Days 2-7

Obviously, I'm not posting everyday.  I'm not sure that will improve over the course of the year.

Day 2

 

Coral Long sleeve tunic

Navy pants

"Toms"

pearls for jewelry

This was a workday for me.

 

 

Day 3

 

Another workday. 
    White T
     Aqua Oval Tunic worn as a cardi
     Jeans/Denims
     Opalescent statement necklace with earrings for jewelry
      Black ankle boots


Day 4

We're on our way to the temple this morning - Saturday.
 Two way coral T
  Coral infinity scarf (can't remember length, sorry!)
   Aqua button scarf
   Black peep toe pumps
   Pearl studs for jewelry

I did change into lounge clothes when we got home - heather gray leggings and a sweatshirt.

Day 5

Church today (and obviously I'm not quite awake)
White 2 way T
Plum yoked skirt (haven't decided what to name it yet)
Coral cardi wrap
Opalescent statement necklace and earrings
Black peep toe pumps
(And I shouldn't have the pics taken in front of our terra cotta wall when I'm wearing the coral)
Again, once we returned home I climbed into my lounge clothes.

Day 6

It is very cold today in GA, so on goes the company logo hoodie, navy pants and sneakers.  It didn't warm up.  Brrrr!  


Day 7

Today it is still very cold in GA, but we have an audit at work so that means my department, at least, has to wear nicer clothes.  White 2 way T, navy pants and the coral cardi wrap with a bangle.  I'll add the black ankle boots and opalescent jewelry before I head out the door.



FoReVeR! and percolating

I know it's been forever since I've written anything on this blog.  I have another love in my life (other than my family) - paper crafting - and sometimes that takes over my life.  But I'm back for awhile.

I just learned about Project 333 (http://theproject333.com/) a week or so ago.  So, I pulled out my wardrobe plans and considered giving this a whirl.  The basics of this project are:

- 33 pieces of clothing, accessories, shoes (TOTAL)

- 3 month time period (a season)

Then while I reading about wardrobe revamping at into-mind  (http://into-mind.com/2013/01/06/10-step-wardrobe-revamp/), in the comments of one of the entries, I came across Fashion Mashie (http://fashionmashie.com/) - an Aussie lady who wore her existing wardrobe (I believe she only bought one dress and accessories) for one year.  (I haven't read her entire journey yet, but what I have is quite fun.)

That got me thinking - I couldn't quite weed my wardrobe down to 33 pieces (actually I haven't done it yet - planning phase) - could I sorta combine the two concepts?  I could limit my wardrobe AND wear the minimalist wardrobe for a whole year. 

This is just "talk" now, but the ideas are percolating.  I'm WAYYY into convertible (multi-use, transforming - actually that's what this blog is really about) clothing and I've wanted to use the pieces in conjunction with a project similar to Project 333.

(I was going to take a moment and share some of my favorite wardrobe books, but I'll save those for future posts.)

Conceptually I have my wardrobe narrowed to around 50 pieces - which includes: pants, tops, dresses, jackets/coat, shoes, and accessories (including jewelry).  (Socks, underwear, and pajamas/loungewear/exercise gear are not included in the total - per Project 333 rules.)  I'm kinda a "rules" girl (heck, my job is Quality Assurance, what do you expect?!!! ;o)), so I'm trying to figure out the number rule for a year's minimalist wardrobe.  I thought about 365/4 but that gives me ~91 pieces and that might be too large of a number for me = minimalist.  I might try the Babylonian 60.  Hmmm....I might be able to make that work.

Here is the list so far:

1-2.       2 - Long sleeve tunic
3-7.       5 - T shirts (longer than normal)
8-9.       2 - yoga pants
10-11.   2 - jeans
12.        1 - leggings
13.        1 - sarong
14.        1 - oval tunic
15.        1 - button scarf
16.        1 - tube dress
17.        1 - sleeves
18-21.   4 - circle/infinity scarves (various lengths)
22.        1 - cardi wrap
23.        1 - wrap skirt
24.        1 - bog coat
25.        1 - button down shirt
26-27.   2 - tube top
28-30.   3 - furoshikis
31.        1 - jean jacket
32.        1 - gloves
33.        1 - bangle
34.        1 - cocktail ring
35.        1 - necklace (this will be a cheater necklace, watch for a future post)
36.        1 - post earrings
37.        1 - hoop earrings
38.        1 - pearls
39.        1 - brooch
40.        1 - pumps
41.        1 - tennis shoes
42.        1 - flats
43.        1 - ankle boots
44.        1 - sandals (this also might be another cheater - sorta, future post ;o))
45.        1 - purse
46.        1 - tote

(I'm trying to decide if a swimsuit counts or not....According to Courtney Carver at Project 333 - she doesn't count them...I guess a swimsuit would be either exercise gear or lounge wear - depending on who you are.  A swimsuit definitely falls into the lounge wear category for me.)  After you've read about Project 333, what do you think?  Since I'm into modesty, the swimsuit would not be worn out in public other than at the beach or lake (Georgia doesn't seem to have many public swimming pools - at least, I haven't been to one.)

