Hi, friends! Are you ready and excited for another 10×10 Challenge?! I know am! The Spring 10×10 has finally arrived and I’m ready to dive head first into this creative style challenge over the next 10 days. In fact, this challenge may be my favorite one yet! I’m obsessed with the color palette I chose–it’s so springy and bright! I can’t believe that one year ago, I was partaking in my very first Spring 10×10. (You can check it out here, if you are interested.) Looking back on some of my very first posts, I have come a long way on this style journey of mine and I’m excited to keep the evolution going strong with each new day.
The 10×10 Challenge (started by my friend Lee) has completely changed the way I look at fashion. For me, fashion is more about how you style the pieces you own, instead of what the exact pieces you have are. In other words…it’s not about what you have but how you style. I love that because it takes the pressure off of you from always having the latest and greatest trend on hand. It gets you away from wasting your time (and money) on consumerism and back to living your life.
In case you don’t know what the 10×10 Challenge is, don’t worry! I’m going to go over all the guidelines below. If you already know what the 10×10 Challenge is and want to skip ahead to my spring picks, feel free to scroll to the bottom to read about them.
The 10×10 Challenge is essentially a micro-capsule experiment whereby you pick out 10 pieces of clothing from your current closet and style them 10 different ways over 10 days. Sounds easy, no? It’s actually the perfect amount of challenge in my opinion. It pushes you just enough to get creative and try something new (without going fully into capsule wardrobe mode and ditching half your closet). No need to buy anything or get rid of anything in your closet! It’s time to appreciate and be content with the pieces you have in your closet, to push outside your comfort zone in styling them in new ways, and to have fun while learning about your personal style! And remember, this challenge is not about perfection. It’s about learning, growing, and having fun.
For me, I started doing this challenge as a means to uncover more of my personal style (the one I wear on a daily basis vs the one I post about on the blog) and to feel more content with what I have. I’ve mentioned this before, but as a fashion blogger it can be very easy to get pulled into buying new clothes every month so that you have fresh content to share with your readers. But in reality, that isn’t practical. Firstly, I was tired of waking up in the morning with a closet full of fun, fashionable clothes and yet feeling like I had nothing to wear. Secondly, ain’t nobody got that much money to spend on a closet that doesn’t even get used. Am I right?! And thirdly, as a scientist and inhabitant of this Earth, I don’t want to be wasteful with how much I’m consuming (clothing consumerism, that is) and dumping into landfills each year when donations don’t make it to people who really need/can use them. And these reasons still ring true to me today, five 10×10’s later.
In addition to these core motivations, I’ll also be focusing on feeling right at home in my comfy casual aesthetic. In the world of fashion blogging and social media, it’s easy to get caught up in acquiring pieces that look beautiful in theory (aka in a picture on Instagram) but don’t actually feel good to wear and aren’t realistic for your lifestyle (sitting at a desk every day). As I’ve been downsizing my wardrobe over the past few months, I’ve noticed that my core wardrobe includes cotton tees, cardigans, and jeans. And while I do need to hold on to my dressier clothes for my annual 10-week work tours at NASA, 9 out of 12 months don’t require such professional clothing. And that’s ok! It’s actually quite refreshing to know exactly what kind of pieces thrive in my everyday wardrobe! It takes the pressure off of wasting my money on pieces I won’t wear. So this 10×10 Challenge, I’m going to pick pieces I love and learn to really embrace and cherish my everyday style as it truly is.
If your work attire is casual like mine (I’m a graduate student), then you will feel right at home with my outfit choices in this Spring 10×10. However, if your work is a bit more business/professional, you may like to look at my Summer 10×10 posts here, which I completed while working at NASA Langley last summer. Either way–more business or more causal–anyone can partake in the 10×10 Challenge and everyone is welcome! I hope you’ll join in! Before we get into my 10 picks, let’s go over the 10×10 Challenge basics again. If you do decide to join, consider posting your outfits on Instagram using the hashtags #spring10x10 and #10x10friends. The 10×10 community on Instagram is incredible and unbelievably supportive. We’d love to have you join along and learn with us!
Ok, now for the guidelines! If you have done a 10×10 Challenge before and remember what it’s all about, feel free to skim the next few sections and go straight to my 10 picks at the bottom. If you are new to the 10×10 Challenge, let’s dive right into how you can take part!
Basic Guidelines
- Pick 10 pieces from your current closet.
- Style those pieces for 10 different looks.
- Use 10 days to do it.
- Have fun and don’t take it too seriously!
This wardrobe challenge is supposed to be a fun, exploratory opportunity! Don’t take things too seriously and stress out about sticking to the guidelines if it doesn’t feel right. Try something new and you love it? Great! Try something different and you hate it? How fascinating! This challenge is all about getting outside your comfort zone and trying new things, whether they work out the first time or not. Change things up if you need to! Learn something you didn’t know before and have FUN! This is all about having fun!
