The 10×10 Challenge is a wardrobe challenge coined and created by Lee from Style Bee in 2015. We are both enamored by the idea of having a capsule wardrobe, but committing to it is something neither of us are ready to sign up for, so we love challenges like this that give us a taste of what it would be like to have a capsule wardrobe, but allow us to return to the comfort of our overstuffed closets when it’s over. We recently jumped into the Faux Fall 10×10 challenge (faux fall, because the calendar says it’s time for cooler weather but the South does not), hosted by a few bloggers we follow on instagram.
Kathryn’s Lineup
Wore most / Cream denim jacket / I searched all summer long for a white denim jacket after finding one I loved at Target, but wasn’t in stock in my size. Finally, I found one on Poshmark, and I think it’s perfect for faux fall – and a great seasonal transition piece.
Wore least / Block sweater / I bought myself this sweater just before heading on my honeymoon, so imagine my happy surprise after returning from Hawaii to find this perfect fall item waiting for me! That feeling made me put the sweater in the capsule — but it just wasn’t cold enough in Dallas to justify wearing more than once. I’m super excited to wear it as it gets colder.
Item that surprised me / Rust skirt / I got this rust skirt as a part of a bundle I bought on Poshmark — I basically got it for free. When it came it, I thought I would never wear it, and likely resell it. The night before we were starting our challenge, I couldn’t find the denim skirt I’d originally wanted to put in my capsule, so on a whim I subbed in this skirt and I’m in LOVE. This is definitely a new fall wardrobe staple for me.
Favorite outfit / Black long sleeve, rust skirt, plaid scarf, polka dot tights / I love this outfit. I felt full on fall, ready to jump in a pile of leaves at a moment’s notice. I got compliments on it all day from people who told me they didn’t think they could pull something like this off. Spoiler alert: I also didn’t think I could pull something like this off, but here I am. You can too.
Least favorite outfit / Pink tee, black distressed jeans, leather jacket / I couldn’t find anything good to accessorize this outfit with, so it just sort of felt plain.
Outfit most out of my comfort zone / Yellow polka dot top, rust skirt, leather jacket / I have recently worked to get over my fear of buttons—they have the potential to pop out or gap in all the wrong places. I’m also drawn to colors, so this more monochrome outfit was definitely not my first pick. I definitely felt out of my comfort zone on this one, but I loved what I came up with!
Outfit I’ll wear again / Black long sleeve, distressed jeans, plaid scarf, statement belt / I tried to wear my favorite scarf as a third piece and I pulled it off. I was a huge fan of this outfit, but unfortunately it was just too hot in Dallas that day to enjoy wearing it. Expect to see me breaking out an outfit like this later on in the season.
Final Thoughts / I’m typically a bright-colors-and-bold-patterns kind of person. This fall, I have really gotten into the darker neutrals and solid pieces, so while you did see some brighter colors with the pale blue shell and pink tee, or patterns with the block sweater and polka dot top in my capsule, I tried to lean in more to the solids and neutrals I already owned and got creative with some fall-inspired looks. I really enjoyed challenging myself here, like wearing the buttons-on-buttons, the scarf as a third piece, and bringing out some necklaces that don’t get a lot of wear from me. I’m also a huge fan of not having to think *too* hard on what to wear—when my choices are limited, I can usually get out the door a bit quicker in the mornings.
Summer’s Lineup
Wore most / American Eagle Jeggings / These are my favorite jeans, but American Eagle doesn’t make them anymore so I’m always on the hunt for similar ones. They’re super stretchy and comfy, if the waist was just a bit higher they’d be perfect.
Wore least / Black v-neck tee / I love this shirt, but I think it just didn’t work with the other items in my capsule very well. In my regular life I wear this way more often.
Item that surprised me / Green pants / These are my first pair of wide leg crops so I wasn’t really sure how to wear them. Adding them to the capsule helped me figure out what works and what doesn’t, plus they were stretchy and comfy–they only downside is that they wrinkle after just a couple wears.
Favorite outfit / Jegging, striped shirt, utility jacket / Stripes are very on-brand for me and I love these long-sleeve tees from Target (I think the striped version is sold out, but there are a ton of other colors). That + comfy jeans and an olive third piece is right in my comfort zone.
Least favorite outfit / Green pants and chambray / This outfit didn’t really work the way I had imagined because this chambray is tunic length, so there was just too much fabric to balance out the voluminous pants. I think I’ll try a slimmer chambray next time.
Outfit most out of my comfort zone / Green pants, striped shirt, leather jacket / Like I said, this style of pant is new to me, so they were already outside of my comfort zone. Making them work for cooler weather was especially challenging, I’m not sure if I’d wear this exact outfit again but it was a good push to make warm-weather pants work for other seasons.
Outfit I’ll wear again / Green pants, white tee / This was the first time I wore the green pants, and I didn’t know if this would work but I ended up really liking this outfit. It was warm enough on this day to wear them like I would in spring or summer, which helped ease me into the new style.
Final Thoughts / I love to wear green, stripes, and neutrals so a lot of this capsule was in my comfort zone in terms of color. The green pants were the hero/villain here because they’re new and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them but they were comfy and I ended up liking how different they were from my normal style. I never never never wear pink but I liked the shape and button detail on this pink tank so I tried to work it in– I’m not sure it’ll become a fixture in my wardrobe but I think I’d like to try a similar top in a different color. I really like how different these pieces can look just by changing up accessories and now I want to challenge myself to change up my standard outfits with different scarves, hats, and jewelry!
Tailor of 2 Cities 
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