#365outfits Challenge

At the start of the month I mentioned joining  Super Kawaii Mama  #Re2014 project, and for the month of January the theme is Reevaluate!

So, one of the first things I did this January was clean my closet. Cleaning my closet is always bitter-sweet, because though I have a lovely closet and lots of beautiful clothes, I feel like I have way too much all the time and no room for it all.

Some of you might ask whether that’s a real problem, to have too much clothes, but yes. Especially when I don’t wear so much of what I have. This lead me back to thinking about the #Re2014 project and”reevaluting” the clothes in my closet. 

I’m not alone in this journey other bloggers like Tasah, from By Gum, By Golly recently wrote an article about the closet of your daydreams, and about the process of really evaluating what you wear and what you want to wear.

Over on Lucky Lucille, blogger, Rochelle, is also evaluating her wardrobe and what articles of clothing she’d like to sew to really have the wardrobe of her dreams. She’s started a 12-pattern challenge, where she will sew a new garment each month, focusing on quality and fit, so that it really works in her wardrobe. 

Okay, so like these lovely ladies, I’ve decided to really evaluate my closet, but that seemed like a huge task. Besides I often just get frustrated and just start purging on a whim. Then my husband gave me an idea. 

He’s always like why are you getting rid of that outfit, have you even worn it? The truth is probably not. I tend to buy things that I like but maybe don’t fit quite right, or I don’t have a place to wear it to, etc. Then he suggested instead of getting rid of things, why don’t you really evaluate what you do wear, by actually wearing your clothes. In fact why don’ t you wear a different outfit everyday, no repeats for the rest of the year and see what you really don’t wear. 

Wait a second, what? Wear a different outfit everyday for the rest of the year? Is that even possible? 

Technically I probably have enough clothes to do this, though I was kind  of taken back by it, since I have few select go to items that I tend to wear on a frequent basis. Of course, then he “Challenged” me to do it, and my winning instincts took over. I would accept said challenge and thus start what I’m calling the #365outfits challenge. 

The term “outfit” refers to the whole set of clothes worn together, so technically I have a loop-hole here to re-wear say a skirt or blouse with another ensemble. Though like I said I probably have enough clothes I won’t need to do that. 

The idea behind this challenge, didn’t come about until the 9th of January, but I still decided to tackle a full 365 days worth of outfits. 

I’ve been posting my outfits to both my Akram’s Ideas Instagram and My Akram’s Ideas Dayre account.

I’m usually not one to take outfit poses, not really anyways, but I wanted some accountability. Without accountability, I might try to cheat a repeat outfit on days when I’m strapped for time. Hopefully knowing my followers are expecting something new, I won’t let them down.

Also, knowing that I will be posting these outfits, I try to really find items in my closet that look good on me and have a vintage flare to them.

I’m really trying to evaluate all my wardrobe items, not just clothes. So, I’m trying to mix it up with the accessories, like different shoes, purse and hat. Of course, I do have some daily shoes, I’m trying to squeeze in more of my nicer heels with my outfits. And I have so many hats and purses, that I might as well change it up.

It’s been a little over 2 weeks since I started this challenge, and I’ve already had some epiphanies.

First now that it’s the middle of winter, I don’t really have many winter clothes, especially dresses. I have two sweater dresses, and the rest are all summer gowns. I have maybe 3 suits that are winter apparel being velvet or woolen, and other than the recent addition of two corduroy skirts and a woolen one, I don’t really have any winter skirts. I do have two jersey pencil skirts and a select few black slacks, which was my stand by winter attire, but now that I’m forced to wear something different everyday, I’m noticing it be nice to have some warmer dresses.

Second, epiphany, is that I’m better dressed when I plan ahead. Since I know I’ll be posting my outfits, I really think about what I’m going to wear and plan everything out the night before. This also gives me time to swap purses and make sure all the items are together and ironed, if needed. Having the clothes ready in the morning also makes getting dressed easier and I have a bit more time to mess around with my hair and makeup. 

Lastly, I’ve also discovered I’m no good at posing. I feel a bit silly in front of the camera and usually don’t know what way to pose, to really highlight the outfit. My husband has been taking all my photos, and has really encouraged me to change it up with the poses. I’ve been trying and hopefully I’ll get more into it.

All the photos I’ve taken have been with my iPhone, since I’m lazy and don’t really want to get out my camera. Besides I’m posting them to Instagram, and I need them on my phone to do that. So, I can’t say if the quality is really all that good, but I’ve been getting some likes, so I guess they are okay. 

Okay, so, 2 weeks down in my #365outfits challenge and I’m feeling good about it and feeling like I’ll really walk away from this experience with a good wardrobe filled with things I wear. 

With that said I’d like to encourage you to join this challenge. If you’d like to join the bandwagon, just upload your daily outfit to Instagram with the hashtag #365outfits you can also add the following badge with a link to this article to your blog if you’d like. 

If you do join up with the #365outfits challenge, I want to know! So, drop in a comment that you are participating and a link to your Instagram so I can follow your progress. 

Remember this is just fun challenge so don’t get so worked up about it. It’s all about playing dress up in the clothes you already have ;