In need of some color!

If you’ve clicked through any of my the pictures I’ve taken for my blog, you’ve probably noticed that I stick to a lot of black, navy, and gray.  Plain old black (not counting anything with stripes or dots) accounts for 53 items in my closet! Add in pinstripes or checks and we’re up to 72 (that’s 25 percent of my closet!). I also own 29 gray pieces of clothing and 27 navy items, for a grand total of 128 clothing items– 44 percent of my closet– that are considered to be dull, drab, or just plain boring.

With that in mind, I decided that I should pay close attention when Refinery29 put out their article “2012 Color Trends- Five you need to know now.”  Here’s the rundown:

1) 70’s Appliances (think harvest gold and avocado green): Um, yeah… I don’t think I really own any of these colors. There’s a reason none of the models in this picture have blonde hair. That being said, I think I can pull this off…

2) Layered Neutrals (think soft oatmeals, browns, tans, and grays): As noted above, I’ve got this one down. For the record, I own three items already that I categorized as “oatmeal.”

3) Pastels (think mint green, blush, and robin’s egg blue): Finally, we’re getting somewhere! Note to self: wear more “blush.” And yes, ironically, I also have a skirt and a shirt that I put into my inventory as “mint green.” This should be fun!

4) Graphic Black and White (does this really need an explanation?): Again, this shouldn’t be problem. I will take extra care to add a “splash of color,” such as an “inky blue” for what is sure to be an “audacious effect”! On trend here we come…

5) Tangerine Tango (Pantone’s color of 2012– yes, this is real): So I have a few items that fall into this category, proving that if you’ve been shopping the right way for the past 27 years, something in your closet is bound to fall into the “color of the year” category.

So now that we’ve all been educated about the 2012 Color Trends, it’s time to take action! Since next week is the first full work week of 2012, I’ll be using each of the five days to show off my take of the new color trends. Nothing says Monday like 70’s appliances, folks!

Until then, here’s another drab gray outfit to check off of my list!

January 6: Gray Sweater Dress (Gap)

By the Numbers

And we’re off! The Wear Everything Project is officially underway. As an added bonus this time around, I’ll be documenting my outfits (as much as possible) so that you can see what 305 items of clothing really look like!

That’s right folks, 305 items of clothing. Am I a bit ashamed? Of course I am. Does any one person really need 11 V-neck T-shirts? What about 13 button down shirts? I guess I had to have something to wear under my 17 cardigans…

It’s amazing to see what’s buried in that closet once you really start digging! As someone who loves a good pivot table, it’s also interesting to have the data on what colors and brands I’ve been collecting over the years.

Black is the most commonly found color in my closet, clocking in with 54 items. Gray, White, and Navy were the next most frequently found hues—25, 22, and 21 items, respectively. I can’t say I’m entirely surprised, look at what I picked out to wear today…

Running the numbers on the brands I’ve been amassing was also fascinating. With 48 items in my closet from Express, they should be paying me for all of the advertising I’m doing! Forever 21 came in at a distant 2^nd Place, with 32 items and The Limited slid into 3^rd place with 28 items.

So with two articles of clothing down and 303 to go, how long do you think it will take me?!

 

Day One: Navy Tissue Turtleneck (J. Crew) and Gray Cords (Levi's)

 

Recovering from a Clothes Hangover

After spending all weekend preparing, I think I’m ready to really do this! I’ve cleaned out my closets, purged items that I already know need to go, and have inventoried everything—from beach cover ups to zip hoodies—in one handy dandy spreadsheet.

Unlike last time, when I just tagged items as I wore them, I thought I would gear up for the challenge by really taking stock of what I have in my closets. So as I cleaned and sorted, I entered everything into an Excel spreadsheet, including the Item Type, Item Color, and Brand. As I sit here now, I feel cleansed and organized after all of my hard work. My closets and drawers are cleaned and organized and I have a tidy set of bags ready to cart off to Salvation Army. At the same time, I also feel an overwhelming sense of what can only be described as the equivalent of a clothes hangover. Looking at my spreadsheet, it’s obvious that I’ve been over-indulging in clothes for far too long. Do I really own 22 pairs of jeans? How did that happen?! Is it really possible that I could wear a different pair of jeans every day for almost a month?

So that begs the question: How many pairs of jeans does the average American woman own? According to a survey featured in Glamour Magazine, the average gal owns 8 pairs of jeans. Leave a comment and let us know how many pairs of jeans you own! I’m sure you’ll be surprised when you start to count!

I guess I’ve always known I was above average, but c’mon…It’s obvious that things need to change and I’m ready to prove that I can wear it all!