1 month of sustainable fashion: week 3

Day 21

Keiara

So I really can explain how much I have grown to dislike my cardigan. It is so bulky and as we go through this month, it just seems to get heavier.

Today, I had enough.

I wore my flouncy shirt as a cardigan. It did take some manipulating to get it to work without the huge neckline showing, but once I had finagled with the neckline it was perfect.  It was a light and the fabric seemed to breath. A total opposite to the bulky cardigan that I am pretty sure is growing when I am not looking.

Even though I know I will have to return to the cardigan, today was a nice retreat from the thick knit I have endured this past few weeks.


Jake

I keep talking about how I want to be really creative with my clothes and I still keep it fairly simple. As a guy there are a lot of super creative things I can do with the shirts, but I took a tip from Keiara and decided to make my cardigan into a kilt.

I am calling it a kilt because I originally tired it with my plaid shirt, but it didn't work as well. So I adapted the cardigan into a kilt by buttoning it up off to my left. You can't really tell in the photo, but I wrapped the sleeves around my waist to make a layered belt.

Although I did wear this as my outfit, I didn't go out of the house. I actually didn't go out of the house for the entire day. My roommates and I had a lot to finish before we left for break so we just stayed inside all day and worked.

I don't know how the cardikilt would have gone over in public, but maybe it will become a trend now.

Day 20

Keiara

Ever heard of a little dab will do you?

Not only is that great advice for a baked potato, but it can really help out your choice in accessories too.

I think the brooches are probably one of the most underrated accessories nowadays.  It just gives outfit a little touch of something interesting to look at. The brooch that I am wearing is shaped like a gold little lizard.  Today, I used to wrap the cardigan.

It was a really simple touch to an outfit that I have already done, which was a great reminder that you don’t have to overdo it all the time. It’s okay for one little statement to make the biggest impact.

Sometimes I can really get so tied up in the gaudy and shiny that I could be Snookie’s third cousin. This was a great way to accessorize and keep it toned down.


Jake

Adding a new accessory almost half way through the challenge really helped and is a strategy I would suggest to someone else who might want to attempt this challenge. Although buying a accessory for everyday is also strategy someone could try, but the point is not to go out and buy a whole bunch.

But I am proud that I have fought the temptation to buy a lot of new accessories. Overall I think I did a good job of working with what I already had. Although by not buying news clothes I was starting out with already worn clothes.

Only having the six (and only one pair of paints), the items obviously get a lot more wear than normal. My jeans have holes in the legs and my sweater has one in the armpit. So these items are taking a beating.


Day 19

Keiara

Out of laundry day and desperation was born this kind of cool Grecian look.

I wore my flouncy shirt backwards and let the neckline drape in the back while the front came up to the neck. I added the gold belt for some cinching.

Today was one of those reminders that clothes can be so versatile if you’re willing to get creative. By simply wearing my shirt on backwards, I am left with a whole new silhouette to work with.

I really feel like I will never be able to look at clothes the same again. I think my brain will always be wheeling about how I can get the most looks out of one article of clothing, and really, that’s what the project is about. It’s all about extending your creativity instead of your consumerism.


Jake

Today was a pretty lazy day. The only thing I had to really get dressed for was meeting up with my friends, but that wasn't until about 9 p.m. So I just did some homework and lounged around my house.

When I was finally getting ready I just looked back through my pictures to see if there was still anything I hadn't tried. I found that I hadn't worn my white scarf with the purple V-neck, so that is obviously what I went with.

I was surprised that I hadn't used that outfit yet, but I have already worn outfits more than once so there were bound to be some outfits I missed. It is really nice having an archive of what I have worn because I can just flip through it and see what I have already done.

Day 18

Keiara

Ah, the thin belt. Friend or muffin-top loving foe?
That is the question.

I really had challenges deciding if I liked this look. For one, my bulky cardigan makes me look like I need to be shopping in the Husky section and the thinness of the belt doesn’t respond well either.

However, I really do like the cardigan wrapped if only for the reason that is tough coming up with ideas on how to make it look different. There’s only so many way to button and unbutton.

I wore this outfit halfway during the day, and decided to take off the belt. I am still ambivalent and I’m sure most of my uncertainty was coming from my little friend named, neuroticism.

We have a complicated relationship.

Jake

The outfit the I planned to wear today was a major factor in deciding what items I was going to pick back at the end of October. There was going to be a huge Thanksgiving dinner at my house with a whole bunch of our friends (which is why I am with friends in my photo).

There was a very strict dress code where you had to look at least somewhat dressed up. So when planning my six items the sweater and cardigan were specifically picked for this night.

I thought the sweater and cardigan would also be really good to have anyways, but I have a lot of sweaters and cardigans and I picked these specifically because I wanted to wear them tonight.

