YouLookFab Forum » Topic: April 30x30 week five

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: April 30x30 week five https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:42:42 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php rachylou on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1482027 Wed, 29 Apr 2015 04:51:59 +0000 rachylou 1482027@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh, how cool - so many replies So-so interesting Sterling, Carter, Laura, Kiwigal! Seems concern over repeats / repeat frequency dropped off the radar. Maybe, even, increased repeated wear increased satisfaction... Sal on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481743 Tue, 28 Apr 2015 19:34:22 +0000 Sal 1481743@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Rachylou, I just had categories, yellow were my stars, items I loved wearing every time. Green were good pieces but didn't get much wear due to weather or occasion, orange pieces need replacing, either because they are worn out or annoying to wear, and the uncoloured ones are just basic items that I wore, essential but not exciting. I think just edit the title of this thread, I don't have a lot more to add. We all seemed to cope and look appropriate for the month, and given that April is a changeable weather month it would probably be easier in July or Janurary. I have to say today I am not in my capsule and I don't now what to wear!! That is a bit strange. Thanks Carter, Sterling and Laura for motivating me along, and KellyGirl too:). I will do it again. Anonymous on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481740 Tue, 28 Apr 2015 19:30:17 +0000 Anonymous 1481740@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I am not certain I found that things worn more frequently suffered.  I had wondered about this, but everything made it through fine.  I really liked wearing my clothes more frequently.  It made me feel like they were great purchases.  Some pieces I will definitely be looking to duplicate.   Laura (rhubarbgirl) on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481737 Tue, 28 Apr 2015 19:24:34 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1481737@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Sterling, will do. Rachylou, I mostly wore what I planned, although by about halfway through I just sat down and wrote all the combinations of items I hadn't worn yet. Then I just chose off that list in the morning rather than choosing the night before. I've been thinking about wear and how wear patterns shifted due to the 30x30. The blush top I'm wearing today is noticeably pilling, the colorblock sweater is on its last legs and will probably get donated, and my magenta top is looking quite worn (even though I bought it in ~February, sigh). All the jeans are still fine although I've got some stains to try to get out, and the blue dress is also heated for the donate bin once I find an equivalent for summer. All the shoes were fairly new so all of them were fine. I'm surprised, though I guess I shouldn't be, that shifting from my normal wear to wearing things more often made such a quick difference in how things wore out. I would guess that for tops, 'normally' I'd wear them once or twice a month and wash them. Here I wore everything at least once a week and washed it. So that's wearing and washing things twice to four times as often as normal. carter on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481734 Tue, 28 Apr 2015 19:21:43 +0000 carter 1481734@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Laura, maybe just edit the title of this one to add "ETA Lessons Learned" or something to that effect? Although Rachylou's question didn't apply to me (because I'm not organized enough to plan my outfit the night before), it did get me wondering how many outfit repeats I had and how close together they were. Turns out I had lots of them. Many were just half day WAH outfits because I had to change later to meet a client. Same thing with work clothes if I was meeting different clients for short periods. These were exact repeats: <ul> <li>April 2 and 5</li> <li>April 10 and 17 (2nd outfit of the day)</li> <li>April 1 and 17 (1st outfit of the day)</li> <li>April 15 (1st outfit of the day) and 16</li> <li>April 22 and 23</li> </ul> These were repeats of the key items, with a change in tank or shoes: <ul> <li>April 8, 14 and 20</li> <li>April 3, 24 and 26</li> </ul> Now that I'm in the detailed tracking habit, we'll see what my normal repeat tolerance is when my entire closet is available. Anonymous on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481730 Tue, 28 Apr 2015 19:18:06 +0000 Anonymous 1481730@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Laura -- I personally would prefer to follow that you set up a new thread to discuss lessons learned.  I feel if we all start separate threads, I'll miss one and I don't want to miss a thing.   Rachylou -- I frequently go to the gym before work.  When I plan an outfit for the next day, it is either put in the car or in the gym bag the evening before.  Hence, I am committed the next morning.  I have fine-tuned my system so that I very infrequently regret my decisions. With regards to the 30 x 30 challenge.  During the first week or so, I tried to be imaginative and creative and not repeat outfits.  Toward the end of challenge, I just didn't care.  If the garment was clean and appropriate, I wore it.  I am currently wearing black pants and a white cotton sweater. Pretty dull.   My outfit choices reflected daily activities (skirts for meetings, dress pants for work, jeans for field, grey ponte pants for weekends and evenings).  As my daily activities changed, my outfits alternated accordingly.  This provided sufficient change for me.  