30 For 30 For 12 Challenge - March Recap

Two months down...10 to go! Here's my recap of the 30 For 30 For 12 challenge for March.

[Warning: this is a big post]

Summary of Items with Links to Pictures

Shoes/Boots: 7 pairs

• Red Boots (Miz Mooz)
• Olive Boots (Hispanitas, consignment)
• Metallic Bows (Jeffrey Campbell)
• Black/Cream Sumatra Coffees (Fluevog)
• Cherry Red Sencha Teapots (Fluevog)
• Teal Kitten Heels (Le Chateau, consignment)
• Olive Heels (Marina Luna, consignment)/Brown Mary Jane Heels (Nine West, thrifted)

The olive heels (Marina Luna) crumbled the first time I wore them, so they were chucked. They were replaced by the brown Nine West heels.

Skirts: 6

• Denim Midi (OptionElle, consignment)
• Olive Pencil (Club Monaco, consignment)
• Red Midi "Keith" Electrical Print (Smoking Lily)
• Red Suede Pencil (Danier Leather, Vintage 80s, thrifted)
• Blue Tulip Squid Print (Jacob, thrifted)
• Black Wool High-Waisted Double Slit Midi-Pencil (Gianfranco Ferre via Giorgio Beverly Hills, Vintage 80s, thrifted)

Tops: 6

• Teal Crow T-shirt (Hama Hama, Smoking Lily)
• "Queen of Faeries" Blouse (no label, consignment)
• Sheer Leopard Blouse (Planet, consignment)
• Sheer Floral Blouse (Nygard, consignment)
• Teal Silk Fly Print (Smoking Lily)
• "I Love the (Eighteen) 80s" T-shirt (Threadless)

Sweaters/Cardigans: 2

• Fuzzy Green Cardigan (Kersh)
• Olive Green Sleeveless Cardigan (Kersh, consignment)

Jackets/Blazers: 4

• Plaid Blazer (Guess, thrifted)
• Denim with Teal Trim Jacket (Smoking Lily, consignment)
• Blue Corduroy "Leia" Jacket (Bonspiel, consignment)
• Olive Blazer (RW & Co., consignment)

Pants: 1

• Black Skinny Trousers (Kensie)

Dresses:

• Blue Sleeveless (Ann Taylor Loft, thrifted)
• Burgundy Sweater (Eric Alexandre)
• Bright Patchwork (Desigual)

Other: 1

• Olive Corduroy Vest (RW & Co., thrifted)

General Observations on March's Capsule

• This month brought the first enactment of the "if it falls aparts" rule. My olive shoes started to crumble into bits as I wore them, so I subbed in the brown Mary-Janes, which ended up being a good swap.
• Having a few neutral basics (fairly plain brown shoes, a plain olive blazer, a black pencil skirt, black trousers) really helped when I wasn't feeling motivated to create an elaborate outfit. It reminded me how useful these basics can be, and also that there's nothing wrong with a simple outfit.
• I only had 6 tops this month, and although two of the dresses acted like tops in some outfits, it felt like I didn't have enough. 
• Having two red skirts (even though they were different shades of red) felt like too much duplication. I also realized I'd bought an item that I didn't love (the red electrical Smoking Lily skirt). It didn't fit that well, and the length isn't good on me - I wasn't motivated to wear it.

What Got Worn the Most/Least

Shoes: I enjoyed the variety of shoes this month, and I'm learning to make sure I have at least 2 pairs of shoes that I can shop and walk in for longer than a few hours. Comfort is becoming king! I wore the olive Hispanitas the most (due to the holiday in Vancouver, principally), but all other pairs were evenly worn with 3-4 wears each.

Skirts: The blue squid skirt got the most wear (4 times), and all other skirts were worn 2-3 times. A pretty even distribution. I was reminded how much I love the black vintage skirt, but was vexed by the zipper not staying up on the red suede skirt.

Pants: When I first got my black skinny trousers in March 2010, I was very unsure of them. This month, I am all over how versatile they were. They lost a couple of buttons off the front, but they proved themselves to be a great wardrobe staple. Surprisingly, I'm not really missing more pants/trousers in my capsules. I'm really not a pants person.

Tops: As mentioned above, I felt like I didn't have enough tops to wear. The teal crow shirt was easily worn the most at 6 times, partly due to being able to reverse it so that the crow print was on the back. All other tops were worn 2-3 times.

Sweaters/Cardigans: I only had two cardigans in this capsule and no sweaters. I wore each of the two cardigans 3 times. I kind of wished I'd picked a colour other than green for one of them. 

Jackets/Blazers: Based on last month, I had selected another denim jacket to wear for my Casual Fridays, but the Smoking Lily one turned out to be an orphan, as I had forgotten that it only looks right when it's worn done up. I ended up only wearing it once. The other jackets and blazers were worn 2-3 times each.

