The 30 for 30 Challenge (Summer)

30 pieces from my closet...30 outfits...30 days

scroll to the bottom to read my review and find out what I learned.

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WHAT I WORE: TIP TO TOE

This is the second time I've participated in the Kendi Everyday 30 for 30 challenge. Check out what I learned the first time around when you click here. So the first time I did 30x30 it was HARD...I even tried to quit half way through, but sweet comments from my readers helped encourage me to finish the task! I also had quite a serious meltdown over my inability to stop shopping the first time around. This time NO SWEAT! Although full disclosure the weeks right before I took the 30x30 challenge I shopped like the world was ending so I pretty much purchased a whole new wardrobe for the 30x30...clearly I hadn't fully grasped the point of the challenge. After my second stint in rehab I'm finally starting to GET IT. So here it is...

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WHAT I LEARNED

1. VINTAGE: If you're a fan of my blog's Facebook page you might recall that I attended the Butler+Claypool Brightest Young Things Vintage Pop-Up shop sponsored by Vitamin Water right before I started the 30x30 challenge. It was then that I realized of all the items in my closet, the only ones I can truly say I LOVE and would run in to a burning house to save are my vintage pieces. That said, once I start shopping again I'm going to try to incorporate more vintage into my everyday wear. Check out these adorable glasses I passed on at the Vintage Pop-Up...huge regret! These are the kind of unique pieces I want to spend my money on going forward.

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2. SHOPPING: Clearly based on my feast or famine method of shopping...I have a problem. I often go on shopping bans, not to clear my head and figure out what it is I NEED in my closet, but to atone for the shopping sins I've already committed. I spend the entire shopping ban starring guilty at the clothes I purchased before the ban started and counting down till my next purchase! Even making list of what I'm going to buy when this self-imposed punishment is all over. This is a vicious cycle and I'd like to break free from this behavior. I'm going to try making a different kind of list. I'm going to keep a sheet of paper tacked up next to my closet and every time I have trouble pulling together a look I'm going to write down what I would have needed to make that outfit work...a pair of flats, a belt, a tank, whatever! Hopefully by not shopping I can save up for a personal shopping trip with my favorite Style-For-Hire personal shopper who can help me learn to shop for those items that will complete my closet, not just fill it up.

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3. THE LOOK: Since I starting blogging in 2008 I have taken ALOT of photos of myself and my outfits. Looking back at my 30x30 photos made me realize that I haven't been living up to my New Years Resolution, which was to develop a beauty regimen. I have started going to a fabulous (and celeb approved) manicurist named Indigo. You can follow her on Twitter @indigonailstyle or visit her salon in Capitol Hill near Eastern Market, its by individual appointment only and the space is intimate and chic. However there is the business of my hair...that is another story, but my sister's great experience this summer getting the Keratin treatment at Flawless Hair by Derek, (Derek has been doing our family's hair since the 80s) has convinced me to get it together on all fronts. When people ask me how I'd describe my style I say PULLED TOGETHER and you can't achieve a tip to toe look if your hair and nails aren't pulled together too! I have an appointment to get the Keratin treatment so I can stop sweating out my natural hair (my hair is perm-free and I don't use a pressing comb) and I've booked my mani/pedis every 2 weeks for the next few months. I'm looking forward to getting it together! Stay tuned to WHAT I WORE: tip to toe to follow along on my journey!

This won't be the last of the 30 for 30; I look forward to participating in the future (and remembering to select more tops than bottoms next time) and thanks to Kendi for allowing me to reflect on myself and my closet!