No one noticed or commented on outfit repeats or all the somber colors.  I had a few comments on the tee shirts at work though.   Laura (rhubarbgirl) on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481695 Tue, 28 Apr 2015 18:32:00 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1481695@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Logistical question: did you guys want me to start a separate thread for wrap-up/thoughts, or are you going to start your own individual threads, or just put them here? Day 30/28: white jeans, blush tee, white Birks. I'll probably still wear the capsule items tomorrow and see if I can make it the full 30 days (not counting my aberration day). I haven't been taking pictures this week, though everything is just variations on a theme at this point. rachylou on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481679 Tue, 28 Apr 2015 18:06:40 +0000 rachylou 1481679@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Kiwigal, what do the colours in your sheet mean? I am enjoying watching from the sidelines, seeing what y'all discover. Maybe this question has already been answered - but I'm wondering for those who planned whole outfits in advance, how often you did a different outfit the morning-of. I mean, were you willing to repeat soon after? Or did you go on as planned to avoid repeats close together? Anonymous on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481617 Tue, 28 Apr 2015 16:37:55 +0000 Anonymous 1481617@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ GREAT spreadsheet, Carter.  I did things a little differently.  I listed the items and decided each evening what I was going to wear the next morning based on the list.  I took a picture of each outfit the next morning and rated it according to event-appropriate, comfort, and style.  I mentioned that all of my outfits were rated as 9's and 10's in terms of comfort, but very "meh" in terms of style.  I wore a lot of tee shirts (even to work).  Most of the tee shirts were "dressier" and seemed to work.  A couple looked exactly like tee shirts (but I was in the field on the those days and what could be more appropriate?).   I learned a lot about myself.  Even though I really do love to dress in black and white, I don't want to dress in black and white all month long. I love all my black and white pieces, but I got tired of them.   One interesting thing.  I wore the grey ponte pants the most.  I thought for certain that after the 30 days, I would burn them.  I found I love them even more.  They were comfortable and worked for every single occasion.  If I ever see those pants again in other colors, I'm buying them.   I found that things added for interest (pink scarf, pink pearl earrings, gold earrings) did not work out.  They were "wrong."  The pink scarf was fussy and drove me crazy (worn only once).  The pink pearl earrings were just plain ugly (worn half a day and donated).  The gold earrings were heavy (worn once and put away).   I'll list my items in a second post.   carter on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481612 Tue, 28 Apr 2015 16:15:58 +0000 carter 1481612@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Last day for me! April 28 (Day 30): Med wash denim capris, Blue/white/Gr Foxcroft tunic, black AKS sandals. Great experience! I would happily to do this again in a month with more stable weather. As is usual for April, our weather was all over the board--about half cool and rainy and half warm and sunny. As you know, my capsule grew organically throughout the month. We went on vacation to the beach early on, so there are a few items that might not normally be in my Spring capsule because they don't dress up as well as I would like. All in all though, with some creativity, I felt appropriately dressed for every situation. In fact, I had more 9s and 10s this month than I think I've ever had. Having a few more work pieces would have been helpful, but I really only had one day with an "OMG, how do I dress up white denim capris for a client meeting?" It worked though, and it will be a much-repeated outfit. Go figure. One top was rescued (at least temporarily) from the donate pile, and one pair of shoes was sent to the donate pile. Several much-loved items are on their last leg and need to be replaced soon. My 30 items: <li>3 linen/cotton sweaters</li> <li>5 linen/cotton tunics</li> <li>5 linen/cotton shirts/blouses</li> <li>1 tee</li> <li>3 layering tanks</li> <li>8 jeans (dark skinnies, bootcut jeggings, dark BF, gray skimmers, med wash straight leg, white cropped, med wash cropped, black skimmers)</li> <li>1 cropped trouser</li> <li>4 shoes (3 sandals, 1 slip on sneaker)</li> <li></li> Below is a snapshot of my tracking spreadsheet. There are a bunch of columns that have been hidden because they're irrelevant to the challenge, but I left in CPW and year bought because I thought it was interesting (to me, anyway). Note that CPW is not just based on the challenge month, but the other data isn't shown. I'm tracking the year bought to help get a better idea of how long I'm keeping AND wearing items. Also of interest to me (in the "how many items do I need?" ponderings) is that I wore an average of 3.4 times/month. I'll have to extrapolate that out and play with it:-). Thanks to Laura and to all who participated! Anonymous on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481459 Tue, 28 Apr 2015 12:03:48 +0000 Anonymous 1481459@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Day 30 (April 28).   Black dress pans (repeat), white cotton sweater (repeat); 2" heels (repeat); pearl earrings (repeat).  All repeats.  I remain at 32.  Now I know I have to chart through April 30th.  I was doing 32 x 32 all along and never knew it.   