating. It’s been so fun! :)
Love this! Its like a more feminine, swingier version of the checked button down/grey sweater combo you showed a few weeks ago (and which I totally ‘borrowed’ for my 10×10!)
Today was my last day – and strangely, I am somewhat at a loss to know what to wear tomorrow. I actually feel like doing another 10×10 immediately…
I love that, Ally! Do it as many times as you want. It certainly does make the day easier when you start your morning with less choices and just work with what you have. :)
Caroline. I dye my black clothes all the time. I have a pair of trousers for work which I love and can’t find another pair that comes close (they are about 9 years old and still going strong! Though I do work part time). I have dyed them, black jeans, leggings, tops all in the washing machine. I’ve never had a problem with a subsequent wash. Keeps my favourite black stuff going forever. I love your blog by the way. Thanks for the inspiration.
I have to say, even though I haven’t commented on all of them, I love how much thought you put into the 10 x 10 and I’m going to miss it once it’s gone! It’s so refreshing to see simpler outfits that still hold lots of style. It’s also great to see some recurring pieces because it’s more true to the day-to-day.
xo, Sofia
http://www.thecozie.co
You’re right – it would be tricky! But you look fab!
Bonnie x
http://www.bondujour.com
Adore this post! And I’m loving your styling tips, so useful!
x Annabelle
travelsandtea.com
I adore your blog and your outlook on style and life. You are wonderful! Have you ever looked into seasonal color analysis? I think it’d be an interesting piece to introduce to your blog. I also think it would help you explore color more comfortably (even though you’re doing a great job with it!) I bring this up also because I think a lot (if not most) people cannot pull off cool neutrals like black, grey, and white. If you were to talk more about the color that suit each individual on a blog about creating a minimal but versatile wardrobe, I think you’d help a lot of people who are struggling to create the right capsule/minimal wardrobe that includes color. Just a thought! Cheers!
By the way, I think cool neutrals like black, grey, and white DO suit you (it seems you have a cooler skin undertone), so that was just a general statement, not a comment pitted against you! :)
I like seeing you on insta stories, I find you funny! And always smiling :)
I must confess I quit the challenge today, I’ve chosen too boring clothes (2 pants/1skirt + 2long sleeves /1 shirt + 2 sweaters / 1 jacket + a pair of shoes).
Anyway, I think that it works better with a dress within the 10 pieces. I may try again later to succeed!
Hey Agathe! Ain’t no shame! You got through a week of outfits using only 10 items! That’s still pretty impressive. Join us next time for sure. With all the knowledge and experience gained from this one, you’re sure to succeed! :)
Yes! I will succeed :) I could have succeeded with the clothes I chose but, the last three days would have been bland, and as it is now between – 3/+3 °Celsius I’m choosing warmer clothes.
Really love the honesty in today’s post. I do capsule wardrobes too. While I love not having to think twice and still love neutrals more than anything, sometimes I feel a little blah. But I think that’s normal. I see it as changing your hair color, makeup, etc. When I feel this way, I generally know it’s because of a hidden emotion. You just feel like you need a change sometimes. I usually mitigate this by learning a new skill (just like your hair experimentation phase!) to occupy my brain. Since I’m trying to better my blogging, writing, and photography, I have quite a bit to choose from <3
Sincerely, Tania
Soooo… I’m finally in (I’m only on day four though). As it is summer here I limited it to week day clothing with
-2 dresses
-3 tops
-2 bottoms
-2 pairs of shoes (one small heel, one flat)
-1 layering piece
My ‘feature’ is no colour, it’s all black, white and dark grey and I’m seeing how I feel about it. I’m not against repeating wearing a dress and only changing the shoes, or at least I think I am.
Re laundry, it’s been cooler than expected so I really wish I’d had two layering items…
I’m loving the looks here, and the effort that you go to share the full experience.
Yay! Thanks for playing along Alethea! :)
I love the colors of this outfit. Earthy tones don’t look very good on me, but I do love them. I was going along pretty well with my 10×10 but I came down with a cold on day 8, and day 9 was spent in my slippers in front of Netflix. Today is supposed to be my last day, and I’ll likely put on an outfit for a picture but slip back into my sweatshirt for some serious time with a blanket and book.
I have loved doing this challenge, and I think I’ll do another one after the weekend. Either 10×10, or as someone on IG said, 6×6 (without including shoes). I like the idea of 6×6 or 7×7, especially since I have a weeklong trip to Italy coming up and sorting out a carry on suitcase would be ideal given multiple cities and trains in between. That is one of the biggest things I’ve learned from this; doing MORE with LESS.(and I need better/more accessories to work with less closet pieces). I would still love a tutorial on scarf tying though. I can never seem to get them to look right!
Sorry you got sick! But that’s an awesome idea, Andrea! A shorter experiment would be perfect for traveling. :)
I did the challenge through the weekend so my last 3 days were Mon-Wed. I found Day 8 on Monday hard. I didn’t like my outfit, found it boring, and wished I’d chosen something different, but like you said – I ran out of energy with the project. Revived a little on Tues for day 9 and wore one of my favourite sweaters, then Wed was my bday so I took it off work which is always easier because I love my casual wear and liked my outfit for that day – so good way to end. I’m going to do a recap of what I learned during the challenge though because I really did find it an eye opener on how I styled (or didn’t style) my work clothes. Thanks so much for doing this! I’ll look forward to the next one.
Thanks for playing along, Kelly! :)
I didn’t take the weekend off, so I finished yesterday. I didn’t find it too hard, but not sure I was too creative either. I did do some new layering and accessorizing more than usual. Doing it in the winter helped a lot since it’s 30 degrees here every day. I promptly went through my closet and got rid of the clothes that I really did not miss. I’m happy to be in a new outfit today though :)
I am enjoying following along . I tried a few new thing but then called it quits. Still made a few discoveries so I’m happy.
Also I was wondering if you could do another post on your hubby capsule. I know you did a post before and I am curious to see how things have changed
this past year i just completed my first full year of capsule dressing. mine has a lot of colors. so its been cool to see your take with more color.
This is my favorite outfit in the series so far. I love that sweater with the black jeans. I like the styling note about wearing the same color in different shades. I have a lot of different shades of blue in my wardrobe, so I’ll have to give that a try.
Aimee
http://www.lifetimeorganizing.com
Wow, this is by far my favorite outfit so far. I even thought for a second that the blouse and the sweater were one and the same piece, until I remembered I had seen the blouse on its own before (which I honestly didn’t like as much – but here it brings just that extra oomph of intentionality to the outfit). I generally like tonal color play. But I like the contrasting structures of the two pieces even better. How can you conjure up such a winner more than halfway through the challenge?!
good morning beautiful caroline! this is my first comment though i’ve followed you (from Austin) for some time. I LOVE THIS POST…and i’m contemplating how you’ve inspired us to really PAY ATTENTION not just to look but color, texture, and more. THANK YOU. xoliz stewart
This outfit is really very nice and looks so feminine. Thank you for your post! :)
Loving this ochre palate! Not sure if you’ve already heard of this but to save your jeans from fading, you can freeze them as an alternative to washing. I kid you not…There’s a great post on Apartment Therapy about it: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-clean-your-jeans-without-water-freezer-109266, if you’re interested :)