When I told my boyfriend I was taking part in the Six Items Challenge again, he said “I don’t know why you found it so hard, I only ever wear six items of clothes!” Which made me think, why did I find it so hard? Last time I took part I had a horrible time! By week three I felt I’d worn every accessory, tried on every clothing combination and altered each garment to the point of no return; leaving three more weeks of mundane outfits and longing glares at my bulging wardrobe.
So, when I was asked to take part this year I had a long hard think before saying yes. It’s not that I feel the need to buy clothes during the challenge or that i pine after specific garments from my wardrobe – for me it’s the fear of not having a choice. This time round I need to do things differently – to maximise choice, minimise boredom and keep me going to day 42 – here’s how I plan to do it 🙂
Think five p’s
You know what people say – prior preparation prevents poor performance – well this is one of those situations. During the run up to the last challenge I chose my six item wardrobe a couple of days before the start date, just threw it together, everything matched but there was little variety. As well as taking time to choose my garments this time (over a month at least), I’ve also planned how each one can be transformed, up-cycled, embroidered and worn differently for maximum variety.
Don’t choose cheap
Cheap clothes don’t wash well, bobbling, leaving marks under the arms and loosing their colour, ultimately making them look shabby before their time (another bane of mine from six items 2015).Washing clothes also has a negative effect on the environment, so I’ve tried to choose clothes which need less washing like dark colours and denim as well as selecting items that will last.
Recreate
Choose items you can overhaul, for me this means:
– You don’t love them so much that you can’t cut them up.
– The garments have scope – you can take them up, take them in or add design or print to them.
Wish me luck! You can follow my Six Items Challenge and donate to Labour Behind the Label here.
