Summer 10×10 Recap: What I Wore and What I Learned

I just completed the summer 10×10 (founded by Lee Vosburgh of Style Bee), which challenges capsule wardrobe aficionados to wear only ten items of clothing (including shoes!) for ten days – as ten different outfits. It can sound a little daunting, but it’s a really fun way to get creative with your wardrobe and practice gratitude for what you already have.

I’ve been posting all my outfits and daily thoughts over on my Instagram, but I still wanted to round them up here and talk about what I learned this time around.

My ten items:

1. Ozma of California Morocco Pants
2. Madewell 10-inch High-Rise Jeans
3. Free Label Marion Tank
4. Gray Madewell Tee
5. Miranda Bennett Studio Everyday Top
6. Tradlands Golden Gingham Box Top (gifted by the lovely team there!)
7. VETTA Capsule Boxy Blouse
8. Tradlands Soleil Dress (gifted as well!)
9. St. Agni Studio Woven Loafers
10. Zuzii Footwear Slide Clogs

A note about Tradlands: I am so grateful to them for these gifted items. I’ve been admiring their clothes for quite some time, but when you’re keeping a small wardrobe and on a budget you have to make choices about what you can and can’t buy at any particular moment. I so appreciate them making these items accessible to me, and allowing me to share them with you. Tradlands makes high-quality essentials for women, inspired by classic menswear. They work with boutique clothing manufacturers and use materials that are ecologically responsible, like Tencel.

First time customers can save 15% off their Tradlands purchase with code KELLIE15, good across their site. 

I will make a small commission on your purchase if you choose to use it, but I hope if you are thinking of shopping with Tradlands, and if you like the work I’m doing here, that you will consider supporting my writing when you make your purchase. 

Day 1

For Day 1, I wore my Gray Madewell Tee, Madewell 10-inch High-Rise Jeans, and Zuzii Footwear Slide Clogs. I accessorized with my Ozma of California bandana (it’s the adobe color) and an old Sezane belt. I liked that the bandana coordinated with my clogs without being too matchy-matchy. This is definitely an outfit I would wear again, even though it wasn’t one of my favorites in the challenge.

Day 2

Day 2 was all about this Tradlands Soleil Dress. Made out of mid-weight Tencel (which is a textile made from wood cellulose), this dress kept me cool on a humid day in New York City. The first image is my ideal outfit, but I also had to be realistic about the weather forecast that day, so I ended up switching into sneakers. You can read more about my day at the Free the Slaves Fashion for Freedom Event here.

Day 3

On Day 3 I wore my Free Label Marion Tank with the straps uncrossed, Ozma of California Morocco Pants, and St. Agni Studio Woven Loafers. I absolutely loved this outfit, it was so comfortable! This is also the day I started to learn Adobe Lightroom, as you can tell by the questionably edited background of this photo (haha!)

Day 4

On Day 4, I wore my VETTA boxy blouse and Ozma pants. Not pictured are the St. Agni loafers. This outfit felt a little…wide…all over, so while it was breezy and light I’m not sure I was loving the proportions. This was also when I started to realize I should have picked one additional bottom and one fewer top, since I had to wear the same pants two days in a row – laundry is a lot of work. I did get a bit of a laugh about this outfit because I asked my Instagram followers if they had any ethical fashion questions for me on this day, and one of them was “Why are ethical clothes so baggy?” Looking at this photo, I couldn’t argue with them.

Day 5

Halfway there! Infused a bit of color into my wardrobe and 10×10 capsule with this gorgeous gold gingham (try saying that three times fast) top from Tradlands. I love the vintage vibe of this shirt, and it looks chic tied in a knot, tucked in or worn loose and breezy. It isn’t the sort of top I would ordinarily pick for myself, but something about it just makes me feel relaxed and happy.

Day 6

This was my favorite outfit of the 10×10, and I didn’t even really get to wear it for long! (It was a weird day.) I wore my Tradlands Soleil Dress, VETTA Capsule Boxy Blouse, and Zuzii Footwear Slide Clogs. I never would have thought to wear a shirt over a collared dress if it weren’t for the 10×10, but I actually felt really chic and put together. I am looking forward to wearing this outfit again.

Day 7

On Day 7, I wore an outfit that isn’t all that uncommon for me  – my Miranda Bennett Studio Everyday Top and Madewell 10-inch High-Rise Jeans. This was the day that really reinforced to me that I should have picked one fewer top and one bottom though. As much as I love the silhouette of this top, it was Day 7 and I had only worn it once! Meanwhile, I was struggling to have enough bottoms to wear. Lesson. Learned.

Day 8 

Day 8 was THE BEST DAY OF THE CHALLENGE. My dear internet friend Renée of Goblin Shark was passing through town on her way to her vacation destination, and we were able to meet up for lunch! She and her husband had Impossible Burgers, I had a Beyond Burger, we took some photos and laughed and gave each other the biggest hugs ever. Renée has been there for me so much via phone, and it was so wonderful to finally meet her in real life. She is even nicer and more beautiful than you see online – which I didn’t even think was possible!

I wore my Gray Madewell Tee, Ozma of California Morocco Pants and accessorized with this Equal Uprise hat. We had literally 14 minutes to take these photos before the skies opened up and it DOWNPOURED, and they came out pretty good! (Some of them were really terrible – most of those are on Renée’s phone. Maybe she’ll post some of them for a laugh.) Also, she is wearing the VETTA boxy blouse!

Day 9

Another simple day in the VETTA Capsule Boxy Blouse and the Madewell 10-inch High-Rise Jeans. Except two seconds after I took this photo, I changed into shorts because it was so hot out and I was headed into New York City to visit some friends. Jeans were not actually happening. See lesson learned on Day 7.

Day 10

The final day! I wore the Free Label Marion Tank with the straps crossed, my Madewell 10-inch High-Rise Jeans, and my St. Agni Studio Woven Loafers. My friends and I had an awesome vegan brunch in Astoria and then I headed home from the city.

What I Learned

Besides the need for an extra bottom (!!!), I learned a lot about friendship and community during this round of the 10×10. Meeting Renée was so much fun, and it’s incredible to me how our Instagram banter has turned into one of my most valued friendships. I also got to connect more with some new people, like Andrea, who I had a very deep conversation about sweat with. I love the 10×10 because it’s amazing to see everyone getting to know, complimenting, sharing and encouraging their fellow slow fashion advocates.

I think it’s worth mentioning that there were a handful of us who got the Tradlands discount code like I shared with you above. Of course, all of us with codes would love for our own blogs and writing to be supported. But there are so many amazing, stylish ladies who are sharing Tradlands this time around, and if you don’t want to use my code – I hope you’ll consider supporting one of them. You can find them on the Tradlands hashtag – #tradlandswornwell. Because that’s what it’s really about. Community, not competition.

Did you participate in the summer 10×10? What did you learn? 

xx

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