The spring challenge is done. I’m excited to get dressed and get out of the house without having to snap pictures, but otherwise I’m a little sad it’s over. I had so much fun and I’m still getting compliments at work as I try new outfits. It was well worth the $10 cost to register and here are just a handful of the reasons why.

1. More than anything, it proved ladies can be nice to each other. The Facebook group was amazing. I think there were nearly 500 women in the group and I’m not exaggerating when I say I don’t recall ever seeing any piece of negativity. It was so supportive and positive, I have restored faith in how women treat each other.

2. I learned to love color. I never even thought twice about my winter clothes packed away in the garage. I am all about mint + coral + navy + olive + turquoise. And throw in some lime for good measure.

3. I embraced lipstick. I went to Sephora, put aside my fears and asked for help, and came out with two pretty colors that I wear daily. I need to get better at reapplying midday, but at least I leave the house looking thirty something and not twelve.

4. I combined my wardrobes. Several items I’ve worn both on weekends and weekdays. I’m not thinking of most items as work of play clothes anymore. Some combos are more suited for the office or for a day of running errands and relaxing, but I’m mixing it all up and wearing it all.

5. I learned to be smart about shopping. I’ve worn all but one shirt that I bought (I haven’t ironed it yet) and most things multiple times in the three weeks. Buying clothes with an idea in mind and ensuring they coordinate really helps getting more mileage out of your wardrobe.

6. I save time in the morning. I spend about 10 minutes at night deciding what I’m going to wear and ironing anything that is wrinkled. I easily spent 10 minutes before in the morning trying to find something to wear and never looked cute or pulled together.

7. I learned the best way to dry button downs. Put them in the dryer for about five minutes then hang dry. They only require a quick pass of the iron and look great. I can’t remember which lady left that tip early in the challenge, but it’s fantastic.

8. I learned even when I’m down to nothing thanks to a desperate laundry situation, spending five minutes yields a respectable outfit. Looking at you, Day 17.

9. I always knew and have finally accepted that accessories make the outfit. They can be cheap (I got scarves and belts from Target for $10) or a little more fancy (my Kimberly necklace). Doesn’t matter. Wear one, or better yet two or three, and you will look instantly pulled together.

10. It worked no matter how much money you wanted to spend. Some ladies bought entire new wardrobes to celebrate losing significant amounts of weight. On the other end, several ladies had goals of no shopping this year and did the challenge entirely from their own closet. It really wasn’t about how much you have but about thinking creatively and taking a few chances. Like white pants in April….

Lucky for you the challenge is coming back for summer! If you’re interested, you can sign up here to be on the email list when registration opens.

Over the last month I’ve been collecting my own challenge prompts to keep me going. I’ve been pinning tons of outfits that I can recreate with clothes I have in my closet already. I’m using them to decide what to wear each day. My two goals to follow up with challenge with are 1) continuing to organize myself in the evening before I go to bed and 2) to not repeat an exact outfit before the summer challenge starts.

Deena @ Shoes to Shiraz
Jordan @ Just Jordan
Shaunacey @ Confessions of a Frumpy Mummy
Katie @ The Mishaps and Mayhem of Solitary Life
Vanessa @ X-tremely V
Anne-Michelle @ May We Be Allergy Free
Teresa @ Two Babies and Me
Sarah @ Foxy’s Domestic Side
Carrie @ A Lovely Little Wardrobe
Carly @ Faith Family and Frugality

Another week done and seven (well, six) more outfits documented. I’m still loving learning how to make new outfits with my clothes but I’m definitely looking forward to skipping the daily outfit picture post. And we’re all looking forward to the mirror being removed from our office.

The link to any piece not labeled “old” can be found in this post or this post.

shoes: old/target; belt: old/old navy; sweater, button down, pants: Gap

Brightened up a typical work outfit with leopard flats and my lime sweater.

necklace: old/stella&dot shoes: old/steve madden; gingham shirt: old/gap; belt: target; olive skinny cargos: loft

Loving the turquoise and olive combo still. Added a navy gingham shirt and leopard belt.

top: old/nordstrom; skirt: old/gap; shoes: old/steve madden; jacket: nordstrom; scarf: target

The first classroom day for my NTP program! So excited; it was a fantastic weekend (though I’m still exhausted 48 hours after we wrapped up). I tried to dress for comfort but still work in the outfit components.

sweater: old/forever 21; leggings: old/nordstrom; tank: loft; scarf: nordstrom

My skirt was a little impractical for class, so I went with leggings for Saturday. I feel like this is a great weekend outfit. Just as comfy as yoga pants but a little more pulled together.