Anonymous on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481458 Tue, 28 Apr 2015 12:02:00 +0000 Anonymous 1481458@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hi Rambling Ann:  I'll be posting a finale at the end of this week.   Rambling Ann on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481355 Tue, 28 Apr 2015 04:20:46 +0000 Rambling Ann 1481355@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have been reading these threads all month. I hope you all plan a wrap up, what we learned type post for a finale. Laura (rhubarbgirl) on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481270 Tue, 28 Apr 2015 01:41:54 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1481270@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh, what a great approach, kiwigal, I should try the good/OK/get rid of it scale on all my items. If I had it to do over again, I'd include less pairs of shoes, but that seems to be my go-to method for dealing with slight weather changes or levels of dressiness, change shoes! Sal on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481234 Tue, 28 Apr 2015 00:25:45 +0000 Sal 1481234@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Here is my summary.  There have been some real workhorses there.  There were a few days I changed during the day and I think have recorded them, and certainly changed shoes or added jackets. Not included are - underwear - gym gear - sleep wear - raincoat - scarves/belts/jewelry/handbags April was a varied month weather wise, some days I wore a tank and harem pants, other days I needed three layers.  I went to dinner parties, leaving drinks in a boutique brewery,  a film festival, many sports games and events, worked from home, worked in the office, attended seminars and did a couple of day trips. There are four items that annoyed me during the month..there also were some pieces I adored and that made me very happy.  There were some items I added that did not get much wear due to the weather or lack of occasion (suede boots/ponte dress) and a few basics that are not exciting but kept me decent and linked the others together. I have learnt that I like to wear colour, but with other neutrals.   If I was to do it again I would plan it out in advance, and ideally choose less black pieces, especially in the shirt area.....I love black but it was a little too dark at times. I would consider doing it again though, lots of fun.  I did think about clothes more than usual though.... Hope you feel better soon Laura Laura (rhubarbgirl) on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481188 Mon, 27 Apr 2015 22:17:03 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1481188@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Sterling, thanks for asking. Ok, better than last week. I'm still waiting on an appointment with a specialist. Today iI'm wearing my gray jeans and denim shirt, which is a cute outfit but too warm outdoors since it turned suddenly hot today. Also, I've noticed that I've got a stain on the back hip of the jeans which I didn't notice until this morning. Hope it hasn't been that way all month... Sal on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1481142 Mon, 27 Apr 2015 21:12:27 +0000 Sal 1481142@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Last day for me: Wearing black and white striped tee, red leather jacket, blue jeans and black ankle boots. A new combination for me and I think it works. I also put on bright red lippie in my attempt to be better groomed!! I will count up later! Anonymous on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1480978 Mon, 27 Apr 2015 16:35:39 +0000 Anonymous 1480978@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hey Laura.  Good to see you.  How are you feeling?   Laura (rhubarbgirl) on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1480938 Mon, 27 Apr 2015 15:13:08 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1480938@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Re items that didn't work, I donated two items, and I definitely was a lot more decisive about it than I normally would have been. I also chose a more muted color palette than I would have otherwise. It seems like for maximum mix ability, you want to pick one garment category to have the bright colors and/or prints, and everything else should be neutrals or pseudo neutrals. carter on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1480927 Mon, 27 Apr 2015 14:39:37 +0000 carter 1480927@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Catching up...Holding at 30 April 26: Gap gray skimmers, gray tank, sleeveless tencel shirt, gray slip-ons April 27: skinnies, white tank, blue/white Foxcroft tunic, gray slip on sneaks So far, 20 outfits have been 9s or 10s. There were a handful of 8s, and the rest were either too meh to rate or they were just loungewear. Feeling pretty good about that. I dribbled oily almond butter down my gray tank yesterday! After treating/washing, my husband can't see it anymore, but I can. Off to get a replacement today. My CPW on that one is $0.23. Maybe I'll get two:-) Anonymous on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1480794 Mon, 27 Apr 2015 08:27:26 +0000 Anonymous 1480794@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Day 29 (April 27): Black dress slacks (repeat); pink button blouse (repeat); pearl earrings (repeat); Rockport ballet flats (repeat).  No new items added.  Total remains at 32.   Anonymous on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1480675 Mon, 27 Apr 2015 00:43:33 +0000 Anonymous 1480675@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Kiwi gal:  I agree about discovering items that don't work in a small wardrobe!!   When something didn't work it became instantly clear.  