30 For 30 For 12 Challenge

Some years back, I noticed a lot of fashion bloggers doing a "30 For 30 Challenge." It was started by Kendi of Kendi Everyday (her rules here). It was really interesting to see how bloggers came up with new outfits and flexed their creative muscle to stretch their wardrobes.

Lately, I feel like I've missed out on some outfits by not wanting to wear things too frequently, and I've been wanting to do another long-term challenge, like the one I did in 2009 where I only bought second-hand/thrift/non-brand-new clothes and had a "one-in, one-out" rule in effect (rules here, summary and recap here). I've done lots of little fashion challenges (links here), but I want to really push myself to rely on what's already in my closet. Because, let's face it: I have an awesome wardrobe!

Sooooo...here's my spin: I'm going to see how long I can do 30 For 30, month after month after month. The goal is to do it for a full year, so till the end of next January.

My loosey-goosey-there-are-loopholes rules for 30 For 30 For 12 are:

• Pick 30 items of clothing, including shoes. Wear those only those for one calendar month.
• Accessories (belts, tights, jewelry), outerwear, and any layering pieces that I wouldn't wear solo (things like my underskirts, long-sleeved layering tees, camisoles) don't count.
• I can repeat any number of items the following month if I feel like it.
• Newly purchased items (of clothing or shoes) will have to wait until the month is up; no swapping in new items.
• Damaged, stained or otherwise ruined clothes may be substituted for a like item (i.e. a stained shirt can be traded for another shirt).
• One "Wild Card" outfit may be selected out of the rest of the closet in case of a party, wedding or other special event. 
• My hang-around-the house clothes don't count (I don't photograph those anyway).

I've already built myself a nice little spreadsheet to track my outfits and see what I'm really getting mileage out of. At the end of each month, I'll post a summary of the outfits and my analysis, and you'll get a chance to vote on your favourite outfit!

I'm actually pretty excited to get this started - Wednesday, February 1st will be my start day. And without further ado, here is my February wardrobe:

Pants, skirts, tops, jackets. I wasn't in the mood for dresses, so there aren't any. There are 5 new-to-me items that I'm incorporating into February's wardrobe.

And here are the shoes:

One new-to-me pair of shoes, and a mix of flats and heels.

Exciting! 

If you're interested in participating, please feel free! Let me know in the comments along the way if you do a 30 For 30, and I'll include a link to your blog in the month-end summary.