Style Bee - 30 x 30 - June Style Experiment

JUNE 30×30 STYLE EXPERIMENT

06.02.17

Happy Friday everyone! Ready for some style experiment fun? Excellent, me too!

I got a bit ahead of myself on Wednesday when I said we were halfway through the year, cuz, NOPE! We’ve still got (almost) a whole month before that deadline arrives and it’s going to be the perfect opportunity to try out a little style experiment I’ve had on my mind. During the month of June I’ve decided to take a break from shopping and to choose 30 items from my closet to make 30 different outfits. It just felt like the right time to slow down, enjoy this wonderful season and reinvest in my existing closet.

Sounds kinda fun right? Well, it’s definitely shaping up to be and I’ve even got a couple of my favourite lean closet blogging buds joining me! Be sure to check out Andrea of Seasons + Salt and Paige of Style This Life to see what items they’re using and all the looks they put together throughout the month.

So let’s dig into today’s post, which will cover:

  1. The Basic Guidelines for the #June30x30
  2. My 30 Items
  3. How Style Bee Posts will work throughout the month of June.


HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE #JUNE30x30


So the good news is that it’s super easy to join in this little style experiment. There are definitely no hard and fast rules and it’s pretty similar to the 10×10 Challenge (Summer session will be happening in July BTW!) but with 30 pieces over 30 days instead.

STEP 1 : Choose 30 items from your closet to wear for the next 30 days.

  • I included coats, tops, pants, dresses, shoes and skirts.
  • I didn’t include accessories, loungewear, rainwear or activewear.
  • Be sure to check the forecast for you get too committed to certain items.
  • You can certainly choose less than 30 if you want to make it harder.
  • If you change your mind on an item feel free to swap it out!

STEP 2 : Grab photos of the different looks you create. 

STEP 3 : Share them on Instagram (if you want!) with the hashtag #June30x30. 

STEP 4 : Do your best not to shop throughout the month of June! 

  • I won’t be buying any new clothes or accessories and I’ll be holding off on any impulse buys for our home.
  • Of course if you desperately need something you can add it.

The goal for this exercise is much like that of the 10×10 Challenge which is to focus on what’s already in front of you and experiment with your personal style. It’s meant to be low-key and lots of fun, not restrictive or stressful in any way.

It’s a great learning opportunity, even if you simply isolate your favourite 30 pieces right now and try on some different looks at home. Just make sure you note your faves for the next time you’re wondering what to wear!


MY 30 ITEMS


To be honest, I found it WAY harder to pick 30 items for 30 days than I’ve ever found choosing 10 items for 10 days with the 10×10 Challenge. But that’s because it’s a longer time period, the weather is less predictable and well, it means waving goodbye to much of my beloved closet for a whole month! But once I checked the weather and started breaking it down into categories it felt a little easier.

Weather in Guelph: Around 16 – 25°C with a mix of super sunny days and a few rainy ones. That said, June can be very hit or miss so I made sure to include lots of layering options.

Activities: June is going to involve a lot of long studio days so I went for all my favourite comfy options. We’ve also got lots of fun social events lined up so I’ve included pieces I can dress up to go out in too.

Categories: I chose the following number of items from each category:

  • Jackets: 3
  • Pants: 7
  • Tops: 13 (Seems like a lot but two are bodysuits for layering.) 
  • Dresses/Skirts: 3
  • Shoes: 4 (Seems pretty low so we’ll see how it goes!)

So here’s a look at those pieces!


Style Bee - 30 x 30 - June Style Experiment

ROW 1 : CLAY DUSTER*| GREEN DUSTER* (other colours available) | LINEN BLAZER

ROW 2 : SILK PANT | FLAX PANT | KAMM PANT*

ROW 3 : BLACK SHORT | BLACK LINEN PANT | CLASSIC JEANS

ROW 4 : WHITE SKINNIES | PINK TEE** | BLACK TOP

ROW 5 : OLIVE CROP | COTTON TEE | GRAPHIC BOX TOP*

ROW 6 : SILK TUNIC | DENIM CROP* | STRIPED LONG-SLEEVE

ROW 7 : JERSEY CROP | GEORGIA TEE** | GEORGIA TEE STRIPED

ROW 8 : WHITE BODYSUIT | BLACK BODYSUIT* | SILK SKIRT*

ROW 9 : MAXI DRESS | LINEN DRESS (Save 20% with ‘STYLEBEE20’)| BLOCK HEEL SANDAL**

ROW 10 : DAY MULE | BLACK POINTED MULE (Save 10% with ‘STYLEBEE10’) | BLACK SLIDE SANDAL*

*Save $20 off your first order from Garmentory! 