{I skipped a picture on day 14 I guess. I wore skinny navy pants from loft with an old orange and gray striped shirt from forever 21.}

sweater: old/banana; blouse: old/nordstrom; necklace: stella˙ shoes: old/steve madden; pants: loft; belt: target

Monday, the last week of the challenge. I decided this week to mix my existing clothes with what I bought for the challenge. The whole point was to not have separate work and play wardrobes so I wanted to make sure I didn’t start to look at my clothes as pre and post challenge.

dress: old/target; shoes: old/steve madden; necklace: stella˙ jacket: macy’s

I love this dress I picked up at Target last year. The weather today was in the 70s so I pulled it out of my summer bin. I doubt we’re done with rain and gray for the year, but I’ll take an awesome week of good weather.

Deena @ Shoes to Shiraz
Jordan @ Just Jordan
Shaunacey @ Confessions of a Frumpy Mummy
Katie @ The Mishaps and Mayhem of Solitary Life
Vanessa @ X-tremely V
Anne-Michelle @ May We Be Allergy Free
Teresa @ Two Babies and Me
Sarah @ Foxy’s Domestic Side
Carrie @ A Lovely Little Wardrobe
Carly @ Faith Family and Frugality

I’m back again with a wrap-up of my fashion strides over the last week. I’m still getting many compliments at work so I think I’m continuing to improve. I know I for sure leave the house feeling more pulled together than ever before. The weather has not been spring-like at all, but I’m still wearing my color and reminding myself there will be sunshine some day. Please excuse how dark the pictures are this week; the pics definitely suffer when the weather is stormy.

First up, my final shopping damage. I would feel guilty, except I don’t because I’m wearing everything and have a massive pile of stuff that was just sitting in the closet ready for the Goodwill. Also (yes, you can quote me dear Husband), I won’t be shopping for anything until the summer shopping list comes out. That was the deal I made with myself and I plan on keeping it.

Gap: white eyelet pop over, navy gingham shirt, white + gray sweaters, navy striped maxi skirt
Ann Taylor Loft: olive skinny cargos, blue skinny pants (similar), mint sheer button down

You can find links to the other new pieces in my original Style Me Spring Challenge post.

{I’d like to note that if you plan to buy anything from either Gap or Loft you should never do so full price. Everything I bought from Gap or Loft was at least 40% off, if not 60%. It’s just crazy to buy anything full price from either of these stores because they constantly have sales. Wait a day or two and the item you want will be marked down, I promise.}

swearter: old/nordstrom; heels: old/jessica simpson, belt: old/old navy; all other pieces linked in original post

This might be the easiest outfit formula ever: tank + sweater + scarf + skinny jeans + heels. I added a necklace because I’m an overachiever. My jeans are a dark wash, not black. If you want an inexpensive way to dress up your spring wardrobe I highly recommend a floral scarf. I ended up with two and have worn both a couple of times already. Instant spring around your neck.

chambray shirt: old/nordstrom; flats: old/steve madden; bangles: old/various; scarf linked in original post; skinny cargo pants linked above

I’ve had this chambray shirt for months but only wore it a time or two. I am having fun pairing items that have been in my closet with new clothes I purchased for the challenge. My new favorite pants are the olive skinny cargos from LOFT (lighter in color than they appear here). They are more comfortable than jeans and perfect for fun or work.

t-shirt: old/gap; jeans: old/vigoss; necklace: old/stella & dot; jacket and jeans linked in original post

One of the BEST part of this challenge by far is spending a few minutes at night thinking about my clothes for the next day and zero minutes in the morning. When I laid this out Thursday night I was skeptical, thinking it was going to be really boring. But Friday morning when I put it on I was in love. It might be my favorite outfit yet because it’s so versatile: casual Friday at work, running errands, meeting friends for lunch. It’s a t-shirt and jeans with a little oomph. Also, olive + turquoise is an awesome color combo I’d never thought about before.

scarf: old/local boutique; boots: old/dsw; skirt linked above; jacket and t-shirt linked in original post

This is something I never would have tried on my own, for sure. The day’s outfit called for a maxi skirt but it was pouring rain here in Seattle. After a little investigation on Pinterest, it looks like maxi skirts can work outside of summer with flat or ankle boots. I picked my favorite pair of boots and added a bright green scarf as we were watching a Sounders game with friends that evening. Totally out of my comfort zone, but fun to try something new and will definitely extend the wear of what I used to think of as just summer clothes.

jeans: old/vigoss; flats: old/steve madden; cardigan and shirt linked in original post

Easter Sunday. We enjoyed some family time in the morning and finally got dressed after lunch. Typically I would have showered and put on clean yoga pants, but I wanted to follow the outfit today. It look approximately 30 seconds longer to put this on and I looked approximately one thousand times less frumpy. I added a pair of small dangly earrings and was done. No hair, no make-up, but still looked presentable for a trip to Home Depot.

