Welcome to week three 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!
If you’re new to this challenge, welcome and if you’re not, welcome back! For the past two weeks I’ve been participating in the Clockwise Challenge — the brainchild of the super stylish
. It goes like this:Each day you pull and wear the item that is physically next in your wardrobe, moving in a clockwise direction until you’ve worn every piece. The challenge helps to eliminate decision fatigue and the emotions that often surround getting dressed in the morning. Instead of picking and choosing, you face each item head-on to see if it still makes sense for you. If you find yourself really not wanting to wear something you’ve pulled, it’s probably a good indication that you can let that piece go. You may also find some of your clothes need a bit of TLC (like dry cleaning or tailoring) — this challenge helps you assess those needs as well.
Ultimately, the goal of the challenge is to get an accurate inventory of your closet and a better understanding of what you wear. It helps you hone in on your personal style and hopefully create a wardrobe you love.
There are other nuances to the challenge, of course (like what to do if you live in a seasonal climate or if you land on a piece you wear a lot) that you can read about in my week one or week two post. I, myself, found myself grappling with all the “weekend pieces” I was pulling that felt inappropriate for work.
had a great tip for that, too:“Interesting learning that you have more "weekend" clothes. Often people do, and it can be so frustrating because there are more weekdays! I am so into having clothes that cross over now. And another takeaway I have here -- is how excited you were and relieved when you switched directions and put on something you use a lot. I feel like you deserve to feel that way pretty much all the time! OH and wait, one more thing... put the jeans on and pair them with tops you don't always use. You love the jeans and feel yourself in them, so it's a good way test a top's viability! XOXO”
Genius, no?
Read on for my week three looks and how I took Mrs. Solomon’s tips to heart.
Day 15
The Piece I Wore: Madewell Black Tee
The Verdict: Okay, okay, you caught me — I cheated this day!! But only because I had to be on a video shoot and needed to wear a dark, solid color. I honestly didn’t even try to pull an item, I threw on my old faithful outfit formula (a tee, jeans, and boots) and called it a day.
Keep or Donate: Keep (obviously)
Day 16
The Piece I Wore: A silk, lace tank top I found from a wellness store (similar style here)
The Verdict: Are you guys gonna judge me if I wear these barrel jeans everyday this week? Cause I might. The first item I pulled this morning was a H&M black sweater tank from 2016 that I never wear. I’m not sure why I held on to it for so long. It’s far too big in the armpits and honestly not all that flattering. What I love about this challenge is it forces me to try things on that I could justify keeping when they’re just hanging innocently in my closet.
Next up was this silk tank top I got at a wellness store on a whim last year — random I know. I really like it, but probably need to get it taken in a bit around the armpits (do I have skinny armpits, you guys?!). While I like the top, I don’t love this outfit. I wore a cardigan over it for my Zoom calls, but also tried to wear the cardigan off one shoulder to show a bit more skin, a la
idea on Flashing Some Skin. Honestly, that was my favorite part of the outfit. Otherwise, I think I can do better.Keep or Donate: Keep
Day 17
The Piece I Wore: Abercrombie & Fitch Bodysuit (sold out, similar style here)
If you peeked into my closet, you might think I’m someone who loves to wear bodysuits. Not the case. They really come in handy for going out when I want to wear something tucked into jeans or a silk midi skirt, but honestly, they’re slightly uncomfortable so I never reach for them. Armed with
advice to pair my going out pieces with my everyday pieces, I accepted the challenge when I landed on this gray bodysuit. I was headed to a baseball game with my husband and the team’s colors were blue and red, so in a stroke of team spirit, I styled this with my red vintage Nikes. And you’d be surprised how much slight discomfort fades when you’re enjoying ice cream and a cold beer.The Verdict: Keep
Day 18 & Day 19
I skipped the challenge on both Saturday and Sunday because a heat wave made it unbearable to wear real clothes. The perfectionist in me hates that I never seem to be able to pull together an outfit on the weekend, but the truth is, most of my weekends in Austin are spent in a bathing suite or in workout-wear. Life could be worse.
Day 20
The Piece I Wore: Nordstrom Cream Vest (sold out, similar style here)
This outfit was a win on multiple levels because I wore two pieces I almost never wear and one I’d never worn at all! I like this vest, but the material is pretty cheap and always leaves me feeling stuffy and sweaty — which is a weird thing to say about a piece of clothing with no arms. I styled it over a Hill House dress that I also love but rarely wear because it’s pretty see-through and I’ve put off buying a slip for it. Wearing the vest over the dress (okay, Dr. Seuss) provided a bit more coverage and kept the crappy material off my skin. Win win. I finished off the look by christening the Gucci Loafers I found for $400 at a thrift store in Santa Barbara .
The takeaways: The dress and vest are cute but only practical if layered.
The Verdict: Keep
Day 21
The Piece I Wore: Abercrombie & Fitch Bodysuit (sold out, similar style here)
It’s the week of the bodysuit — and the week of dressing like it’s not fall yet, because in Austin it really isn’t. I realized that avoiding pants with buttons for two years during COVID really lowered my tolerance for clothing discomfort. I used to gladly wear heels to work every day but I couldn’t tell you the last time I wore this mostly soft, cotton bodysuit. I’m trying to get some motivation back to wear the pieces in my closet that don’t come with elastic waistbands — which reminds me of one of my favorite scenes from Killing Eve.
The Verdict: Keep
I love the vest/white dress combo, I should try that combo with one of my lesser worn dresses!!
Also VERY impressed with your body suit outfits, body suits always sorta hurt my coochie 🙊 so I can’t buy but I love the way they look.