Some examples:  pink pearl earrings (wore once, discovered I hated them, donated them that very day); gold earrings (wore once, discovered they were too heavy and distracting, keeping for sentimental reasons); white polka dot blouse (didn't love it enough to wear more than twice, will likely donate it this summer); khaki pants (wore once, too tight to be comfortable for the entire day).  This is one way to cull a wardrobe with great confidence.   Sal on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1480666 Sun, 26 Apr 2015 23:52:09 +0000 Sal 1480666@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Interesting thoughts Sterling. You have done really well, because I know you have had a variety of different work settings to cater for. I share similar reservations. To make the items mix and match you need a restricted colour palette, and ideally restricted silhouettes. On a couple of occasions I have looked fine in what I wore, but it is not what I would have chosen. I don't have a large closet, nor do I overshop, but I do like to change it up a wee bit. I think capsules work well for people who like monochrome, or who accessorise carefully, or with a predictable climate, and dare I say it, but who are real clothes horse shapes. I like my skinny jeans but am conscious of my curves in them, so tend to like them with heels and carefully chosen tops. I have found a couple of new looks. My red leather jacket and pink blazer over a column of black works very well. I also found monochrome prints useful - I had three black and white pieces. I will report back later in the week for the exact numbers of wears each item got. It also made me realise how a couple of pieces were not working for me, this is emphasised in a small wardrobe. The shopping I did was off my list except for the colourful blouse. That was just a great match with two jackets and one pair of sandals. It was all planned and within my budget, and very much in line with my needs this year. Thanks again for helping me all the challenge participants. Anonymous on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1480659 Sun, 26 Apr 2015 23:12:34 +0000 Anonymous 1480659@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I learned a lot during this challenge.  First, I always imagined myself to be a minimalist.  And I still think I am to some extent, but not as much as I thought.   My 30 x 32 capsule consisted of really basic, utilitarian pieces that matched everything else.  My color palette was confined to black, white, grey, with the occasional color thrown in.  It is odd, but I wore the brightly colored pieces minimally.  I guess I thought people would notice frequent repeats of the same red blouse.   I kept a photo log of outfits worn to remind me what pieces were in the capsule.  I rated each outfit in terms of event-appropriateness, comfort, and style. My comfort level for our 30 x 30 challenge averaged around 9 or 10.  Yay.  That was great, but very few outfits were rated as stylish. Most of them were utilitarian (aka meh).  I sacrificed style and interest to achieve the goal.  As the challenge wore one, I got really lazy and reached for the same things over and over again.  I am certain my CPW for the grey ponte pants has to be in the pennies.   The second thing this challenge taught me is that my spring/summer style is really boring. It all comes down to a lack of interesting tops and the absence of a third piece.   I read a post today about bloggers that develop capsules of 12, 33, or 37 pieces and wear them for three months time.  The third thing I learned is that I could not live with such a restricted capsule for three full months.  I love variety.  I love color.  Some days as I reached past my red floral skirt for my grey ponte or black dress pants, my heart questioned "why?"   The remaining four days of the challenge have me either in meetings or the field.  I have event-appropriate clothes for the next four days, but I can hardly wait to revisit other pieces in my closet.   Did this challenge keep me from shopping?  I bought two pairs of new shoes.  I wore one pair during the challenge and will wear the second pair on May 1st.   Sal on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1480642 Sun, 26 Apr 2015 22:05:12 +0000 Sal 1480642@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Day 28: day trip out with family, wore black and white harems, black tee, pink sneakers and added grey merino as it cooled. No new items. Day 29: public holiday here, DH flying to Phoenix, pouring with rain! Wearing black tank, black ponte pants, coral fishnet sweater. The sweater was in the donate pile after the last wear but I will give it one more chance as I do like the colour. I did spill red wine on my cream top at dinner the other night and had to borrow a tee from my friend. Not counting that though! I have been adding to my wardrobe whilst doing this capsule. I added the black ponte pants, my blue merino tunic, a bright print sleeveless blouse, two basic tees, and I bought a handbag off tradeMe (like eBay) in the weekend. The blue tunic, black ponte pants and tees have been included in this capsule. I am looking forward to wearing my blouse this week and receiving the new bag. In May I will buy some new jeans. I would love a new colourful sweater and a black or bone coat, and some new footwear too. But I think I will sit tight....... Anonymous on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1480508 Sun, 26 Apr 2015 16:57:30 +0000 Anonymous 1480508@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Yay!!   Laura (rhubarbgirl) on "April 30x30 week five" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/april-30x30-week-five#post-1480500 Sun, 26 Apr 2015 16:14:49 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1480500@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Last week!