Fashion Friday, Accessories Edition!

If you’re a regular reader of my fashion Friday posts, you know I’m in the midst of a super hard but fun fashion challenge, the 15:30.  I’m wearing the same fifteen  pieces of clothing all month and not buying a single stitch of clothing until October. But that means a ton of accessorizing! So I have allowed myself to buy a number of fabulous new accessories.

Yesterday my neighbor had a Stella and Dot jewelry trunk show. I recently learned of their stylish accessories from my fashionable friend Susan, so I was eager to go check out the offerings. I first perused their website and saw that they are indeed pricier than my jewelry standby, Premier Designs. But their look is significantly more modern and hip.

I took some video but unfortunately the first half didn’t come out. You can see in the photo above the necklace I ended up buying, as well as the gray flower brooch to go with it. It can be worn at several different lengths, with and without either of the two brooches. I consider that kind of versatility a good investment.

Also this week I bought this gorgeous multi-color two strand necklace…on clearance at Target!

And I got these super hot black suede booties on super clearance too…no idea why they aren’t marked down online yet. Plus a few earrings, some pink rain boots, a polka dot umbrella (it was monsooning here due to Tropical Storm Hermine when I bought this stuff!) and a purple cloche.  Yeah, I was thinking accessories!  My friend Pam, the Accessory Whore, would be so proud.

And now that I’m on a roll with buying belts again…I found a stunning Michael Kors leopard fur belt on Rue La La that I decided to splurge a bit on.

So there you have it. I haven’t actually saved any money yet during this 15:30 challenge, but my focus has definitely shifted. I definitely feel more pulled together when I’m dressed for the day in something from my now tiny wardrobe, because I put extra effort into the shoes and jewels, etc.

Have you recently splurged on a pricier clothing or jewelry item that you consider to be a good investment?

Fashion Friday: 15:30 Project Update

Just thought I’d use this fashion friday to give you an update on the progress so far with my 15:30 style challenge. What’s a 15:30 challenge? Well for many reasons I have chosen to join several other women in choosing and committing to just fifteen pieces of clothing to wear for the month of September. You can read some of the reasons behind this fashion challenge here.

Part of the purpose of this is simply an exercise in self-control…one of those lovely fruits of the spirit we are to exemplify. Most people think about shopaholics as having a millions credit cards and mountains of debt. Fortunately that’s not me, but I have been tending towards going shopping just to make me feel good. That consumer high is addictive and simply a attempt to find fulfillment that can only be found in an intimate relationship with Jesus. So as I’ve said before, the fact that I have the money to spend on clothes doesn’t mean it shouldn’t go to better purposes…like sponsoring a child living in poverty or even saving for my kids’ college education.

So I’m on day 3 today. Since gym clothes are allowed and it’s a sweltering sweat bath outside I have been throwing on yoga pants and tshirts to walk the kids to school.  Then I may actually go workout or go home and work for awhile before getting really cleaned up and “dressed” for the day…which mostly means evening. It is HARD to ignore an entire wing of my closet and my dresser. Four long racks full of colorful tops, shorts, even dresses.

15-30 Day1As with anything, deprivation makes temptation that much stronger. Walking through Target twice this week seeing seemingly GORGEOUS clothes and racks and rack with 50% off an Clearance all over them was rough, I tell ya. I have always been a proponent of what Steven Covey calls “an abundance mentality” but now when it comes to clothes I feel the scarcity mentality kicking in. Translated: if I don’t buy that super adorable thing now, I’m missing my chance and there will be nothing left in October when I can shop again. These thoughts are ridiculous, I know.

The shoes have been the most fun part of the past two days.  Wednesday I had a coffee shop meeting with a friend to discuss some photography I’m doing for him so I pulled out the jeans and light silver t-shirt. I wanted flats and fortunately the silver pair I bought a couple weeks ago were perfect. Picking jewelry was fun too, although the new earrings I bought were SO NOISY I had to take them off before the meeting. The upside of the jeans were that my neighbor noticed them and complimented them. The downside was that twenty minutes at the bus stop (bus was late) was much too long to be outside in dark jeans.

Yesterday I went the monthly meetup of my Fast Track Photographers group at Christine’s studio in the Heights. My awesome friend Aimee Woodall, head of the Black Sheep Agency, gave a talk on marketing and pr for photographers. Even with only fifteen pieces to choose from, it required a lot of mindfulness to pick an outfit. I didn’t want to be too overdressed, or two boring. I knew we were heading to the beach this weekend so I didn’t want to use something I’d be taking with me. I settled on the denim skirt and blue striped blouse, mainly because I wanted to try it with the first wide belt I’ve ever bought. Turns out I like the belt idea in theory more than in practice. The most fun though was again the shoes, since I’d all but forgotten the perfect little denim slides I’ve had more than a decade.

Over the past couple days the 15:30 project has led to some really interesting conversations and for that I’m grateful.  I know they mentioned something like it on the Today show yesterday but I was too busy to watch it, so I’ll have to go back and find the video.

Next up: weekend beach vacation challenge! And what to wear to dinner at Rachel Matthews’ house, the supremely lovely and talented author of A Southern Fairytale. Yes, I’m grateful to be so fortunate.