The color palette will be:

black
white
plum
turquoise
coral
crème
taupe/brown
red

The red is what is propelling me into the year-long minimalist idea.  Red, to me, is a necessary wardrobe color for Christmas, Valentine's Day and Independence Day.

I'm trying to remember that this wardrobe has to meet all scenarios.  I'm not much of an outdoorsy person, but the rest of my family is - so occasionally, I'll accommodate them.  That means jeans and the tennis shoes definitely have to be part of the wardrobe lineup.  We don't usually go to fancy places, so I'm not too worried about that end of the wardrobe spectrum though some of the pieces can be dressed up to fancy (well, not a black tie event...).  My lifestyle is basically work, church, and hanging with the family around the house.  (I know, I live a very exciting life...)

Well, that's the beginning of the percolating.  The tentative beginning goal date is September 1st.(Georgia usually has the loveliest Indian summers through mid December and I thought I would start then.)  The fly in the ointment is getting some of the pieces made before that date.

Who would like to do the journey with me?


P.S.   On a personal note, my children "started" school today.  Ugh!  Even though, they are home schooled and I work outside the home, I still hate that we have to formalize their education calendar.  Good news though, my oldest daughter was accepted into the Pathways program with BYU-I.  You go, girl!!! 

Completed - The Six Items or Less Challenge

I did it!  I did it!  I went 30 (actually 31 days – I’m mathematically challenged) wearing 6 pieces of clothing plus two accessories.  I began almost on a fluke.  I had decided – committed – to finally do this challenge, but was still waffling on the pieces I was to use.  For some reason, on that Saturday, I decided that I was JUST GOING TO DO IT! 

The reason I chose these pieces was for their versatility.  I work outside the home, I attend church at least weekly, I go on dates with my husband (almost weekly), plus other various and sundry activities that a wife/mother/girl about town has to attend.  The season was late fall in Georgia, so not too cold though occasionally cold for someone that has gotten acclimated to Georgia’s moderate climate.

Probably the two biggest advantages to this challenge were one – it was fairly easy to get dressed in the morning and two – laundry was SUPER EASY. 

The only piece I had in this particular grouping that couldn’t be worn more than one way was the jeans (though I wore the yoga pants only one way also).  The other four pieces could be worn as tops at least.  Two of the pieces (Oval Tunic and Fractional) could be worn as dresses, skirts, and jackets.  The Trapezoid Shirt could be worn as a skirt and vest (for me).  I wore more dress/skirt combinations to work than I ever had before during this challenge period.  And laundry!  That was an eye opener.  This challenge doesn’t limit your underclothing (thank Heaven!), but when I did laundry that first week I had less clothing to wash and fold than my husband which has probably never happened before.  One time, when I had misplaced one of the pieces at laundry time and I was in a panic - when you are that limited wardrobe-wise every piece counts.  Gratefully, it was found the next morning and one of my daughters laundered it for me.  Hanging up 8 pieces of clothing is so much easier (duh!) than the many other pieces I use to do.  Hopefully this won’t gross anyone out, but I only laundered once a week.  I did use Febreze® on occasion.

Over the course of these 30 (31) days, I learned some lessons – primarily about my designs and a little about myself.  Most of these pieces had been in my wardrobe for over two years, except the Fractional.  (This was a fairly new piece - quite possibly finished just in time to be part of the challenge.)  They all went together well in the combinations and variations.  Since the Fractional was the newest piece, I wasn’t sure how it would work.  It did well.  In fact, one week, I wore it 5 days straight – putting it through its variations.  Since this was more or less a prototype, it will probably be modified in the next revision.  The Trapezoid Shirt was also in its prototype stage and the sleeves were WAY too long – I didn't take the time to figure out to what length to shorten them. 

I also used decorated safety pins at the neckline to close the shirt.  I could have used another pair (once again too lazy/busy to make ‘em).  Due to the rayon lycra, some of the pieces were sheerer than I would have liked, but then I wore the Tube as a slip.  I learned that I could survive with just 8 pieces of my wardrobe AND I wasn’t too bored (day 31 pushed the limit).  I don’t know if anyone would have remarked on my clothing choices if I hadn’t mentioned that I was doing the challenge.  (I have two friends at work that seem fascinated by the clothing pieces’ ability to change functions.)  So this is a reason to do the challenge again – don’t tell anyone. 