So what all exactly is included in the 10 pieces of the challenge? And how in the world do you begin to chose just 10 pieces?!
What’s included?
Count these pieces toward the 10 items you choose!
- Tees, Tops, Sweaters
- Skirts, Shorts, Pants
- Dresses
- Shoes
- Cardigans, Jackets
What’s not included?
These pieces can flow into and out of your daily outfits freely! I personally, don’t include winter coats or rain jackets into my 10 picks and instead focus on what my “indoor outfits” would look like. I also don’t include snow boots or rain boots and just let those flow into my outfit choices as needed. The weather here in Boulder is so unpredictable that if I were to include those, it would likely not snow/rain when I planned for it. So I just keep them on the sidelines until I need them and don’t feel guilty whatsoever about not including them! (Remember, this is for fun!)
- Jewelry
- Purses
- Hats, Scarves
- Athletic Clothes
- Heavy Outerwear
Beginner’s Formula:
This formula is what I used for my first 10×10 Challenge last Spring! It’s a great place to start!
- 4 tops
- 2 bottoms
- 1 dress
- 1 top layer
- 2 shoes
When choosing pieces…
Consider the weather. Choose pieces that fit the forecast but also allow for some room if it’s a little cooler/warmer than you planned. Like I mentioned above, I don’t worry too much about my heavy outerwear or footwear. If I need to bring out the big snow boots or down coat, I do it. But I don’t include it in my 10 picks. Instead here I would just recommend what types of material you are including in your 10 pieces and the respective amount of coverage they provide you! So for the unpredictable spring weather here in Boulder, I’m including lots of lighter layers that I can add on or take off depending on what the weather decides to do each day. Because we can get a sudden and unexpected snow day, I’m including a lighter weight cashmere sweater that can be worn both when it’s warm and when it’s cold.
Consider your lifestyle and the activities you will be partaking in. For example, are you taking the challenge during the work week where you need to look more professional? Or are you trying this out on the weekends when things are a bit more causal? Do you have any special events happening during the challenge that you need to accommodate? I usually try to go straight through the weekends with the challenge if I can. So picking pieces that can be styled up for the office and down for weekend errands is something I try to do.
Choose pieces that are easy to launder (i.e. do not require dry cleaning). You can also freshen up clothes between washes by using a steamer that not only de-wrinkles fabrics but also sanitizes them! Note: Business professional clothes tend to be dry clean only. So do what you can, but don’t limit yourself to only machine wash items. You would be surprised how many wears you can get out of a piece by just being mindful/taking care of it throughout the week! (i.e. I try to wear all my tops once before re-wearing any of them again, and always hang up my clothes immediately when I get home to air out/de-wrinkle.) I also try to add paper thin base layers or cami’s under all of my tops and sweaters so that they last longer before needing a wash!
Choose colors that work well together. When in doubt, go with more neutral colors like white, gray, black, tan and only add in 1-2 additional pops of color. But feel free to go color crazy if you’re up for it! Just be sure the colors can be paired well with each other and in multiple ways (think about layering to get more bang for your picks!). I can’t wait to share my color choices for this spring with you! Since the spring in Boulder can be wildly unpredictable, I chose warmer pieces in spring-y colors to accommodate my desire for warmer weather.
Pick mostly pieces you love and wear time and time again (and are comfortable styling). That way if you add in any newer pieces outside your comfort zone, they will be easier to style with pieces you are already an expert at wearing! However, you could also use the challenge as a way to try out a new style or vibe (like Caroline trying out the vintage/boho feel here or me trying out overalls last time around). Since the challenge is only 10 days, it’s the perfect amount of time (not too short, not too long) to get you trying out new things and evaluating how you like/don’t like them!
Why should you try this?
Like I mentioned above, I love doing these challenges because it forces me to be more creative with my wardrobe and to more fully appreciate the items I already own.
But there are so many other reasons you may want to try this…
- Take a break from shopping!
- Reinvest in your existing closet.
- Test out your creativity.
- Find a better sense of personal style.
- Try out a capsule closet.
- Practice for traveling lighter on vacation. (a great way to test out the ‘re-wearability’ of pieces!)
Alright! Are you ready?! Here are my 10 picks for the Spring 10×10 Challenge. I’ll be sharing each of my daily outfits on my Instagram–so follow along there to see each day’s style creation! And then I’ll do a full recap of all 10 looks on the blog once I’m done with the 10-day challenge! I’ll include more in-depth photos and descriptions about what I liked/didn’t like in each outfit.
My Spring 10×10 Picks:
1. Purple Tee | Tshirts are a staple in my everyday wardrobe. So it’s no surprise that I’ve included 3 in this 10×10 Challenge. This deep purple tee is a gorgeous color that I can’t get enough of.