For most of the day I was in my pajamas thought. I didn't have class and I was also cooking a 25 pound turkey for the dinner so I didn't want to get my clothes dirty.

Day 17

Keiara

It’s amazing what you can cook up when your mother’s not around. She called me on the phone to tell me how she was a bit surprised by some of outfit choices.
I told her that what happens when she’s not here to dress me.

 The thing is my mom has always given me the sideways glance at my outfit choices. Granted, her horror was justified for most of my high school career. However, I am somewhat a functioning adult and I think that this is the perfect time to grow and experiment.

That’s why today I decided to wear my black shirt as a top. I had tried this before when I went out one night and I thought it turned out kind of cool. There are a few issues. One being is that it’s A-line skirt, so it sticks out at a weird angle. It can go from cute to third trimester just by turning to the left.

However, I think it’s kind of a fun look. It has this funky element to it, and really no one even thought it was a skirt if I didn’t mention it.

Next week should be interesting at home, I’m sure my mom will spend most of the time hiding my 6 items away from me.

Jake

Today was the first day that I actually was mad about the challenge. The only shirt I had clean was the button-up plaid so it was wear a dirty shirt or wear the plaid. So I obviously went with the plaid, but I didn't want to wear it.

The shirt just wasn't sitting with me so I didn't feel like wearing it. This was the first day that I either didn't have another choice or just didn't want to wear something.

So to make the shirt different from the other times I wore it I also wore a plain black scarf. I usually wear this scarf with my coat and not really with a shirt, but I thought it worked and it was cold so I was happy.


Day 16

Keiara

The best thing to happened today was receiving a compliment on my outfit. When you have worn the same set of clothing for a 16 days you start to think that no one is concerned with the clothes you wear, so it’s nice to hear a little positive feedback.

I decided to pile up on the accessories to go with my black flouncy shirt and jeans. I know that there’s the famous Chanel rule of thumb that you should always take one accessory off before you walk out the door, but I can’t help it.  I am always adding a bangle here or there.

I just love gaudy jewelry. For me, a good day consists of a big pair hoop earrings and nugget for a cocktail ring.  I think this look proves that it’s okay to spice up a solid color by adding a little (or a lot of) sparkle.  
          
All I know that is if I couldn’t use accessories this entire month, I would have snapped long ago.

Or at least that would have been my alibi.

Jake

Looking back through the photos of my daily outfits I can't believe I never noticed that I had not worn the blue V-neck with just the cardigan. I got so caught up in trying to accessorize and come up with really creative ideas for my outfits that I never thought to check if there was something I hadn't done.

During the second week I remember writing about people not noticing that I was wearing the same clothes over and over. I am still surprised. I'm not really surprised about people not noticing my jeans because I think that is something people tend to not notice.

My black cardigan is a very obvious piece in my six. Although it is a basic color I wear it the most because I wear it with three of my four shirts. But, still no one is noticing how much I am wearing it. I have a few different cardigans (which I am missing),  so I never wear just one multiple times a week.

But again, the people who see me everyday do know that I am taking on this challenge.

Day 15

Keiara


Today is an ode to my favorite accessory. My owl necklace.  It has a crazy color combination of reds, blues, yellows, greens and purples, so it practically begs to be worn with any outfit. Especially when people have seen you wear black so much, they ask if you’re mourning.

I usually say yes. I call it the death of a wardrobe.

On a lighter note, today marks the halfway point! I can’t believe I made it through 15 days. It’s sort of bittersweet because it’s been quite a challenge so far, so it’s good to know that you haven’t cracked. However, this also means there is still 15 more days of near mental breakdowns to go.

I have enjoyed some looks that I have pulled off.  My sweater skirt, being my favorite. However, there are a couple looks that I have tried during the day, that I haven’t even taken pictures of.  So I still have some tricks up my sleeve. Even if it’s the same gray knitted sleeve I have been wearing for half of this month.

However, I am facing two challenges in the upcoming weeks: Holiday parties and Thanksgiving. You have to look nice, but you’re going to be around the people who see what you have worn everyday, so there has to be an element of surprise. 
Or at least an element of mild amusement, either works.


Jake

Luckily for my birthday I got a new scarf. This has allowed me to cling on to new outfits by using the scarf with both my V-necks. It has been getting colder so I threw my cardigan on to stay warm and just wrapped the scarf around my neck.

I was cooking when the photo was taken so I didn't realize my shirt had spots on it. I didn't really have time to wash it and I also didn't have much to wash it with so I just had to deal. That is one bad thing I have noticed is that I have been getting my shirts dirty and if I forget to do laundry then I either have to wear a dirty shirt or create something out of accessories.

Since I don't think the halter top made from a scarf looks great on my I will hopefully remember to do my laundry. It is also the halfway point in the challenge. It has still be going really well overall. There are always the down sides and I am getting a little tired of only wearing the six items, but if things keep going like this the rest of the month will be no problem.