What was the ugly about the challenge?  As mentioned before, it did get a little, tiny bit boring towards the end.  Otherwise, I can’t really think of anything else that was bad about doing this.  I did miss my leggings and my white button down. shirt.  Oh, I almost forgot about wearing black – it does show some “dirt” when other colors wouldn’t show it so blatantly.

The variability of the pieces is very likely what saved me.  But, I didn’t use all the variations of the pieces either.  Some of the pieces can literally be worn more than 20 ways and I know I didn’t stretch any of them to that limit.

If I was to do this permanently, I would probably up the number of pieces to 10 at least – to include my leggings and some more tops.  (Stay tuned – this is one of the purposes of this blog – to explore wardrobes and convertible pieces.)

I now have a huge boxful of clothes in my closet.

I did literally take all my clothes off the hangers, folded them and placed them in a huge cardboard box.  The question is:  Do I really need all those clothes?  Some of them are definitely destined for Goodwill, others though – I’ll have to deal with the separation anxiety.

What did I wear on my first day not on the challenge?  More plum and black…;-)

Would you do this challenge?

CAVEAT:  Full disclosure:  Items not “numbered” by the challenge include:  undergarments, coats, workout gear, pajamas, accessories, shoes, socks and work uniforms.  I did have two pairs of pajamas so I could do my laundry in one pair while I was washing the other pair and the wardrobe.  I did wear only one coat (when necessary) throughout the challenge – a stadium length black leather coat.  Shoes were limited because of the black pieces to mainly black (though I might have snuck in my brown Clarks® when I wore taupe and plum).  I don’t work out and I don’t have a work uniform.

The Six Items or Less Challenge

Less is more...or so the saying goes.  There seems to me to be a movement to do with less.  Can YOU do with less?  Can I do with less?  especially clothing.

Sometime during the summer of 2010, I learned about a challenge between two friends (Heidi Hackener and Tasmin Davies of NYC) they called Six Items or Less.  The premise of this challenge was to have only six items of clothing (not including outerwear, underwear, workout clothes, sleepwear, work uniforms and accessories) and wear only these pieces for 30 days.  This challenge received publicity and expanded around the globe. 

Shelley Seale  http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/design/2011-02-14/adventures-in-fashion-six-items-or-less/

This challenge (obviously) intrigued me.  By the summer of 2010, I had amassed a few pieces that I really liked and wanted to try the challenge.  I kept putting my participation off for various and sundry reasons.  A couple of weeks ago, I finally got my act, my focus, my resolve and decided FOR SURE which pieces I would use. 

These are the pieces I chose:

The Two Way shirt - a fairly basic short sleeve T shirt made of cotton lycra with a V neck AND a ballet neck.  It was inspired by a top I saw at TranquiliT and in Sewing a Travel Wardrobe by Kate Matthews.  I can wear it either way.  (personal design) 

Yoga type pants - full length pants also made of cotton lycra.  The pattern is based on the concept of the wrap around pant with some added features.  They can be worn three lengths (I hope).  (personal design)








Jeans - are a staple in anyone's wardrobe.  I'm fortunate enough to be able to wear jeans to my office job.  The color may be a mishap, as I had chosen the color because I was going to use different colors in the wardrobe and ended up with a different color palette.  These are my favorite brand of jeans - Gloria Vanderbilt.  They have lycra.  They fit.  They are relatively inexpensive.







The Trapezoid Shirt - this extra long sleeve shirt made of rayon lycra.  It is based on a design I've seen by several designers, namely Norma Kamali, the Wilbourn sisters, and Ralph Drake plus many others (check out my YouTube channel).  It can be worn a number of different ways - primarily as a shirt (obviously) and a skirt (yippee!).  (modified personal design)

The Oval Tunic is a long sleeved oval with buttoned armscye slits and a buttoned, cased neck.  This design is made of rayon lycra and probably the most worn piece of clothing in my ENTIRE wardrobe.   It was inspired by the the Circle Dress designed by Lemuria, the Singing Ring by Emami, the 1001 dress by Picabo, the Vest-S-Cape by Saf-T-Pockets, a design by the Wilbourn Sisters and probably a few more.  This can be worn so many ways and I LOVE IT!!!  It can be worn as a tunic (duh!), a dress, several tops, a  cardiwrap aka jacket, a skirt, and pants (think Hammer Time).  (modified personal design)






The Fractional is a buttoned (20!) tube of fabric with casings made of rayon lycra.  This is my newest piece though I've had a prototype in my wardrobe for awhile.  The rayon lycra isn't four way stretch so it's not my favorite.  It was also inspired by several other designers:  Emami, the Butterfli (Russet), Trudy Miller, Baylene, and Inala London.  It can be worn as a top, dress, shrug, skirt, scarf, and if I'm really desparate - funky capris.  (modified personal design)







My main acessories are: the Button Scarf and a tube. 

