30 Days of Clockwise Dressing: Week 1
I'm not really sure which way is clockwise, tbh but let's run with this.
Welcome to week one of the Clockwise Dressing Challenge — over the next month I’m going to be working my way through my closet and wearing what I own to try to determine what to keep, toss, or reconsider. Follow along with me as I try to wear more than the infamous 20 percent of my wardrobe. Shout out to Mrs. Solomon for the idea!
Just when you think you know all the fashion terms, you hear about something called “clockwise dressing.” I first learned about “clockwise dressing” thanks to
’ post, “Let’s Dress the Same.” Williams outlines the concept — created by — as a challenge where you “ wear the item that is physically next in your closet rather than thinking too hard about what you want to wear or feeling the need to have a lightning strike of inspiration.”After weeks of living out of my suitcase — only having access to a quarter of my wardrobe thanks to travel — I was excited to style the pieces I’d been forgetting about and this challenge felt like a smart way to do it. Also, unlike other parts of the nation, things are not cooling down here in Austin, so finding ways to extend my summer wardrobe is a must.
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As mentioned above, clockwise dressing is a concept invented by writer and creator Mrs. Solomon, where you pull and wear each item your closet in a clockwise direction, grabbing items from left (I think) to right (sure) until you’ve worn every piece. Solomon notes that if you live somewhere with seasonal weather, you should remove any pieces that don’t make sense — which is currently not really an issue for me. If you find yourself really not wanting to wear something and decide to skip it when you arrive to it, it’s probably a good indication you don’t need to own that piece any more. You can then place that item in a donate pile. You may also wear something and realize it requires a bit more love (like dry cleaning or tailoring) in order to reach for it again. If so, you place that item in a different pile to drop off at the cleaners or tailors. You can also skip your “go-to” pieces that you wear often because you already know those are keepers. I have a fairly small wardrobe and chose to wear my go-tos as they came up, but forced myself to style them differently than I normally would.
The goal of the challenge is to get an accurate inventory of your closet and a better understanding of what you wear. Solomon says:
“Basically, instead of wearing whatever you’re in the mood for, you force yourself to wear what’s physically “next” in the closet, going in clockwise order. It removes the emotion and forces the reckoning, of yes, I paid a lot/love the idea/chased this item BUT realistically for me/my lifestyle/my body/my evolution it just doesn’t make sense.”
Week 1: The Results
Disclaimer: I have a terrible full length mirror and did my best to capture my looks straight-on, but honestly, the photos did not do them justice. Please accept these Canva collages juxtaposed with an airplane-angle selfie instead.
Day 1
The Piece: o.p.t Athena Dress
The Verdict: The night before the challenge, I reached for the first piece in the back left-hand corner of my closet. It was a white smocked balloon-sleeve o.p.t. linen dress that I loved when I purchased it from Few Moda in 2019, but I haven’t really reached for since my wedding in 2022. I can make this work, I thought laying it on my bedroom chair, where all my clothes are doomed to end up at some point.
The next morning I was unceremoniously awoken by terrible cramps and the realization that a white dress was really not the smartest choice for the day. But because I work from home and could change if needed — and because I have perfectionist tendencies and wanted to start the challenge off right — I got dressed.
I styled the dress with tougher accessories, like layered silver chain necklace and black strappy sandals to keep things from feeling too milk maid-y a la 2018. I realized I’d been avoiding this dress because I felt like it was a bit outdated and because I don’t own a strapless bra that’s comfortable. I know this challenge is about owning less, but I think what getting dressed this day taught me is I actually need to buy better undergarments. 🤷♀️
Keep or Donate: Keep
Day 2
The Piece: o.p.t Hera Dress (sold out, but found a Poshmark option here)
The Verdict: Like
said in her piece “Let’s Dress the Same,” I also seem to get a bit excited when I find a trend I like, causing me to buy multiple iterations of it. This dress is case in point.“I realized that I have a tendency to go a little too hard for a trendy style. I still assume that I can arrive at a final destination with my style wherein owning the exact right items will make me feel complete. And each time a certain trend comes along, I think maybe I can make it my style uniform.” - Kelly Williams
I bought it with the dress above when I was a Few Moda member, and because I organize items by “style” in my wardrobe it was next up to wear, making me feel a bit like I was outfit repeating. Sure, this one is a different color and pattern, but the silhouette is similar. Did I really need two billow-y sleeved dresses? Probably not. Honestly, I reach for this one way more often than the white o.p.t. version, but I usually wear it on the weekend to brunch or wine tasting. Wearing it during the week for Zoom calls made me painstakingly aware of how often I had to pull it up. The elastic smocked bodice is really stretched out, so I added this to my “tailored” pile to get it re-sized.
Keep or Donate: Keep — but get tailored so I don’t have an accidental nip slip at work.🫠
Day 3
The Piece: Target Black Midi Skirt
The Verdict: Full disclosure, the next two items in my closet were a pair of white linen pants and a white skirt and I just couldn’t risk ruining them, given what time of the month it was. Instead, I hung them further down my closet so I wouldn’t forget about them next week and pulled the next item which was this black midi skirt from Target. I originally bought the skirt last-minute for a funeral (fun!) but I do actually guess a decent amount of wear out of it. I wore a lot of jewelry the past two days, so I really felt like keeping in minimal and I ultimately love this look. Black paired with baby blue is one of my favorite color combos.
Keep or Donate: Keep
Day 4
The Piece: For Days No Worries Jersey Midi Dress (sold out, similar style here)
The Verdict: I bought this dress two years ago as an easy throw-on-and-go piece for the hot Texas’ summers. I wear it a decent amount when I want to feel comfy but a bit more put more put together. I usually like to style it with a belt, but wearing a belt felt way too constricting this day, so I wore it with boots and a neck bandana instead. Is it my favorite outfit? No. But I do think this dress is really versatile if you put in the extra elbow grease to style it right.
Keep or Donate: Keep
Day 5
No day five look because I decided to spend most of the morning in my workout clothes and then headed to a pool party for the evening!
Day 6
The Piece: Sonderhaus Perfect Pants
The Verdict: I wear these pants a decent amount as well, but I usually style them with a plain white tee and layered necklaces. I took this opportunity to try to get a bit more creative. I’ve maybe worn this “Melt the Guns” tee — that I snagged two years ago from Books Are Magic in Brooklyn — twice. The bright mustard-y yellow is a tough color for me and the text doesn’t exactly feel all that appropriate for work, so I usually don’t reach it. Thankfully, I pulled this look on Labor Day so I was able to wear it around on my day off and I really like how the mustard pops against the blue plaid.
Keep or Donate: Keep
Day 7
The Piece: Dissh Gina White Linen Pants
The Verdict: I was finally ready to wear white again and ironically I wore this outfit the day after Labor Day (style rules be damned, ya know). I just bought these pants from Dissh last month and I can’t say enough good things about the quality (super soft and double-lined), the fit (perfectly oversized) and the cost ($100 bucks!). I’ve noticed I draw a lot of fashion inspiration from literature, and I clearly was inspired by my current read: The Guest by Emma Cline. The book is a thriller of sorts about a women in her early 20s spending time in the Hamptons around affluent people. And even though I’m in Texas, I woke up with a craving to wear all white linen and a fish necklace. Might have a crisp white wine later, too — who knows.
Keep or Donate: Keep
Ah thank you 🥰
I was SO excited to see this! And you're already collecting such good findings -- I am way more ruthless. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing. Moves me to read! XX