Dinie's Tangled Threads: 13 going in 30

13 March 2015

13 going in 30

I've been struggling with my wardrobe for awhile now. I purged a lot of the things that were not working for me, but I am still struggling. I realized that I had no theme to my closet and that nothing seemed to match anything else. I had a closet full of beautiful things that didn't match each other. Something had to give. So, I purged and tried to match things. I still got stuck. I like color so when I would read about minimalist wardrobes it seems they all talk about black or a neutral wardrobe with a hint or pop of color. Black makes me look really pale and unhealthy. I wear it occasionally, but not too often and especially not every day. I've been trying project 333 but I haven't figured out which pieces match and work for me. I wore the same 5 outfits over and over again. It was too hard for me and I gave up. I really want it to work for me, but this does not come easily for me. Then I found the lucky dozen, some people call it 13 going on 30. 13 going on 30 is an idea run by lucky magazine a few years ago. It was done for an office wardrobe. I love the idea of it, but I wouldn't ever wear the original pieces, since I don't work in an office anymore. I've been struggling with my wardrobe because I have a going out wardrobe and a stay in and work wardrobe. I think being able to make 30 combinations would be plenty and keep my closet from expanding too much. (Which it has been, I'm ashamed to say.) I'm not suggesting that I buy anything but rather that I can make this small wardrobe right now and test my ideas. I would love to feel like this is all I need in my closet. I think that since project 333 hasn't been working for me I'm going to back up and test out a very small section of my closet. Maybe I can live with this for a month and go over it for the next month or go back to project 333.

Lucky magazine did this first and then shopruche.com did a great version a few years later. I love their version and would love to be able to see it in more detail but I'll have to settle for the pictures they did of each outfit and the ideas i can scrounge by looking at it, since it is an old webpage.

It looks like to me a plain colored neutral top, they use white. 2 pairs of pants (one jeans one dressier), 2 skirts(1 pencil, 1 flared or a line), 1 sweater, 2 shirts to layer, one scarf, one printed dress, a jacket/blazer and 2 pairs of shoes to match it all (neutrals in pumps and boots.) Now having the vision to put it all together is the hard part. This is where I would normally get stuck.

In the lucky magazine version all the clothing was from banana republic. It is a neat idea and helped promote their clothing line too I'll bet. But I'm going to shop my closet first. I've been misunderstanding my basics and I struggle with that still. Seeing this wardrobe and the pieces helps me understand a little bit better.

The plan is for me to get my pieces in order and then wear the same outfit as is styled in each day. I might not go in order, but I will get to all of them. I am hoping that I will be inspired with the creativity and learn how to style these pieces better and really know that they work for me. I hope that I do not have to exchange anything mid way, but I have been struggling over my choices a little bit. Be patient with me, as I try something different.