Summer Kick Off!

As the temperature climbs, the number of unworn items has started to dwindle! Last weekend I had a chance to break out some shorts and a fun summer dress, and throughout the week I’ve been checking items off my list left and right. At last count, I determined that I have worn over 80% of my closet!

Today I’m rocking my 2nd to last skirt. It’s hard to believe that after today I only have one more to wear. The best part is that I know exactly when I’ll be wearing it– so stay tuned to see the last skirt in my closet and a whole lot of summer outfits!

My 3rd to Last Skirt

The end is in sight! Well, at least for my skirts and pants. I have only two more skirts to wear and one pair of pants and I will have successfully incorporated all of the ‘bottoms’ from my wardrobe into outfits!

Today’s skirt is actually a skirt I bought last summer during the work day because I found out that I was going to be meeting with a client, but was wearing jeans. I made a mad dash to Ann Taylor Loft over lunch and came up with this. The worst part? I haven’t worn it since then! But today changes all that:

Happy DIY Day!

Just a quick post to update you on my DIY success from yesterday!

I may not be Gwyneth, Mila, or Kristen:

Capped Toe Pumps in Action

But, I’m still pretty stoked about easy it was to create my own pair or pumps:

DIY: Capped Toe Pumps

It’s no secret that capped-toe heels are everywhere. I’ve been thinking about a pair for myself, but then I took a look at my closet:

Really? How many pairs of nude heels does one girl need?! Sounds like a perfect opportunity for my first Wear Everything Project DIY. With just a little bit of fabric paint and some tape, I created a whole new look:

A Black Canvas

I’ve come to the point in my challenge where I’ve worn many of the items in my closet and the majority of the ones that are left are either summer items (shorts, tank tops, and sun dresses) or more formal attire options. So, unless it warms up soon (fingers crossed!) or I start wearing cocktail dresses to work (hmm… that could be fun!), I’m going to have to start cycling through some old outfits.

With this in mind, I’m thinking this is the perfect time to introduce you to my black canvas. Just like a blank canvas, this outfit screams to be added to! It’s also a great opportunity for me to emphasize (one more time)  that you can totally transform two items that everyone owns (a black shirt and black pair of pants) into a million different outfit combinations, just by adding a few accessories. I’ll be bringing this plain black outfit back every now and then to further illustrate my point– so keep your eyes open for future posts!

Today I simply added an ombre polka-dot scarf and a pair of green sling-backs for a pop of color and ta-da: outfit bliss 🙂

The Plain Black Canvas

 

The finished product!

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Weekend Shennanigans

This weekend I had the chance to celebrate at one of my oldest and bestest friend’s wedding shower. Not only was it a couple’s shower (my first!), but it was also a Mad Men theme– Brilliant planning on the part of the maid of honor Sara! It was a great opportunity to get together with friends old and new, but it also posed as a bit of a conundrum in terms of my challenge.

In trying to figure out what to wear, I went  to the depths of my closet to see if I could pull something together that would be appropriate for the 50’s/60’s theme. I promise, I really did try! Although I didn’t technically cheat (my fabulous husband Joe purchased the dress for me, so I’m considering it a “gift”), I figured I should still be up front about how hard it can be sometimes to stick with this challenge. On the other hand, everything else I wore on Saturday night was something I already owned and I already have a few ideas on when and where I can wear my new dress again! So enjoy the photos and hopefully you can appreciate my honesty.

I also want to give a big shout out to my hair stylist Lynzie Smith for the awesome ‘do! We won the award for Best Dressed and I have a feeling that the hair was a huge part of it 🙂

Final note: Look for some additional Betty Draper (it breaks my heart to use ‘Francis’) inspired looks this week!

The Happy Couple!

 

 

A Different Kind of Statement Accessory

Over the course of this project, I’ve come to realize how key accessories can be. Not only are they an economical way to update your wardrobe (in most instances), but you can wear them with multiple items in your closet. While there are a finite number of bottoms you can wear with a top, things get mathematically complicated pretty quickly when you start trying to figure out the various combinations you can create when you start adding belts, jewelry, shoes, and scarves to your tops, bottoms,and blazers!

So today, I’d like to introduce my new favorite accessory– Poppy King for J. Crew lipstick!

Just like a bracelet or a hat, this bright coral-red lipstick is the ultimate statement accessory that I can use to update any look! I don’t have to tell you that the bright red lip has been going strong for a while now in the celebrity world, but it took me a while to decide if I could pull it off. As soon as I started thinking about as a statement necklace or an eye-catching belt, it became obvious that if I was going to do it, I just needed to go for it and own i! So tell us, have you tried a bold make-up look in order to update your every day look?

Bright Red Lips courtesy of Poppy King for J. Crew

Outfit Inspiration and Red Wings Pride!

It’s hard to believe this week is almost over– I’ve been at a professional development conference on Advanced Qualitative Analysis (you know you are jealous!), so with only three days in the office, it feels like the days have been flying by!

On Wednesday, I decided to put one of my Pinterest Outfit Inspirations to the test:

The Original from my Pinterest Outfit Inspiration Board

April 18: Chambray Button Down (J. Crew) and Black Pencil Skirt (Anne Klein) with a skinny belt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, while I am not a J. Crew model (hence, the lack of a popped collar), I’m pretty happy with the results! Using my “pinned” outfits is the clothing equivalent of following a recipe when cooking– I can just scan through the pictures on my pin board and figure out what I need to make, just like flipping through a cookbook.  When I cook, sometimes I just need a jumping off point and other times I have no idea what I’m doing, so I make sure to follow every step. Getting dressed can be just like this– denim shirt, plus black skirt = success without thinking!

Today I’m sporting a little pride for my Detroit Red Wings (check that t-shirt off of the “to wear” list!). Happy Friday and Go Wings!

April 20: Red Wings Tee with Black Cardigan and Red pants (Ann Taylor Loft)

Spring Cleaning!

After spring cleaning my closet this weekend, I had a major realization: I have WAY to many clothes! I ended up with three bags of clothes and two bags of shoes and accessories for the Salvation Army, even after my closet clean out last November!

My criteria were simple:
1) If it was a winter item that I didn’t wear this winter…

2) If it was too big, too small, or otherwise something I think twice about (see my post about the scratchy wool sweater!)…

Donate It!

I’ll admit that I was ruthless, but it feels so good to get rid of the things clogging up my closet and it feels even better knowing that someone will be a little warmer next winter in a sweater that was just sitting on a shelf in my closet because I wasn’t sure about the color.

Have you gotten started on your spring cleaning?! Tell us what tips and tricks you have!

And stay tuned for a Pinterest-Inspired outfit tomorrow!