necklace: old/stella˙ pants, shoes, and belt linked in original post; eyelet top linked above

Color! Mint + coral is another new color combination I hadn’t thought of before and will definitely look for more often. The Stella&Dot Together Forever necklace (that I’ve had for 3+ years) is my go-to; it looks good with everything and always works when I can’t figure out what jewelry will look good. I feel like if I keep wearing bright colors the sun will have to show up for more than a few hours. Right?

rain boots: old/hunter; jacket, scarf, striped t-shirt, flats: linked in original post; gray skinny cargos linked above

It was chilly and rainy today, so white jeans + bright tank + wedges weren’t going to happen. I still wanted some color though so grabbed a long sleeve neon top and a floral scarf. I had a few appointments in the morning and went with rain boots, then switched to flats when I went to work later in the day.

We’re almost halfway done with the challenge, it’s flying by. Check out this week’s recaps from these ladies.

Deena @ Shoes to Shiraz
Jordan @ Just Jordan
Shaunacey @ Confessions of a Frumpy Mummy
Katie @ The Mishaps and Mayhem of Solitary Life
Vanessa @ X-tremely V
Anne-Michelle @ May We Be Allergy Free
Teresa @ Two Babies and Me
Sarah @ Foxy’s Domestic Side
Carrie @ A Lovely Little Wardrobe
Carly @ Faith Family and Frugality

I mentioned yesterday that I’m doing a spring style challenge. We all know I love anything that has the word challenge in it and since I’ve been trying to improve my fashion I signed up immediately when I heard about it. I have three goals for this challenge, because really people, what is worth doing without goals? (Answer: nothing.)

1. Stop wearing gray (and other dark colors) all the time.

I might have a small addiction to darker colors, especially gray. A co-worker asked me the other day if I preferred to not wear colorful clothing. Hmm. Spring fashion is definitely something I need help with. I decided to cut myself off cold turkey; below are all the dark colored clothes I pulled out of my closet. I took the photo from above so you can’t see that the stacks are fairly high. It’s at least 75% of what was in my closet, and 100% of my go-to items. These clothes are now in a bin in the garage, not to be brought out until the fall.

The next day I had to put something on for work so I pulled out some of my new clothes for the challenge. The number of compliments I got at work was nice but somewhat concerning. How frumpy and dark do I usually look?

2. Start to blend my casual and work wardrobes.

Forever I’ve thought of my wardrobe as really being two, work and play, which means I probably buy more than I need. With my current client (and plans to work for myself in the future), I think it’s time to start blending the wardrobes and the outfit inspiration will help. Alison will be giving us casual outfits every day and I’ll need to tweak them a bit to make them a little more work friendly. My goal is that the same pool of clothing can be used to make work and casual outfits.

3. Wear all my clothes. 

I tend to buy things I really like without thinking of how they fit with everything else I have. I end up with items that only go with one pair of pants or shoes. This kind of goes along with my second goal, but I want to not have many items in my closet that can’t be paired with several others to make outfits. Of course there will always be special occasion clothes and a piece or two that I just love, but in general I’m going for own less, wear more.

The Shopping List

(Note: I’m not actually posting the shopping list. Alison made this challenge affordable at just $10 and the actual list or outfits themselves aren’t to be copied.)

A few things to keep in mind:

• There were 18 items on the list but you will see more than 18 below.
• I had multiples of a few items already, and a few suggested items I bought more than one option for. Spring is a pretty long season in Seattle, I’m not expecting summer weather until July and even then it’s mild and I expect most of these items to transition.
• As previously noted, I have no clothes in fun colors so I bought a little more than was “required”.
• I had to buy a few items not on the list that will allow me to make all the outfits more work appropriate.
• I bought a few extra accessories because that’s not my strong suit at all but I think it helps tie things together. We shall see if I get better at them.
• Not going to lie, I got totally giddy over the smaller pants size I am wearing now and bought more than I need.
• There are several ladies in the challenge who gave up shopping for Lent or are on tight budgets and are doing this only from their closet. You can buy as much or as little as you want and make this work.

Here’s what I shopped for in my own closet. You’ll notice I didn’t have a single non-neutral item and had a whopping five pairs of neutral shoes (I have others too that I didn’t include). 

Quite a few of these items are at least a year old, if not older, so I can’t link back to them.

Gap: black & white t-shirt
Nordstrom: gold sperry top-siders, leopard flats, wedges, jolt skinny jeans, vigoss boyfriend jeans, gray sweater, light chambray shirt
Target: silver & yellow sandals
Old Navy: military jacket
Forever 21: high low black & white shirt
Unknown: nude flats (steve madden)

And here’s what I ended up buying. I have a few more items in transit and will post them in next week’s wrap-up, assuming they aren’t all returns. I only bought two of the exact items off the shopping list, what I loved about the list is that it is all open to 1) what you already have and 2) what you feel good about, as long as you follow a few guidelines. Now I won’t be straight copying outfits, but instead using them to learn how to put together a polished look (that’s the hope at least).