**Linked to Similar


Style Bee - 30 x 30 - June Style Experiment

THIS MONTH ON STYLE BEE


As you can probably tell by the late arrival of this post, I’m a bit behind at the moment so I’ll be using this challenge as a way to slow down, regroup and catch my breath a bit when it comes to the blog. Work has been a doozy lately and honestly, I just want to give myself a little freedom to enjoy the month of June!

So what this means is:

  • I’ll be cutting back to two posts a week for the month of June.
  • Mondays will be a compilation of 4 outfits from the #June30x30. (ie: This monday will be looks from June 1st-4th)
  • Fridays will be a compilation of 3 outfits from the #June30x30. (ie: This monday will be looks from June 5th-7th)
  • I’ll be keeping the outfit posts more brief than usual but I’ll be sure to include key style tips as always.

Basically, it comes down to more outfits, fewer posts so I hope that sounds ok!


SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? 

CARE TO JOIN US FOR A MONTH OF NO SHOPPING AND USING ONLY 30 ITEMS?

WE’D LOVE TO HAVE YOU!


This post is not sponsored but contains affiliate links. When you shop via the links above I may make a small commission from a sale. This income helps limit the amount of sponsored content that appears on Style Bee. Thanks a lot for your support! 

34 comments
06.02.17
Outfits

Leave me a comment here!

  1. G says:

    Hello! Longtime fan of your blog here 🙂 I recently purchased the pointed mules from Everlane, but I can’t take my eyes off the L’intervalles that you posted! My feet tend to run a bit wide; I had to size up a half size for my Everlane pair and they’re still a bit tight. Since I’m in the U.S., I’m wary about taking the plunge with the L’intervalles since shipping is expensive and I’d have to pay for a return shipping should the shoes not fit well. How would you say the mules fit?

    Thanks!

    • Lee the Bee says:

      Hey! Great to hear from you! I tried the Pointed Mules from Everlane too actually but must say the L’Intervalle ones are more flattering on the foot and stay on better. I would recommend you size up on these. I have a narrow US 7 and got the 37 which fit me great but the toe was a little snug to start. The leather will definitely stretch to fit with wear (the Everlane ones seemed stiff although the leather is beautiful). So for example, if you’re a slightly wide US 8 I would order the 39. The L’intervalle team is super helpful too so feel free to ask them for sizing advice if you’re still hesitant. I am OBSESSED with the Claudia. They’re so wearable and work with everything! Hope that helps. xo

  2. karine says:

    I just loaded up two big bags of clothing to take to the donation pile – this post couldn’t come at a better time to assess whether there are any gaps in my wardrobe or if I’ve held on to things that I don’t actually need still. when you plan your 30 items, do you build tentative outfits beforehand and then find pieces in your wardrobe that fit the list? Or do you pull xx pants, xx tops etc and then once you have those, challenge yourself to building outfits around what you have pulled? Karine x

    • Lee the Bee says:

      That’s great Karine! Good for you!

      I typically start by selecting X number of different categories (tops, pants etc.) and then I do a quick on hanger mix and match to see how versatile things are. If a piece only works with one thing I usually switch it out for something more flexible. Hope that helps! xo

  3. Andrea H says:

    Yay! I love your pics and I cannot wait to see what you come up with! The graphic box top reminds me of the boob print I keep seeing around – which I love! But I’d never hear the end of it from my kids if I wore it! Ha!

  4. Your choices are beautiful as usual!

    I’ve actually been doing a similar challenge but the other way around — seeing how many pieces I wear in a 30 day period. I’m calling it the #progressivecapsule and it’s been really interesting! So far I’m on day 23 and have worn 40 items. I haven’t tried to limit myself in any way and actually feel good about having worn about 40% of my wardrobe in less than a month! I’ve had a similar goal of appreciating what I have and have decided to try not to buy anything at least for the rest of the season, if not for the rest of the year. I have sewn a few new items in the past month, but I think that should be all the new items I need for a while.

    My progressive capsule thoughts are here, in case anyone’s interesting. Can’t wait to see your June30x30 outfits posts, Lee!

    http://sustainablefashionchat.com/discussion/14/progressive-capsule-something-a-bit-different

    • Lee the Bee says:

      Thanks Karen! Love the approach you’re taking, that’s so interesting! I agree that your high utility is a great sign that your closet is working for you. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and experience so far. Hope you’re having a great weekend! xo

  5. Zoe says:

    I’m in! I find this kind of exercise really helps me refine my style and make the most out of the clothes and shoes I have. On another subject, I wonder what your thoughts are on “weekend wear” as opposed to work wear and lounge wear. I find I have a separate category of clothing that I only wear on the weekends for very casual activities like daytime errands. Some of these are purchases that I made before thinking carefully about my work vs. weekend look, but these are garments that I wouldn’t wear to the office (e.g., very casual jeans and Tees and tops) that I wear on the weekend only. I just keep them in a separate area in my dresser. I really like your site and admire the style example you are setting.