Dresses: Adding dresses into my capsule was the best decision I made this month! I loved the option of being able to layer them or wear them plain. There is nothing easier than a dress when you want to look put together without a lot of effort. I wore all of the dresses 2-3 times each.

Other: I wore the vest 3 times. 

What I Would Do Differently Next Month

• More colour! I really started to crave bright colours as the month went on. The muted palette in March ended up feeling very dull as the month wore on. I ended up using things like my yellow leather jacket (outerwear) or bright camis (not worn on their own) or funky tights (accessories) to punch up the colour factor a bit.
• More tops! The balance between tops and bottoms is not quite perfected. In February I had a ton of tops (10 tops and cardigans/sweaters, plus 5 blazers/jackets), but this month I had 8 tops and cardigans/sweaters, plus 5 blazers/jackets).
• Two graphic tops was one too many, even though one of them was reversible. A graphic element does limit an item's wearability.

What is Leaving My Closet

• The olive heels were removed immediately.
• The teal kitten heels were abandoned in Vancouver. They were cracking and the colour was rubbing off.
• The olive Hispanitas boots. I feel like I got enough wear out of them, but they were starting to look beat up. They also weren't all that comfortable. I will be looking for a short boot to replace these.
• The red electric pattern Smoking Lily skirt is going to Megan at The Fashionable Bureaucrat as soon as I wash/iron it. Mental note: don't buy things with linen content.
• The red suede skirt. The zipper popped open whenever I sat down. 

What's on the Fence

• The sleeveless olive cardigan. It's a nice piece but I don't love it that much. 
• The burgundy sweater dress. I feel like I've worn it enough. 

I packed these away with my fall/winter wardrobe and we'll see if they are still appealing when I unpack at the end of next September.

Looking Forward to Wearing Again

• The Desigual dress. I actually didn't pack this away. I might need to wear it as a Wild Card item at some point. It's so beautiful.
• The black vintage pencil skirt. I rediscovered how much I love this very flattering and high-quality skirt. Yay!
• The "Queen of Faeries" blouse. I've loved this for the entire time I've owned it. I feel happy when I wear it.
• Both the leopard blouse and the floral blouse. I might have to dig out the leopard blouse for another capsule.
• The black skinny trousers. They may also find themselves in a capsule after September.

How I'm Feeling About the Year-Long Challenge So Far

I am still enjoying it - it is a lot of fun to put together, plan and anticipate. A month feels just right - and I felt like there were a few more outfits I could have made.

I did find myself reining myself in on my purchases or opportunities for new clothing; last night, I turned down a pair of brown corduroys and a cool sweater that I couldn't see myself hanging onto for a capsule. In the past, I would have taken both items. I also limited myself when shopping (either thrifting or shopping new) to items that I really loved and could wait to wear.

I am excited about my next 6 months of capsules! I have actually planned out most of May's capsule and have themes (mostly colour-based) picked for June-September. Knowing that I have themes means I can shop specifically for them, if I choose.

I am looking at my closet with fresh eyes, and wondering what will be still there by the end of September when I pack away my spring/summer clothes. Anything not worn by then will have to be seriously evaluated as to whether it will stay or not.

Now...To refresh your memory, here are all the outfits together. You can click to embiggen them, and click on the dates to go to the original posts.

Mar 1st	Mar 2nd	Mar 3rd	Mar 5th	Mar 6th
Mar 7th	Mar 8th	Mar 9th	Mar 10th	Mar 10th (2nd outfit)
Mar 12th	Mar 13th	Mar 14th	Mar 15th	Mar 16th
Mar 17th	Mar 19th	Mar 20th	Mar 21st	Mar 22nd
Mar 23rd	Mar 24th	Mar 25th	Mar 26th	Mar 27th
Mar 28th	Mar 29th	Mar 30th	Mar 31st

You can vote for your favourite outfits here (you can select more than one outfit, it's okay!):

What outfits rang your bell? Pick as many as you want

Mar 1st Mar 2nd Mar 3rd Mar 5th Mar 6th Mar 7th Mar 8th Mar 9th Mar 10th Mar 10th - 2nd outfit Mar 12th Mar 13th Mar 14th Mar 15th Mar 16th Mar 17th Mar 19th Mar 20th Mar 21st Mar 22nd Mar 23rd Mar 24th Mar 25th Mar 26th Mar 27th Mar 28th Mar 29th Mar 30th Mar 31st

pollcode.com free polls

What About the Wild Card Outfit?
I did another Wild Card outfit for an event at the Art Gallery. However, I am putting this dress in the consignment bag - I didn't love it that much and really should not have bought it. I have amazing dresses and other items in my closet that would have been better choices.

Full disclosure: In April, I intend to have more than one Wild Card outfit, as I'll be doing 2 costumes for the Steampunk Expo, and my girlfriend is having her 40th birthday party - maybe I'll find something in the capsule to wear to that, I don't know.

At the end of the year (next January), there will be a vote for Best Wild Card.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my capsule and reading the recap! Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for reading if you made it this far!

Cheers,
Sheila