GAP: blue and white striped shirt, lime cardigan, gray pants, coral pants, orange striped tee
Nordstrom: military jacket, mint tank, scarf
Macy’s: jean jacket
Ann Taylor Loft: white jeans
Target: mint belt, leopard belt, scarf
Everlane: white t-shirt
Stella & Dot: kimberly necklace

And on to the challenge!

pink necklace (old); other pieces linked above

Lessons learned from the first day include 1) white pants are fun, 2) if you are short, don’t fear the petite, they actually fit, 3) if your years old statement necklace breaks, hold it together with a bobby pin, 4) military jacket is the new gray cardigan, 5) no, nothing will ever replace the amazingness of the gray cardigan, 5) lipstick is not scary, and 6) smiling really helps an outfit selfie.

green necklace (old); gray cardigan (old/banana republic); navy sleeveless blouse (StitchFix); other pieces linked above

I found that 1) wearing new clothes before the challenge means you already wore the outfit called for, 2) when you have to scramble you take steps outside your comfort zone, 3) maybe you should notice when you buy shoes in your exact skin shade and pick a different pair instead, 4) leopard print belts from Target go with everything, and 5) when you speak ill of the gray cardigan you must redeem yourself by wearing one the next day.

So, how did I do? I feel really great to be honest. Much more put together and certainly more springlike. I’m already thinking of future outfits I want to try, plus I have 19 more days of Alison’s to look forward to.

There are a handful of ladies also blogging about their outfits, from office dwellers like me to teachers to SAHMs. I’ve been seeing everyone’s creations on our private Facebook page (there are over 400 of us!) and the outfit ideas from a handful of clothing items are enormous –  check out a few of them with the links below.

Deena @ Shoes to Shiraz
Jordan @ Just Jordan
Shaunacey @ Confessions of a Frumpy Mummy
Katie @ The Mishaps and Mayhem of Solitary Life
Vanessa @ X-tremely V
Anne-Michelle @ May We Be Allergy Free
Teresa @ Two Babies and Me
Sarah @ Foxy’s Domestic Side
Carrie @ A Lovely Little Wardrobe
Carly @ Faith Family and Frugality

That ends my random foray into fashion blogging until next Wednesday, when I’ll share days 3 – 9.

Not to state the obvious, but I’m not a fashionista. I’m not particularly interested in looking trendy, but I am interested in looking polished and at least not outdated. I want to own less but wear more. And lastly, I want to combine my work wardrobe with my casual wardrobe so I only have one (given my current client and my plans for the future, this is reasonable).

I’ve tried a few things to improve my game in the fashion area lately. I started following the Pinterest Told Me To blog (after shopping around for a blog to follow I landed on Sheaffer’s as I like her style and she shops at stores that are familiar to me) and also checking out Pinterest itself for outfit inspiration. I just searched for “spring outfits” and within the results there are many I could remake with clothes I already own but wouldn’t have thought to combine myself.

Last fall, during a visit to Nordstrom to look for jeans, I ended up working with a stylist. It wasn’t planned, but she kept brining me clothes that fit really well and I loved it. I thought this was the answer to my fashion problems and had plans to go back the next season for a refresh. Then I got home and realized I’d spent a decent chunk of money on a couple of outfits. Nothing coordinated as it was just outfits, not a wardrobe. I do have to say that Nordstrom stylists are great at what they do – if you are looking for a specific item I highly advise going in and asking for help. I haven’t had that experience at any other store.

Next up I tried StitchFix. The idea is that you spend $20 and they send you 5 items (after you fill out a questionnaire and optionally provide them with a Pinterest board link). You keep the items you like (your $20 is applied to the cost of what you keep), and send back the rest, leaving comments about what you didn’t like. I received two fixes and kept five out of the ten pieces. Not bad, right? I currently have it on hold because I found the next step in my fashion journey, but I can see myself using StitchFix again in the future.

Super awkward pictures of me wearing some of my StitchFix items: black & white dress; black tunic top with detailing; navy and white heart tunic top.

Tomorrow I’m joining with a group of ladies to share about my latest fashion find that I am super excited about. Through Pinterest Told Me To, I heard about the Style Me Spring Challenge being put together by Get Your Pretty On. Alison put together a shopping list of 18 items that can be made into (at least) 21 outfits. They are all casual outfits, so I thought I would join up with the bloggers to show how I end up adapting the daily outfits to fit my “casual end of business casual” work environment. Stay tuned to see if I can manage three whole weeks of no yoga pant outfits. It will certainly be a first.