WIW: 30X30 - week #3 - YouLookFab Forum

Here's what happened during week #3 of the 30X30 project. I survived it, but barely, as the reason for poor-pants-fit became more obvious as the week progressed--too much baking and eating now that my son is home for summer. :-O I was already unhappy with the fit of the white boyfriend jeans, so I didn't wear those this week, but then I discovered that the black pants I was hoping to wear on Wednesday really didn't fit at all and I had to make a different outfit. Oops. I'm not going to let it get out of hand, though, so I hope to be back in those pants during the coming week. Fingers crossed.

Pic #1--Saturday.
Pic #2--Sunday.
Pic #3--Monday.
Pic#4--Tuesday, the 4th--We went out on the boat and I resorted to gear. I wore the black tee-shirt dress as a cover-up over my swim clothes, but added a gear-ish hoodie, visor, and inexpensive glasses. It was warm enough, but quite windy so I was glad for the extra clothing. Boating requires gear, IMO, so I chose gear items from outside the 30X30 capsule.
Pic#5--Casual mid-week dinner. I'd hoped to wear my black ankle pants but had to make a substitution. I wore a new top--new to me and new to the 30X30 (I filled my last slot). This outfit looked better in person, but I wasn't completely sold on the volume over volume silhouette. I did like the floaty, airy-ness of the oversized, lightweight silk top, though. Also,I finally remembered that I could choose different jewelry, so I wore some earrings that I don't get a chance to wear very often and I cheated a little bit on the challenge by choosing to carry my black trunk bag. I have a black clutch in the 30X30, but I really wanted to use the trunk bag and it doesn't get out much, so I chose the bag.
Pic#6--Dog-walking gear. I failed on the challenge because my son got sick and had to stay home. I didn't get to go to yoga and ended up staying home all day doing messy kid-crafts in my yoga clothes. Those are my yoga clothes underneath the utility jacket and muck boots that I wear at the dog park.
Pic#7--Today. Another wear for the new Grana top. I feel better about the top paired with the narrower pants but I'd prefer it with pants that are not blue denim. Also, what do you think about the length on the top? I keep thinking I'd like to shorten it a bit--but I don't want to expose midriff, so maybe it's OK as is. Your thoughts?

Observations: I'd be happy to wear the same thing all the time, but the accountability of taking photos and sharing my outfits makes me feel uncomfortable about doing so--as a result, I am stretching myself a little bit to make different outfits. I'm happy with my "neutrals-only" wardrobe but I do prefer high contrast. I still feel very fussy in all except the most casual outfits--not sure what to do about that except to keep trying. I'd like to get more tops that look good untucked because I think I will prefer the ease of that look--but it can be a challenge because I also feel like I need to define a waist.

Finds: Boxy black silk camp shirt from Grana; "Vintage" trunk bag that I've had for 25(?) years; Earrings worn with Wednesday's outfit.

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6 years ago

LaPed

Veteran

Okay, I love your dog park outfit.

The Grana top looks really nice to me -- I'm not sure I'd go much shorter. Like you, I prefer #7 over #3, with the narrower bottoms, but then I also think you can't go wrong with black and denim.

rachylou

#3 is quite flattering, and I love your soft, fuzzy sweater set in #1 - very yummy. Good pants lengths all around to my eye. My only thought was, the tops could be ever so slightly longer - like a teensy inch longer. I have a thing about drafts, lol...

Joy

Love the new top and at the present length. My favorites are 5 and 7.

Dianna

The top looks fine at current length to my eye. It is a lovely top, btw. My favorite outfits are 1, 3, and 5.

Emily K

(website)

Thank you, everybody, for your feedback!

La Pedestrienne, Thanks for the compliment on the dog park outfit--it is kind of a uniform for me since it is always either muddy or dusty. I think I "discovered" Grana through you? I was charmed by the packing of this purchase and the items I bought seem so well made. I am really pleased!
rachylou, You seem to be bucking the trend by wanting a longer shirt length? I definitely do NOT want middle showing, but I think I have to get the hem up to the point where one can see narrowing of the hips underneath.
Joy, Thank you. I think there is going to be a lot of support for the inclusion of a shirt that is not a tee-shirt. In the past couple of months, I've gone from having zero woven shirts/blouses to having four. I realized it was an easy place to effect a wardrobe upgrade.
Dianna, Thank you. I purchased from Grana for the first time and was charmed by their product packaging and pleased with the quality of the clothing.