The Button Scarf is made of a poly printed semi sheer crepe.  It has eight buttons.  I'm not very good at wearing prints but I love this one (another "old" piece in my wardrobe).  This is a prototype so it's not perfect - actually, I just added a feature to it - casings on the short ends.  It was inspired by the Buttoned Scarf and you can purchase these at  www.magicscarf.com.  The part that I don't like about this particular piece is it's semi sheer.  It can be worn as a shrug, skirt, vest and scarf.  (modified personal design)

The Tube is a cased tube of fabric made of rayon lycra.  This is also a prototype and I'm still becoming comfortable with its uses.  It is inspired by the Buff ®.  I added casings because I wanted to extend the variations.  I use it primarily for a slip as the Trapezoid top is a bit sheer for me, but it is suppose to be a hat and neck scarf.  Later, I'll show you how I intend to extend its variations.

INTRODUCTION

I love clothes! I love designing them, wearing them, researching them, not necessarily constructing them - but I love knowing I can construct almost anything to which I set my mind.

This is a blog about my lifelong obsession with a square/rectangular piece of cloth, the gradual understanding of the geometry of clothing, and finding MY perfect wardrobe.

I remember as a young child taking (stealing!?) my dad's handkerchiefs and grabbing some rubber bands to dress my BarbiesTM. I made the most elegant gowns for my dolls with those pieces of cloth. I graduated to using pieces of fabric to clothe my Crissy and Jennifer dolls. I had learned at my grandmother Pace's knee how to sew (she thought it would keep me from sucking my fingers - and it worked!). 

Fast forward to college. I took classes in patternmaking, clothing construction, and tailoring but somehow missed draping. But I did take two classes in handwork at BYU-Idaho and two classes in fashion history at BYU-Provo. (Side note: DO NOT take watch Disney's Sleeping Beauty while taking fashion history - it hurts the time continuum.) While taking fashion history, I was introduced to the simple clothing pieces of the tunic and toga.  During these same college days, I also had the opportunity to visit Hawaii and fell in love with sarongs.

While serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I was struck with the idea of having the perfect LBD with different accessories (not just jewelry and flowers but different sleeves and skirt lengths) so I could wear it over and over again and few would be wise to the fact that it was the same dress.

Fast forward again,about 16 years, my children were mature enough they didn't need mom's constant supervision and I re-visited my fascination with the sarong. As I did research on the sarong, I was introduced to many other pieces of clothing that were simple in construction but vast in the variations. I learned about the Cameleon, the Infinite Dress, No Fuss Scarves, HipKNOTies (a recent find), designers: Lemuria, Emami, Inala-London, Magic or Button scarf, cardiwraps, bog coats and many more - which I hope to introduce you to through this blog.

While being mom to four wonderful children, we do the usual activities - sports, theater, music and home school (well, that might not be so usual, but it's our life). Being a stay-at-home mom is a pretty easy wardrobe - jeans and a T shirt and some days (very few, mind you) pajamas. But one day, we were about 25 miles from home to attend music lessons for my children. Later that evening was their recital at a church even further from home. I wasn't thinking and wore jeans that day. I was raised that you don't enter a church in pants, let alone jeans. I felt so uncomfortable in that church because of my upbringing; it was difficult to enjoy the recital. I remember thinking - "Duh! If I had just brought one of my (many) sarongs, I would have been fine."

Approximately two years ago, two friends in NYC came up with the concept wearing 6 clothing items during a month long period. (The restricted wardrobe did not exclude workout clothes, outerwear, underwear, and work uniforms as well as accessories). About this same time another young woman wore a dress design for 365 days - blogging daily and having fun accessorizing as well as raising awareness of a plight in India. (Yes, I promise to share more about these events later blog posts.)

My dream is that one day my husband and I will be able to just get up and go travel whenever the mood takes us. That dream includes an always packed suitcase that's not too cumbersome. (We did a cruise a number of years ago and I took WAY too much stuff!) Also with more luggage restrictions and fees becoming the norm when flying, I want my life to fit in a carry on and my personal piece.

These events and the dream lead me on a quest to find the perfect wardrobe. And now, I would like to share my quest with you.  I hope you'll share with me any discoveries you have made with clothing that is convertible.  I hope you enjoy this journey. 

CAVEAT: While I believe in being a good steward of my environment, I would not call myself an environmentalist. I just find it fun and interesting to conserve where I can without inconveniencing myself.