FINAL UPDATE: The Next 5 Days (Days 24-31): Creating a Signature Work Uniform [August Challenge]

Hello Beautiful People,

Here is a review of the next 5 days and the conclusion of my August signature work wardrobe! Enjoy!

Day 25-26:

• It’s the weekend, baaby!

Day 27 (August 27):

•  Today I actually took a personal day from work to attend a family function. However, I used this time to refresh my clothing after completing laundry and steamed my tops the night before.

Day 28 (August 28):

• OMG it’s been so humid lately around here! Its the end of August which means that it’s prime swamp weather here in D.C.- THANK goodness I have my lightweight cotton blouse to keep me cool! I paired my outfit with my long sleeveless vest and accessorizing it with a gold double tier tassel necklace. I’ve been loving this combo and has been my go -to the last few weeks!

Day 29 (August 29):

• Another day, another dollar and a day in my work uniform.

Day 30 (August 30):

• It’s been so hot that my last couple shirts were beyond repairable with some simple dabs of lemon juice and water lol I had to go through my other shirts because when you’re a sweaty girl, these things happen! Thankfully, today was the last day!

Day 31 (August 31):

• T E L E W O R K    D A Y!

 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Phew! I made it to the end of the month and to the end of my work wardrobe challenge! If I’m being honest, I really did not expect much from this challenge in terms of making it through the entire month while wearing the same  two main articles of clothing to work without :

A. Getting bored of the concept

B. Being exposed  by co-workers that I was wearing the same clothes for 30 days lol

To my surprise, neither of those happened! Besides my co-workers who I told that I would be conducting this challenge everyone else hasn’t noticed or given me so much of a side-eye. Which makes me wonder if I’m really that impressionable, or people HAVE noticed and aren’t willing to speak up.

My original goal of this challenge was to minimize my stress levels that were within my control throughout the day by eliminating possibly one of the most ridiculous decisions that lead me to stress in the morning; choosing what to wear to work. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I walked into my closet with an outfit I PICKED THE NIGHT BEFORE (I was prepared) put it on, and moments before I was ready to leave I CHANGED MY CLOTHES (WHAT?!)

-or-

How many times I swipped through my closet, totally making a disaster of it and ended up wearing the same top/pants that I wore the week before. It was a vicious cycle that included no creativity, no change, but ultimately no gain (besides stress).

So what are my plans after this month? Well- comparing this month to just the month prior, I would say that this challenge has been beneficial to me and has saved me so much time in the a.m.  I think instead of sticking to the same outfit, I think that I am going to create a work capsule for myself that includes 5-7 items (tops & bottoms) that are appropriate to the season within a complimentary color palate. Since fall is my FAVORITE season, I am so excited to see what I can combine in my closet and from the thrift stores [of course] into a chic work attire capsule wardrobe. I hope to post a blog detailing what I choose as well as outfit combinations! (stay tuned).

I am happy to say that this experience has improved my conscience decisions when I am allowed the extra time to select different pieces to accessories and make use of my creativity with what I wear; and the ability it has allowed me to carry that momentum through the rest of my day.

The bigger question is, has my work performance improved? I can confidently say yes! While my job does not involve hella amounts of creativity I am finding ways to navigate old habits of completing my work into more stimulating routines! It’s been a great experience; I can’t wait to do it again!

 

Would you consider doing a work uniform challenge? What are your thoughts about creating a work wardrobe capsule? Leave your thoughts below!

xo,

Danielle

 

The Next 5 Days (Days 20-24): Creating a Signature Work Uniform [August Challenge]

Hello Beautiful People,

Here is a review of the next 5 days of my August signature work wardrobe! Enjoy!

Day 18-19:

• It’s the weekend, baaby!

Day 20 (August 20):

• I took a metal heath day today and took the opportunity to catch up on some work around the house.

Day 21 (August 21):

• Back at it! Today was minimal. I wore my metal wrapped marble triangle earrings and my thrifted black watch. I remember to carry a black blazer with me to work in case it was chilly in the offi…who am I kidding? it totally was, as usual!

Day 22 (August 22):

• I paired my uniform with my long black vest and ran out of the house. I spent a little too much time meditation as soon as I woke up and was crunched for time (lol). The way that I seemed to get ready was almost instinctual. They say after 21 days, habits are formed— Guess I’m already there!

Day 23 (August 23):

• Last day in the office this week! I’m kind of getting bored with the solid black pants, which I didn’t think would be possible. So I decided to pair them with a bold white belt. I was a bit hesitant as it gave me cowgirl vibes, but it still worked out!

Day 24 (August24):

• T E L E W O R K    D A Y!

 

Next week is the final week of my work uniform challenge! I’m excited that I have made it this far without giving up! When things have been so hectic in my regular life it was nice to have this one thing, as tiny as it was here to keep some normalcy. I think this challenge is a unique one that I have a desire to do as soon as next month. But alternate it to be a capsule of items of about 4-5 that I change up and wear for the entire month.

Stay tuned for my next update and the final week of the challenge!

 

xo,

Danielle

 

The Next 5 Days (Days 11-16): Creating a Signature Work Uniform [August Challenge]

Hello Beautiful People,

Here is a review of the next 5 days of my August signature work wardrobe! Enjoy!

Day 12 (August 12): It’s the weekend!

Day 13 (August 13): Happy Monday all! I had a late night last night as I stayed up way past my bedtime to watch the Insecure season premiere! But, it was well worth the bags I currently have under my eyes.

Reaching for my work uniform, today I decided to pair it with a solid black vest, 3 tassels tier necklace and matching studs. Monday’s are pretty quiet around the office considering many people telework  on this day and are just collectively tired AF.

Day 14 (August 14): It was a chilly morning outside …and in the office (as usual) so I decided to layer on my waffle texture cotton sweater over my uniform. I was comfy and might I add chic all in one go.

Keeping with rotating 2 shirts throughout the week, I again took a combination of lemon juice and water and dabbed the armpits to release bacteria buildup and let them air dry for about an hour. I decided to hand dry them in the shower since it was very muggy after a summer’s rain outside.

Day 15 (August 15):  Today I paired  my uniform with a grey tweed Brooks Brother’s blazer that I scored at the thrift store for $7! I got several compliments on the color and cut of the blazer as it accentuated my curves and gave amnesty to my tall figure by sitting just perfectly at my waist.

Day 16 (August 16): I loved how my Brooks Brother’s blazer felt, I decided to wear it again today! 🙂

Day 17 (August 17): Another comfy telework day from my apartment. Now, to get ahead on laundry in preparation for week 3 of this challenge.

 

Now with 2 weeks down, and 2 to go I have gotten into a rhythm of wearing my work uniform, and realizing that August has 5 weeks in it (he he). And while at this point I thought that I would be bored and just simply over the outfit, I’m surprised at just how very comfortable I feel. As someone who regularly changes their hairstyle every 2 weeks (just to switch it up) I thought those same feelings would translate into this wardrobe challenge; I must say with a couple of weeks to go I am feeling content, and for me that is surprising!

Waking up and having the relief from searching what to wear that day is an experience I’ve been missing out on lol. There’s so much to do within a day that worrying about getting dressed, shouldn’t be at the top of that list.

See you next week with with another update!

 

xo,

Danielle