Angie

Fashion Stylist

You wear Sporty Casual and Graphic really well, Emily. Love #1 and #5. Happy baking.

Anonymous

Sadly, I lost my post.

Suffice it to say, I thoroughly enjoyed your post and your WIWs. I agree that taking pictures and posting evidence of outfit repeats can be embarrassing. I stopped taking pictures. I am really happy with my very simple outfits. They meet my needs during these hot, hot summer days. So do yours. I love every single one of your outfits. I literally could not pick a favorite.

Angie, Thank you! I agree, Sporty Casual is where I live right now. My aspirational style is more luxurious, but I am slow to find/buy the new pieces that will help me to get there.

Sterling, Bummer about the lost post--your comments are always so thoughtful and complete. With so much homogeneity in my wardrobe, it's been a little mini-challenge to get through the 30X30 without duplicating an outfit exactly. But I think I will be able to do it. Although, this morning, I put together the black tee and white jeans and then recalled that it was one of my least favorite and, in my mind, least successful looks. I'm wearing it anyway, with different shoes than I wore last time. (I'm pretty sure the outfit didn't get more flattering since last week!) Participation in the 30X30 project has yielded the benefit of photographic record--both for assessment of the outfit and for wear-tracking purposes.

Runcarla

I love your casual sporty style, Emily, and you look fab in the dog-walking outfit. No apologies needed. Your outfits look neat, fresh, and finished - with practical accessories like belts, hats, sunnies, etc.

Your comment about feeling like you needed to step it up for the WIW posts touches a sore spot for me. I dress up more for strangers (work, etc.) then the folks I care the most about and who care the most for me. I'm going to ponder this and see if there is something I can do - even when I'm not 'on display' as it were.

JAileen

I think your outfits look far better than your descriptions would suggest. You look great in the white pants, and the top looks great, too. Your dog park outfit! I would be sweating buckets if I wore those boots, and you look fab! I wish I had gone boating today.

Runcarla, I wouldn't even think like that, about dressing up for others. My family doesn't care what I wear, but they DO care about eating and playing and whatever else. So I do those things, to the best of my ability, with them. This is the community that cares about fashion, so I try to do a little better with my fashion while in this community. And sometimes the two might be at odds, such as when I was confined home with a sick kid--and then the kid won and fashion lost Just my .02 because I think there's probably no reason to give yourself angst about dressing up. or better. while you are out and about.

JAileen, I would just wilt and die in your heat. It seems hot to us, right now, because it is getting into the mid-80's. But, often, we have a temperate or even cool and cloudy day interspersed with the heat and it was on just such a day that I wore the dog-park gear shown. I wear the boots almost all year, though, because I do not like to wreck my shoes on the gravel or risk stepping in something "doggy".

Sal

Sounds like a learning week for you. You look great but I also found this week harder- partly due to the pressure of taking pics and wanting them to be interesting. I also like 1 and 5.

skylurker

I like all your jeans outfits, casual but very neat in their simplicity, with good fit and good shoes. (Love the bag, too).
I like the proportions of the grana shirt in both outfits, wouldn't go shorter. Maybe it's all black near your face that throws you off?

Yes. Skylurker really said it best. Your style is neat in its simplicity, punctuated by fabulous fit and great shoes.

Sal--I'm actually a big proponent of wearing a uniform of sorts. I always say that people will remember that you looked good--not that you wore the same pants earlier in the week. I should hang onto that wisdom and implement it on myself instead of funky remixing!
Skylurker and Sterling-- Thank you for noticing fit. I try hard to achieve good fit, but I struggle with big bust and proportionately smaller waist. I try to keep my fits slim, overall, because I can get so bulky-looking in voluminous styles. Once I stabilize my weight--hopefully at a size smaller than I am now--I'm going to invest in tailoring, which I think will help out a lot.
Skylurker--Thank you! I am glad you like the bag. It was a funky/unusual item when I bought it and I think that's helping it to remain interesting instead of dated?

Well, I'm not the one you should ask about bags, I usually don't even notice them in pics. But I like the streamlined shape and colour of yours.

Well, you have obviously achieved your goals in fit and proportion. YAY for you.

Elizabeth P

Another shout our for your simple sporty style. I think fit is so important if you are going to do simple sporty...it's so easy to start getting sloppy. You obviously aren't interested in going down that path.

My favourite outfit is #5, so I'm going to vote to leave the top alone!

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