    • Lee the Bee says:

      Yay! That’s great Zoe! Thanks for the kind words 🙂

      Good question. I haven’t really thought about a weekend wear category since I usually wear my comfier pieces or loungewear on the weekend. If it helps you to have a category to keep those items in, I say go for it! If you’re happy to wear them and find they’re useful that’s great.

  6. Johanne says:

    Yaii I want to join!
    I have recently added quite a few things to my wardrobe, and think I need some room to properly “break them in”

    • Lee the Bee says:

      Awesome! We’re very happy to have you Johanne! It’s definitely a great opportunity to break in some new items and see how they work for you and with the rest of your wardrobe. Looking forward to seeing what you put together! xo

  7. Leah Wise says:

    I LOVE your selections. I’m super intimidated of limiting myself for 30 days, but I like the idea of not shopping and being more mindful of what I actually wear versus what I own just to look at, lol. My town has really weird transitional season weather, but June is a good time to do something like this, because it’s starting to settle into summer weather.

    • Lee the Bee says:

      Thanks Leah! I know, believe me, it was daunting at first for sure! Even if you just pick a few items you want to get more use out of and see how it goes it’s a great opportunity to do that. The decision not to shop helps a lot too because you can really zero in on what you have without being distracted. Xo

  8. Louise says:

    I know you just did a series on lounge wear and wearing it out; how are counting pieces that are lounge wear? “If it gets worn out of the house it counts for the 30×30”? Or some other system? Just wondering because I feel like there is a lot of overlap for me and I only have a few things that are truly linear, which are mostly comfy hand me downs that I really only wear for cleaning or laundry day or taking my dog out in the early morning but everything else is just regular wear that is comfy enough to wear at home.

    • Lee the Bee says:

      Hey Louise! Good question! If you don’t feel the need to delineate a loungewear capsule/category within your closet then I would say anything is fair game for a challenge like this. I’m not counting my loungewear pieces because I find that they get a lot of use without my having to think about it. For this challenge I wanted to push myself to wear pieces I really love more often rather than saving them. I hope that makes sense! xo

  9. Paige says:

    You have so many gorgeous items here…I cannot wait to see how they all come together in new ways!

  10. Kay Nguyen says:

    Love this ides, sounds like a fun challenge! I may try out myself <3

    https://www.myblackcloset.com/

  11. chichi says:

    i am getting onto this hopefully next month!
    http://www.thestyletune.com

  12. Hilary says:

    I think I’m already living out of <30 items right now, but it might be fun to clear out the rest of my drawers (still full of winter items taking up space!) and actually have it all in front of me without the surrounding clutter. I'll have to write up a list. I've got a couple overlap pieces with you — the olive J&J top and my black florence pants — and honestly if I could I'd probably just wear those two items for 30 days straight, I love them that much.

    That said, my first thought looking at your thirty: is she really going to last a whole month without any Mars boots? 😛 I suppose they might be a bit warm for June, but I leave mine at the office (so they'll live foreverrrr) so AC means I'll be continuing to wear them 3-5 times a week for the rest of the summer. 🙂

    • Lee the Bee says:

      I know exactly what you mean Hilary! Those two pieces were some of the first ones I reached for so far. I think you’re right about pulling your 30 or so items out into the open without any surrounding distractions. Even if just for a reorganization, I’m sure you’d revisit some pieces you weren’t thinking about.

      Ah, I know! It’s pretty warm here already so I think I might be ok, but it took a lot of a willpower to leave them out haha. xo

  13. jaana nugent says:

    You know I’m in for all the challenges!! 🙂

  14. Jodie says:

    Super excited to do this challenge with you guys since my whole wardrobe is small right now!
    This is what I’ll be wearing the next 3 months, or until I deliver, whichever comes first.

    My whole maternity “capsule” is :
    3 dresses
    1 skirt
    3 jeans
    1 pair of shorts
    8 tops
    1 jean jacket
    2 cardigans
    3 sandals
    1 slip on sneaker
    1 mule
    = 24 items

    Things I didn’t count:
    Accessories (2 summer scarves, 1 baseball cap, 1 pair of sunnies)
    Bags (2 totes,1 handbag, 1 cross body)
    Jewelry (2 earrings, 2 necklaces, 1 watch, 5 bracelets)

    Looking forward to spending the next 3 months not shopping (except for our baby boy), and experimenting with what I consider a small wardrobe.
    Full disclaimer:
    I’ve been already wearing all these items for about 3-4 weeks, but I did add one of the dresses, and 2 of the tops last month.
    Cheers to the weekend 🙂