1 month of sustainable fashion: week 4

Day 27

Keiara

Oh, Sunday. Where did my break go?

I am in the midst of research papers and panic attacks, so I need to have clothes that allow me to freak out emphatically without squeezing me.

I went straight for the tights and the flouncy shirt.

I can’t help it. This combo is a stressed out girl’s dream.  I can just throw it on and not worry about a thing. Also, depending on the accessories I can dress it up or down.

I have to say as this month comes to an end. I am pretty sure that these two pieces are the MVPs of items. I can’t imagine what I would have resorted without them.  I have a feeling that it would probably involve more scarves as shirts.

Yep. That would be awesome in 45-degree weather.


Jake

Today I spent five hours on a couch in Soma. Some of my friends and I all went and worked on homework and drank coffee and were super productive. So I just threw on a hat and the blue V-neck to be comfortable.

It was raining like all day, but it was really nice to spend it inside comfortable drinking coffee in Soma with my friends. I really did get a lot done so that was also a plus.

As the challenge starts to come to an end I was thinking about how it has been. I know a few times in my blog posts I have said things aren't bad, and I still say that. The challenge has overall been easy.

There were a couple of days that I didn't want to wear any of the six, but I got over it and eventually forgot I even detested the outfit that morning. I have been very dedicated to it and I think that also makes it easier.

Staying really dedicated, it has become almost thoughtless. Because I just look at the six items and think more about what is different than what is "fashionable" I don't really have to think that much.

Day 26

Keiara

Saturday night is my favorite part of the week. It’s the night that seems to be the most laid-back. Saturdays are the kind of the night that demands that you have a good time.

So that’s what I did.

I had a blast wearing my skirt tube top again and just a pair of jeans. I decided to belt this skirt this time for a cinched waist.

I am really glad that my clothing shortage has affected what I will consider wearing after this experiment. I have to say that I will probably honestly wear this and a few other outfits in just my regular rotation of clothing now that I have had thought about it.

This experiment challenges to define your style and then makes you step outside what you consider wearing. Especially, when you have to get creative and find how to make a tank top into mini skirt.

Don’t put it past me. 


Jake

Today was the Bucket Game and although I had planned on going for a while it never occurred to me that I would not be able to wear an IU shirt. It wasn't until last night that I thought about it.

Luckily my button up has a lot of red and white in it so I wore that. I put the cardigan over it because it was just cold enough to need it and I hadn't worn it before.

The weather was actually pretty nice but sadly IU was not able to pull it together and keep the bucket in Bloomington.

Day 25

Keiara

Today was all about the oldies but goodies. 

I decided to play some of my greatest hits, and combine the sweater skirt, and shirt cardigan for this outfit.  I have already tried both looks before, so why not go for a hybrid of crazy?

I love how people were so amused to find out how I constructed this outfit, and I have to say that this 6 items project has been the quite the fodder for holiday party conversations, especially when you and your grandma run out “Golden Girls” episodes to mull over.

It’s kind of funny how every older person told me that there’s no way they could do it. I mean I wasn’t sure I could last but I think I have done a fair job. I think most people are too settled in their routines to think about changing it for even a month. However, I have to say this challenge really encourages to get out of those comfort levels and begin enjoying the moments that are not on the agenda.

Jake

Since my sister and I wouldn't be back home before winter break my mom wanted to put up our Christmas tree and decorations. I was also going to be driving back to Bloomington in the evening so I just went with the purple shirt and later put the scarf on.

Being home it is really hard to change into actual clothes. I have not had anything to really do so it's really easy to just lounge around the house in pajamas. And driving back to Bloomington would have been really comfortable in pajamas.

But I changed earlier in the day, although I would have had to change anyways because I ended up going out that night.

Day 24

Keiara

Another holidays, another outfit. I decided to keep it on the more reserved side for dinner.

