Instagram Summer 5×5 Recap

I had so much fun doing my first 5×5 challenge with my friend Carissa, that I decided to head to Instagram and team up with some of my favorite people to do another. This could be called the Target collection (they always get me when I go in for toilet paper and walk out with 3 new shirts and a loofa). But, the real stand out piece is this beautiful striped dress by Gozon. Stripes are so in right now and when I knew I was going to do another 5×5, I knew I wanted this dress in it.

Quick recap on how a 5×5 challenge works. It’s 5 pieces from your closet, worn over 5 days, giving you 5 unique looks. You could technically do this with all dresses (my plan for later this year), or four shirts and one pair of great jeans. However you choose to do it: make it fun.

This time, I decided not to blog about each individual look but my collection as a whole.

My 5 Pieces:

1. Mrs. Black Tank: Modern Lux

2. Rolled Jean Shorts: Loft, similar

3. Criss Cross Cut Out Leggings: Old, similar

4. Black and White Striped Dress: Gozon

5. Boyfriend Striped Shirt: Mossimo

Shoes:

1. Tan Espadrilles: Franco Sarto, sold out, similar

2. Black Sandals: Hush Puppies (on sale now! Get them before they’re gone. These run a little wide so if you’re in between sizes you may want to try sizing down)

Picking the Pieces: The first step to any sort of limiting wardrobe challenge is narrowing down your pieces. I decided I wanted to go with a black, white, and denim theme. I had several different options for shirts and bottoms, I laid them out and then chose based on how I wanted to dress. I almost used a pair of black jeggings but I knew that it was going to be hot this week. I also knew I wouldn’t end up sticking to the plan if I didn’t give myself at least one off day. That’s how the grey leggings made it into my final choices and I can’t say I’m sorry- they’re so comfy.

  On Day 4, I turned this shirt around and it gave me my favorite look of the week.

Mixing it Up: The next step is making sure you have enough looks for five days. This can be hard with only five pieces so I try to make sure I pick ones that could go with any of its corresponding pieces (so the tops match all the bottoms etc). Also, I like things that I can wear in multiple ways to give me several unique looks with just the knot of a dress or turn of a shirt (as you’ll notice I really like wearing things backwards, because, why not?). For this challenge, I ended up choosing four functional pieces and one outerwear type piece. I love the way the chambray button up looked but it was so hot this week I barely got to wear it. That’s why choosing something as versatile as the striped dress is key. I still had plenty of looks even with a shortage of pieces.

  Recognize the dress? Backwards and all tied up makes a fabulous shirt.

Having fun: The most important part of any challenge is embracing the fun. If you pick a piece and then just don’t feel like wearing it? Toss it out and choose something different. If you chose wrong for the weather? Start over or throw on a coat or a tank to “fix” the problem. Don’t forget, these types of things are to enhance life, make it easier, and more enjoyable. If it’s not fun for you, make it fun, or choose a different challenge.
My Recap for the Week: I love the pieces I chose. They were wearable, comfortable, and I didn’t wake up thinking “ugh I don’t feel like wearing that…again” which was a problem I had a little bit the first challenge (not that I didn’t feel like wearing it- more that it just didn’t fit what my planned activity was for the day- who wants to wear tailored shorts or a maxi to do laundry?). I loved the color scheme. I’m pretty much living in neutrals and they allow for mixing it up with accessories and shoes so much more. This go round, I also decided to limit my shoes to two pairs. I kept the accessories really consistent with my straw hat and straw bag but I’ll be honest, I just ended up using my Old Navy faux leather bag all week (love the shape- hate the way it’s holding up, I don’t recommend that purchase). It was hard for me to get pictures every day as my goal for this challenge was to actually post what I wore on the day I wore it. With four kids and a busy husband, that just wasn’t realistic. Fun, yes. Good for the work flow of my instagram? Not really.

What worked: The colors: the pieces were all really versatile and the ability to turn my tops around helped give me unique looks even with the same piece. The shoes: they were super comfortable and it was really easy only having two pairs to choose from each day. It was a grab and go type of thing. Having my outfits planned out for the week on day one took the guess work out of getting dressed.

   This was about the extent of my button up wearing for most of the week.

What didn’t work: The long sleeved shirt. It was just too hot for it. I don’t know that I really would have picked something else though because I loved the idea of wearing the dress three times. Other than that, I can’t think of a thing. This challenge was a lot of fun!

Let’s talk Laundry: I didn’t this week. It was really hot so had I had any planned outdoor activities, I would have had to. However, I stayed in mostly. The one day I ended up outside and sweaty, was my second day wearing the MRS. shirt and it was time for a wash of all those pieces anyway. I did steam the dress in between and I let it air out after I wore it antiquing but overall the light, breezy material allowed for me to get away with minimal care. I highly recommend under layers to help minimize washing as well. I almost always wear shorts under my dresses and sometimes camis. Then all you need to do is swap out your under layer and your top is right as rain.

I had a lot of fun mixing it up on instagram and it will not be my last 5×5 that’s for sure. What will I do next time? I’m thinking it might be time for a 5×5 dress challenge. You ready to jump on board? Head over to instagram to check out the other fashionable mamas who did this challenge with me. And, stay tuned mid August, because, we’ll be 5x5ing it again!