Q for 30x30 Folks: What Do You Count?

LaPed

I like the idea of 10x10 and 30x30 type wardrobe challenges, but what always stymies me is this: which categories count towards your thirty? It seems like a lot of bloggers exclude things like gear and lounge wear, or else maybe they just don't wear those things?

I spend at least one full day a week in gear, and several hours a day in my lounge wear, but counting those things as part of a 30-piece capsule really eats into the total. On the other hand, if I don't count them, a 30x30 would represent a huge portion of my wardrobe during any given season. Excluding lounge, gear, and chore-clothes, I'm generally working with about 50-60 garments, and that includes footwear and accessories. 60 garments for a three-month (~90 days) season actually works out to fewer garments per day than a 30x30 challenge, which leaves me thinking these sorts of exercises aren't terribly relevant to me and my habits...

6 years ago

Inspiration

10 replies

Latest reply was from LaPed

Anonymous

Exactly, re: not being relevant.

I think you need to indentify the goal of your challenge: is the goal simply to engage in a fun game? If so, then I would try to stick to these rules as much as possible. Is the goal to get yourself used to a smaller wardrobe so that you are less inclined to buy things in the future? If so, then you should figure out what the minimum number of things You can live with is and work within those parameters. Is the goal to figure out what your best outfits are, in order to nail down a uniform? If so, you would need to keep a wide variety of garments in your 30.

6 years ago

LaPed

Veteran

Smittie -- I think, for me, it's more about enjoying a bit of constraint in any creative endeavour. I write poetry, and I know that syllable counts, repetition, meter and rhyme can all encourage new ways of thinking and doing. I suspect the same is true for getting dressed. By limiting options, we create new options...

Moreover, I'm always trying to create the perfect travel capsule. In that sense, counting gear and loungewear is perhaps necessary, since the limit is how much I can fit in a bag, a physical space rather than just an abstract number. Maybe I should just keep playing around with the idea of living out of carry-on sized luggage for month-long increments. Hmm.

6 years ago

Anonymous

That sounds like too much work to me.

6 years ago

Joy

Veteran

I have never gotten these exercises to work for me but would only count the clothing pieces. However, I do not wear gear or loungewear...well, hardly ever. I do own one bathrobe but use it more to put on after a shower or hot tub session. I would not include accessories or I'd be forced to become a minimalist

6 years ago

Sal

Veteran

I did one month- as part of a forum challenge with Sterling, Laura, Kelly and Carter. I counted shoes and clothes but not gear nor accessories. I did it for fun and to discover new combos and which were my workhorses- since I don't usually track it was effective. I found it was effective and relatively easy except that I chose a month with extreme weather variations. I would be up for doing it again.

6 years ago

Style Fan

Veteran

This is a good question. I have never understood how anyone packs a carry on with all those clothes until I realized they do not pack underwear, workout clothes, more than one pair of shoes, etc. What do they sleep in?
I follow a blog called Style Bee and she is doing a 30 x 30 challenge. She said at the beginning she does not include gear, underwear and some other things that I can not remember. She goes through each day and does say when she wears work out clothes.
I would like to do something like that. I am getting to a place where my closet is working fairly well.

6 years ago

Anonymous

You pose a fascinating question. Long before I came to YLF, I tried project 333 (33 items for 3 months). The internet instructed me that meant 33 items including accessories (but excluding sleepwear). So I included everything (shoes, belts, bags) in my 33. It was TOUGH. I couldn't do it for the exact reason you mention above.

Later I found out that other bloggers changed the 33 to mean "just your day clothes," no accessories. What is the challenge in that? Why even bother announcing you are doing this challenge?

So what I understand today is that it is what YOU choose to include in your 10 or 30 items. What are your goals? What do you need to include or not include to be success at achieving your goals.

As you concluded, these are pretty worthless challenges unless you define them such that you reach some personally defined goal.

I remember the challenge Sal mentions. It was my first YLF challenge. I can't remember what I defined, but I did wear the same exact clothing day in and day out for 30 days. Luckily it was winter and I liked my winter wardrobe.

Sal -- I would be up for that same 30 day challenge, if you are!!!!!! Should I find our earlier posts? Here is one of our earlier posts: https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....nd-kiwigal

6 years ago

The Cat

Veteran

Oh dear, you really don't need to feel that you have to fit into other people's systems when it comes to such personal questions as how many items you "should" own and wear. People have different lifestyles and live in different climates, so there is no system which fits all. But, of course, reading about others' concepts can be inspirational and maybe help you work out your own system which suits your needs and preferences.

As for myself, I have to dress for numerous different occasions every week. (Among these are, on average, 10 appointments where I will wear a skirt or a dress. So as you can imagine, I need more skirts and dresses than many others.) And I live in a place with four very different seasons. Besides, I like variation and possibilities. Systems like 10x10 or 30x30 would make me feel very restricted and also unhappy.

At the beginning of each season, I edit my wardrobe, and in my closet I keep only items that are wearable in the current season. Items for other seasons are stored away. I also make sure that, if at all possible, all items are worn (preferably several times) each season.

When travelling, I aim to pack clothes in maximum 3 or 4 main colours (1 or 2 neutrals and 1 or 2 "real" colours) and prefer items that can be used for more than one purpose and can be styled in various ways.

6 years ago

Nomad

Active Member

The Cat, I agree, and most bloggers I've seen who do a 30x30 or 10x10 explicitly state that it's not supposed to be an exercise in suffering, so if it needs to be adapted, that's totally cool.

I've been doing a loose Project 333... 33 items for 3 months, adapted for me. Mine is business formal, business casual, and smart casual only, and I don't include workout/dance gear, lounge wear, sleeping clothes, shoes (I want to encourage myself to change up footwear often for my foot health), or accessories. I've been trying not to exactly repeat outfits, to force some creativity (but not beating myself up if I do repeat). I've also thrown in a couple items that I was considering getting rid of, to push an evaluation.

For some, that'll be a restrictive challenge. For others, my modified rules would be laughably loose. But it worked for me... dressing has been easier, I tried a few new things and learned from it, but it was never a painful process

6 years ago

LaPed

Veteran

The Cat, I'm definitely not concerned about fitting into someone else's "should's"; mostly I'm looking for new ways of seeing my wardrobe, and curious about what has proven effective for others.

Sterling -- your question as to "What's the challenge?" if one makes exceptions for accessories/lounge/gear/etc is a good articulation of my own thoughts.

Style Fan -- Yes, I've been following Stylebee (and Seasons + Salt, who's also doing a 30x30 right now) for quite some time. Their recent posts are part of what got me thinking about this. I love her style, though it's a bit fantasy-life for me...

One last thought -- I first heard of 30x30 challenges through the outdoor community, where 30x30 means committing to spending at least 30 minutes outside each day for a month. I always thought that was a dead simple goal, since I walk my dog twice a day and that adds up to at least an hour outside, but if I undertake a 30x30 wardrobe challenge, perhaps I'll also undertake a 30x30 outdoor challenge and try to document both at the same time.

6 years ago

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