summer 10×10 wrap up: what i learned about my style

I had the BEST time co-hosting this remix with my delightful friend Lee of Style Bee — and before we jump into the recap, I just have to give her a big ol’ THANK YOU! Did you know that Lee is the original creator of the 10×10 challenge? She sure is, and it’s always such an honor to team up with her.

I so appreciate Lee’s grounded, conscious approach to style, and she never fails to get me thinking about my closet in a new way. Bookmark her blog quick — you’ll be glad you did.

Now, let’s get down to recapping this remix! We’ll chat through 9 Q+A’s and then take a look at my favorite outfits that you posted from the #summer10x10.

Just as a refresher, here are the 10 items I included in my 10×10 this time around:

(You can find the links to each piece here. I didn’t include any accessories, work out clothes, or PJs. Instead, they flowed in and out freely, as I needed them.)

REMIX Q+A

1 | Why did you do the challenge in the first place?

While I usually approach these challenges with no pre-conceived notions or goals, this time around, I went into it with the intention to try a new style. I’d been drawn to a more romantic and vintage style lately, but I hadn’t been brave enough to fully embrace it — until now, that is! The 10×10 was the perfect chance to go all out and see how I liked it in real life. Turns out, I love it!

On top of that, I always appreciate these challenges simply because a little shake-up is a good thing every now and then. Getting out of my norm and doing a short-term challenge like this helps me see things from a different perspective.

2 | What did you learn about your personal style?

Let your closet remind you you are more than one thing | While I’m usually Miss Neutrals with a style that leans toward a minimal aesthetic, this challenge showed me that I also love romantic, boho, colorful style. However, it’s not an out with the old, in with the new thing. Instead, it’s an opportunity to embrace both.

Even through all my years of capsuling, my closet has never been perfectly one style, perfectly defined, perfectly nailed down for good. Of course, that hasn’t stopped me from chasing perfection — I like organization and aesthetics, what can I say? But I find that I’m so much happier when I release that desire and simply let my closet serve as a visual reminder that I’m more than one thing.

Some days I feel romantic and colorful, like on day seven. Other days I feel classic and minimal, like on day ten. And the beautiful thing? I don’t have to choose one or the other. 

If you want to try a new style, put a time limit on it and fully commit | Giving my experiment an expiration date by just committing for 10 days made the whole thing feel fun and playful. It was easy to take risks knowing it was just for a short time.

3 | Were there any pieces you included that felt like mistakes?

Not this time! On one hand, this doesn’t surprise me because summer is my favorite season when it comes to getting dressed –it’s when my style hits it’s stride. But on the other hand, I’m completely shocked! I included some risky pieces that are outside of my norm. But it worked!

I have to say, I think the reason it worked was because I went into it with the intention to leave my style comfort zone. That made it feel like it was impossible to make a mistake because it was all play and experimentation anyway. Definitely going to try and channel that mindset for future 10×10’s.

4 | Did your clothes work for the weather?

They did! It was pretty simple though — the weather was basically the same every single day. No temperature swings, no big thunderstorms — nothing but hot weather and sunshine. The temperatures hovered between 85 and 100 pretty much the whole time.

The jeans and longer sleeves worked well for days when I was inside with chilly AC, and the shorts and dresses kept me cool the rest of the time.

5 | Did you wear anything that wasn’t included in your 10 pieces?

You know, I usually end up wearing a piece or two that wasn’t included, but this time I didn’t!

However, life activities (gym, sleeping, etc) still called for work out wear etc., so those were still going on in the background when needed — and there were definitely a few days where I didn’t get out of my workout clothes until pretty late in the day. I’d start my morning at the gym, go straight into errands, and before I knew it, it was the afternoon and I was still in my workout clothes. It happens. :)

6 | How did laundry work out?

I definitely had to do more laundry this time around since it was so hot. (Hello sweat.) In fact, I probably washed everything at least once, except for my denim, which I wash as little as possible anyway. I’d either give it a quick hand wash or throw it in a load of laundry with my workout clothes or my husband’s clothes.

7 | Which piece was your favorite?

So hard to narrow down this time! But if I had to pick one single favorite, I’d have to say it was my terra cotta linen tunic. That thing is just beautiful. It’s mostly sold out but here are a few similar pieces too: Linen tunic by Anthropologie / Similar / Similar

8 | Which outfit was the most outside your comfort zone?

Well, let’s see…anything that showed midriff was definitely outside of the comfort zone. So outfits one, four, and six. :) While I enjoyed pushing myself for the challenge and learning to feel comfortable with it, I don’t see myself showing the ol’ midriff quite so often moving forward. I’ll take it on a case by case basis, but it’ll just have to be the right event or circumstance for me to rock it.

If I had to narrow it down to a single outfit though, outfit one was probably most outside of my comfort zone because it included three elements that are outside my norm — a boho blouse-y top, mom jeans, and bold color. But it also ended up being one of my favorite outfits of the challenge. So you never know. :)

9 | What would you do differently next time?

I honestly don’t think there’s anything I would do differently next time. In fact, I’m hoping to use the next challenge as another opportunity to push myself and take risks.

YOUR OUTFITS

The 10×10 community is my favorite part of this whole thing. Scrolling through your posts became my little routine at the end of each day, and I’m going to miss it now that the challenge is over.

I found it especially inspiring when you guys shared about the challenges you faced during the 10×10. Weird weather. Unexpected events. Feeling frustrated. Yep … stuff happens.

But I loved reading how you made it work, whether by wearing a piece that wasn’t included in your 10 pieces, pausing the challenge for a day, or reworking your whole 10 piece collection in the middle of the challenge.

So thank you. Thank you for being a community of people who are kind and caring, yet who won’t hesitate to challenge others to try something out of their comfort zone, and then cheer for them along the way.

Here’s a little collection of #summer10x10 photos that caught my eye. Just look at all this goodness!

Row 1 / thethoughtfulcloset  /fortysomethingstyle / gradschoolstyle

Row 2 / colacarp / ahappiercloset / maryvioletwoosley

Row 3  theidentitecollective / sarkirsten / atleastblog

Row 4 /intentionalconsumerism / deshcamp / theotherbevachterhof

• • •

And there you have it!

So tell me, how did your remix go this time around? Was it smooth sailing or did you have to work things around a bit? Did you learn anything about your personal style? I’d LOVE to hear about it. And if you’ve got any other questions about my 10×10, ask away in the comments!

xo,