#fall10x10

The Fall 10x10 has ended and here’s a recap of what I wore...

During a 10x10, you take 10 items of clothing (including shoes) and remix them into 10 different outfits over the course of 10 days. It’s a great way to try wearing old favorites in new ways. Here were my picks again:

I ended up pretty happy with my selection, which included 2 shirts, 1 dress, 1 jacket, 1 sweater, 2 pairs of pants, 1 skirt, and 2 pairs of shoes (I don’t usually include basics so I used a couple t-shirts as layers as well). I also got a new pair of leopard loafers of Poshmark halfway through the challenge so I threw them in too, as a way to figure out how to style them (they’re old Madewell but Madewell’s current version is here). 

Here’s a recap of some of the things I wore:

I tried layering my Vetta sweater in a couple of different ways to keep warm...

Clearly my thrifted tan J. Crew blazer was a favorite...

And I felt like *me* in all three of these business-casual outfits, which never happens!! Also because Instagram always asks, here is a link to my olive green dress pants :) 

Main takeaways: I’ve been wanting a camel colored sweater for a while, but my tan blazer stood in just fine and I think I finally figured out how to dress it down. I don’t usually wear skirts but this thrifted tweed skirt is my new favorite--so I think I’ll go looking for more a-line skirts in the future (versus pencil skirts, which I tend to find constraining). Overall, it was fun to take my business casual wardrobe (largely thrifted over the last 2 years!) for a test drive, and I’m feeling ready to tackle academic conference wear this week as a result.

Why No Fall 10x10

I know I’m supposed to be deep in the #fall10x10. My name is Aspiring Minimalist for Pete’s sake! But for me, minimalism has never been about as-little-as-possible; it’s been about “just enough,” and giving yourself what you need, but not to excess.

On Wednesday, I will have been in non-stop travel nomad mode for six months. S I X. That means six months of restricting my wardrobe to fit into a backpack, six months of having to trek to a storage unit in order to swap out seasonal garb, six months of foregoing a few outfits so that I can pack a pillow or a towel or my toiletries, because they have to come with me too.

I don’t want 10 more days of restrictions: I want 365 days of freedom. I want to be able to shop my entire closet, so I don’t have to buy clothes upon landing because Spirit Airlines only allows a purse. That’s where the real challenge lies anyhow: in having the world at your fingertips, but being keen enough to choose wisely.

My most favorite quote, told to my by my brother-in-law, is:

“Happiness is wanting what you have.”

Well, I must be off the charts happy because I want what I have so badly, but I have limited access to it. Or perhaps I want it that much more because I can’t have it.

Either way, I’m ready to have it all with me, in a stable locale, Enter The Slow Life, and settle down.