I think that the holidays are always a fun time to dress up and be around your friends, and I knew that coming into this experiment that that would be a big challenge. However, I have to say that I am happy that survived all the holiday parties this month without having to repeat looks, and that I never felt like I was grabbing at straws for ideas.

Every outfit was actually wearable and didn’t give the impression that this was all I had to work with. It also probably helped that I didn’t have mental breakdown at the dinner table about how I think my body is beginning to repel my cardigan like the plague.

Jake

I love Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite holidays because all my family gets together and you get to eat a lot. My family doesn't care if you are really dressed up or not, especially since some people in my family wore sweatpants to the table.

I had just done laundry so I had everything to choose from, but I felt like wearing the button up and sweater combo again since I had only worn it once and because I wanted to look a little dressed up.

My family ate at about 1 p.m. and after getting home around 5 p.m., I quickly changed into sweats and hit the couch. One thing I am thankful for is definitely sweatpants.

But later I was going to the movies with my friends so I changed back into the sweater and button up. After our movie my friends and I thought it would be fun to go out to Walmart to watch the craziness at 10 p.m. when they started some of the sales.

It wasn't as crazy as I had hoped, but my friend did bring up an interesting question. She asked wouldn't it be better to buy 30 items of clothes and rotate them over multiple months because that cases less wear overall.

Her argument was that to do this challenge long term, where it would make a bigger difference, the six items would get very very worn. But the holes that are appearing in my clothes I either ignore or fix.

So yes the six items do take a lot of wear, and going back I would pick two bottoms, but you can make them last longer than people tend to. Patching or sewing holes or changing the style and shape of clothes will make them last long and change them up.

Day 23

Keiara

Holiday parties are always a good time but trying off to play off six items as party clothes is a quite the challenge.

I kept it simple by letting the shoes make the statement.  By just wearing a funky pair of heels, I kind of got a hall pass for not wearing the typical holiday colors or style.  A great pair of shoes is always a great distraction.

At least that’s what I am banking on. The thing is with this experiment is that you really have to hype yourself up to go out and try out all the crazy ideas that inhabit the parts of the brain that are probably meant to understand trigonometry.

It’s still a cool feeling when a look actually pans out.

Jake

Today I switched between wearing just the purple V-neck to wearing it with the scarf in the picture. When I did wear the scarf I wore it a couple of different ways throughout the day.

I hadn't tried it the way I had it in the picture before so that is why I picked that style for the photo. I have also found this scarf to be a really go buy. It has been a good add on because I found many ways to wear it.

There is wearing it like a over sized collar, like the photo, or I can wrap it with the ends hanging down or put the loose ends through the loop of the scarf. It is also really warm and goes well with my coat.

Day 22

Keiara

When I drive home for the weekend or for the holidays, one thing is optimal. I must have comfort.

Most times I opt for sweatpants and a hoodie but this time I don’t have a choice in what I want to wear. This worries me because I don’t know if any of my choices are really travel proof.  You want pieces that do not restrain you, a shirt that you can move in, and pants that you lacerate your liver the moment you get behind the wheel.

So today, I held a mock trial to see if this outfit will work on the road tomorrow. I tied up my flouncy shirt for just a slightly different shape.  Some good does come out of this whole ordeal of not having as many options.

One being that I won’t look like a crazy bag lady when I’m rolling down the highway.

Jake

Today I was heading home for Thanksgiving break, and the beauty of home is that no one there has seen any my outfits. That means, unless people have been religiously following this blog, anything I wear is like new.

I didn't have a lot to do on campus, and I stayed up late the night before working on a paper, so I just threw on my sweater. It was also good to drive in because I always struggle staying the temperature I want.

The one bad thing about being home is laundry. I needed to do laundry, but I only had socks and underwear to wash. No one else in my family was around to ask if they had anything to wash, but luckily my mom's washer has a extra small load setting.

So I didn't feel bad about washing so little because I checked and the extra small setting had just the right amount of water so there wasn't any extra waste.