2. Teal Stripe Tee | Stripes have become a classic no-fail pattern in my arsenal of creative styling tricks. I love that this teal stripe tee adds both a fun stripe pattern and an unexpected bright green color to my spring wardrobe. This tee is old from Madewell, but I love this red and blue striped one from this season.
3.White Fringe Tee | I recently added this white fringe tee to my closet and I can’t get enough of it! I just love the fun texture it adds while still remaining super comfortable just like any cotton tee! It’s a bit of a cropped fit, so I went with a size M to make sure it would be long enough to wear with regular jeans; however I plan on styling it with a front tuck into high-rise jeans during this challenge.
4. Gray Cashmere Sweater | I’ve heard great things about Everlane’s crew neck cashmere sweater and I finally took the plunge earlier this winter. I love that the sweater is light weight enough to wear on warmer days and yet adds an incredible amount of warmth when the weather (inevitably) turns colder for an unexpected snow day. I also love the lighter gray color with darker speckles of charcoal mixed throughout. It makes the piece look much more expensive than it actually is. It’s light weight makes it easily worn outside of jeans or tucked in.
5. Yellow Shift Dress | I always try to include at least one dress into the 10×10 mix and I love that this one adds a bright pop of yellow to my spring picks. This sleeveless shift style is great because it can just as easily be layered over a top as it can be layered underneath a warmer sweater. I’ve found that versatile pieces like this are key to having a wardrobe that works for you year-round.
6. High-Rise Light Wash Jeans | You might remember my distressed light wash jeans from these posts (here, here, here), which I’ve had for years. Well thanks to a little weight gain after my prelim exams this past fall (followed shortly by the holidays), it was finally time to invest in a new pair of light wash denim sans holes (and with a little bigger waist 😉 ). I’ve actually had my eye on Madewell’s perfect summer jean for a couple years now. Lee always looks so incredible in them (here) and if you’ve ever read the reviews online, everyone raves that they are indeed the perfect pair of jeans. So I finally decided to add a pair to my wardrobe this spring (just in time for the challenge). I love that they are a lighter, brighter wash of denim for the warmer months and are a more traditional cotton (no stretch) material. For reference, I’m wearing a size 28.
7. High-Rise Pink Wide Leg Pants | Within the past year or so I have become obsessed with high-rise wide-leg pants. I love how flattering and classic they look. Since discovering Everlane’s collection of wide leg cropped pants, I have begun incorporating them more and more into my everyday wear. (You might remember I raved about them in The February Edit and wore them in this post for Valentine’s Day.) At any rate, I love this bright coral pink pair for spring and summer. It’s a great way to add a pop of color to any outfit. And while I love the pink pants with neutrals like cream and gray, I can’t wait to see how well they pair with other colors like purple and yellow for an explosion of color!
8. Beige Knit Cardigan | No 10×10 Challenge is complete without at least one cardigan (at least for me!). Cardigans are a staple in my wardrobe–year round! I love that this one is a cotton-wool mix that is the perfect light weight material for this season of transition. I love mine so much that I just got another one in black for next fall. I’m wearing a size M for an oversized fit and roll the sleeves as necessary.
9. White Sneakers | If I’m being completely honest with myself, I would choose to wear sneakers every day. They are comfortable and practical. Two things I highly value in any piece of clothing. However my Nike’s don’t always pair well with dresses and skirts. Haha! However, I love that this classic white pair does indeed go with everything–from pants and jeans to even a dress! And they are super comfortable and affordable to boot.
10. Beige Mules | With warmer temperatures on the horizon, open toed sandals are sure to become my go-to in the summer months. But spring can be a little to chilly for sandals, so I tend to mix in backless options like these beige mules instead. They can be styled on warmer days as the perfect transitional weather footwear and the beige color can be paired with all the colors I’ve chosen here. Having neutral colored shoes is key to having a versatile wardrobe.
And those are my 10 pieces for the Spring 10×10 Challenge! I’m so excited to start styling away! If you’re looking for more information on 10×10 Challenges, be sure to check out Lee’s and Caroline’s Spring 10×10 picks here and here, and all the #spring10x10 outfits on Instagram. They are so inspiring to follow along with! And don’t forget to follow along on my style journey at my Instagram page!
What about you? Want to join in on the fun!? Let me know in the comments below and we can keep each other motivated!
You might also like…My Past 10×10 Challenges and My Goals & Intentions for the Year.
Photos by Noah Berg
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Get the Look…
1. Purple Tee: Gap | 2. Teal Stripe Tee: Madewell (similar here, here) | 3. White Fringe Tee: Madewell | 4. Gray Cashmere Sweater: Everlane
5. Yellow Shift Dress: The Stockplace (similar) | 6. High-Rise Light Wash Jeans: Madewell | 7. High-Rise Pink Wide Leg Pant: Everlane | 8. Beige Knit Cardigan: Gap
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