It's May and that means it time once again for the Spring Mindful Consumption Challenge. The 8 for 4 Challenge: 8 items of clothing for four weeks.     Last May I set out to see if I could wear six items of clothing for four weeks ( a creative challenge initially raised in 2010 by a now offline website, SixItemsorLess). My goals? To examine how I was spending my fashion dollars. To go through my closet and donate any items that still had yet to be tailored or still had tags still on them.   Could you wear just eight (or six) pieces of clothing for four weeks?  

Thinking about the clothing we buy and making informed decisions is arguably a smart thing to do. Jumping into a six items for four weeks challenge to raise my awareness was a little rash, especially with a toddler, 20 degree temperature swings, and a nebulous definition of what environmentally conscious means. Lately I've been barraged with pleas to Shop Local, Buy American, and so on. I'm all for well made garments and for Living Wages. But, how much is just marketing hype and how much is real? I wanted to raise my own awareness of where the clothes I was buying came from and how they were produced. So, for May, I pledged to wear the same six items of clothing for the next four weeks with certain exceptions. I didn't really think about the feasibility of such a challenge. I saw write ups about successful completions and figured I too could do it. And off I went.   Personal and Environmental Opportunity Costs I carefully picked out my items , and planned to wear only ...

Picking six pieces of clothing for four weeks requires looking at your wardrobe in a new way. And, depending on your signature style, this is harder than it seems. After spending days agonizing over my decisions and rethinking them, I'm ready to commit to six items and sharing some tips to help you pick your items if you're struggling. First a bit of background on how I choose what I'm going to wear. I start with an outfit in mind when I add an event to my calendar. Because I attend a variety of events from casual to formal and from actively chasing a toddler to calmly sitting while listening to a speaker, I have a variety of wardrobe choices. Those choices differ in color, material, silhouette, and care instructions.   Limiting myself to six pieces of clothing required a few changes to how I get dressed or plan my outfits. Instead of looking a week ahead for upcoming events to determine what needs to be washed or dry cleaned, I found that I needed to look at the entire...

Could you wear just six pieces of clothing for four weeks? I don't know if I could, so I'm about to find out. I'm issuing a Mindful Consumption Challenge: 6 for 4 this May, and I hope you'll join me.     The goal? To reduce impulse purchases.   The 2014 6 for 4 Challenge has ended. Join the 2015 8 for 4 Challenge !