The 15/30 Project comes to an end!

Well, it’s now been a month of wearing the same fifteen pieces over and over and over! I have mixed and matched and accessorized and tried to be as inventive as possible. This was all because of The 15/30 Project where the participant wears the same 15 pieces of clothing for 30 days (swimsuits, PJs, gym clothes, shoes and accessories are not included). The idea is to fully utilize your existing wardrobe instead of just buying more and the project also aims to make you more aware of the environmental effects from our love of fast fashion. If you want to learn more on the effects of fast-fashion check out Redress Hong Kong or pick up a copy of Shaping Sustainable Fashion: Changing the Way We Make and Use Clothes by Alison Gwilt.

In case you haven’t been keeping up, we last caught up with me when I was half-way through. Now, the end is nigh… and truth is, the project worked! I am looking at my closet with new eyes seeing interesting creations yet to be worn and pieces that have never met seeking to now join forces. I no longer feel the need to buy something new. Hopefully, that feeling will last for a while and not just until the next collection of runway shows! I now know that I can get away with wearing the same thing a few times and, honestly, no one would have known that I was it if weren’t for these Sassy posts!

Here’s a reminder of my 15 pieces:

You can see my first 18 outfits from the challenge here, whilst the rest are scattered on this page!

The Real Challenge

Yes, I did get bored of the fifteen pieces and I found myself hanging out in my gym clothing and pajamas longer than was healthy. To make the clothing feel new, I fully raided my jewellery box and bedazzled myself to the max with sparkly bits that had been previously abandoned left knotted and tangled for years! I also seriously missed my dresses. There is just something so wonderful about welcoming in spring with a floaty floral dress and über large sunnies! I tried to welcome it with my green shorts and platform wedges but I don’t think spring felt my exuberant joy, hence the recent thunderstorms.

The hardest part though was managing the dry cleaning schedule so that I would not completely run out of clothing! I found that wearing my pieces out to an event and coming home and immediately changing into PJs was my best bet to getting the most wear per piece from the capsule wardrobe. I spilled something on the white shirt and, though I had so many cute outfits planned for it, I wore it once before it was banished to the dry cleaners. Due to the Easter holiday, that shirt was out of commission for nearly two weeks! Only in the last week did I get to bring some of those ideas to life!

What Would I Change

There are a few things I would change if I ever did this again. First, the white tux jacket was only worn once! FAIL! The black dress was worn twice and was tricky to make it for work for day events as I felt I would be too overdressed. Instead of these super-specific formal pieces, I would incorporate more blouses. One can re-wear pants and skirts without much notice but the blouses need to have variance!

If this challenge ever presented itself again, I would also include a colourful top. I got very tired of wearing so many neutrals and I know my man likes to see me in bright hues. Even though my nails and lips were almost always painted red or orange or hot pink, I still felt the need for more colour! It’s spring after all and that is when all those happy shades reappear! I used as many cheerful accessories and shoes to incorporate pops of fun into the mostly neutral palette.

Overall, it was a great project that I had a (mostly) good time doing. It did make getting ready much easier as I had so few items to decide between. I have noticed that I have been going overboard with prints, layering, and colour since the challenge ended… and I’ve also have been avoiding wearing those 15 pieces again like the plague! Maybe after I give myself a little distance from them they will make their way back in the daily routine.

One unexpected side effect of going from so little to wear to so much is that now I am kind of overwhelmed when I look into my closet. My getting-ready time has definitely doubled and maybe even tripled with all these new choices! There is something to be said about paring down. Maybe a spring clean of the closet will be in the works soon!

I would definitely recommend any one in a wardrobe rut to give this project a try. You don’t have to do a full 30 days either – try a two-week trial run. Go through your own wardrobe and pick your most versatile pieces and see how long you can go mixing and matching. I can almost guarantee that you will learn something new about yourself and your styling abilities!

Check out all of Sabrina’s outfits from The 15/30 Project on Pinterest. You can also catch up on the first two parts on The 15/30 Project here and here.

Photos by Sabrina Sikora Photography

Check out pics of all the participants of the 15/30 Project on Pinterest.

Other bloggers participating in the challenge include:

• Tania of T Like Bubble Tea 

• Karen of Tomimito

• Alicia of Kitten Masks
• Joy of Of Stranger Sensibilities

• Monique of Petite Avenue

• Clare of Curious Looking Glass

• Caitlin of Wanderlustings
• Sam of Sam is Home