Phew, I did it! Over vacation with my family last week I only brought along these five main outfit pieces to wear all five days.
Because this blog is all about fighting the frump with ease, I wanted to challenge myself to simplify what I wear even more than I already do with my mom capsule.
You can read my intro post here, and make sure to see another example by Jamie at Mommy In Flats who did this challenge along with me.
Here’s the result of the 5×5 remix challenge!
The 5 Pieces
1. Maxi Dress
2. Denim Shorts
3. Swing Tank
4. Striped Tee
5. Denim Vest
(Shoes, accessories, PJ’s, swim suit, etc, were separate.)
(Shoes, accessories, PJ’s, swim suit, etc, were separate.)
If you’re wondering why I tried this, you can read my pointers on how mini capsules can help you here.
The 5 Days & 5 Outfits
Over the 5 days of the challenge I was “stay-cationing” with my hubby and kids for one day and at a cabin in Eastern Washington for four of the days.
Here are the 5 outfits that resulted from the 5 pieces + shoes and accessories to change it up!
Day 1: On stay-cation day, we enjoyed local delights like eating at our favorite breakfast spot, walking along the pier, and checking out a children’s museum.
I wore the: Striped Tee + Denim Shorts
Day 2: We drove about 4 hours with Kyle’s family to a cabin in the woods near Leavenworth in Eastern Washington.
I wore the: Swing Tank + Denim Shorts
Day 3: We enjoyed relaxing over games, good food and the hot tub.
I wore the: Striped Tee + Maxi Dress
Day 4: Played outdoor games (I had to wear non-challenge athliesure for this) and then walked around Leavenworth, an adorable Bavarian town near our cabin.
I wore the: Maxi Dress
Day 5: Packed and drove back home. I had to change into non-challenge clothes to help my parents with a project in the evening.
I wore the: Denim Vest + Denim Shorts
The Outfits Side by Side
Did you have to cheat?
Yup. I learned that sticking with just five pieces is especially tough in hot weather. We were in eastern Washington and it was between 85-95 the entire time. I loved it, but a couple of times I had to change out of my outfit into something cooler (my athletic shorts + sleeping tee). I also changed into “work clothes” on the day before and after vacation to clean my house and help my parents with a painting project.
This was both to get more comfortable and also to avoid needing to put my pieces in the laundry. It would have been fine if I had to throw them in the laundry… I just didn’t want to bother. And it worked out in the end so that I could wear my clean pieces in the right order and get all five looks in without doing laundry. (I was kind of amazed.)
What would you do differently next time?
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I would probably swap the denim vest for another pair of shorts… that would have increased my outfit options more. The denim vest could have simply been used as an accessory instead of a main piece.
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I might try a 6×6 or 7×7 next time. Sure, you’re adding days to the challenge, but you’re also adding pieces that each provide at least two different looks. So adding days would actually make it easier.
Any tips to make this work?
I shared several tips, including step-by-step instructions on planning your own mini capsule remix in this post, but I would just add:
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Make sure to include at least one dress. Dresses can be layered with one or two of your tops, instantly offering several alternatives. They are also a complete look by themselves (whereas a top + bottom require two pieces).
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If you are in a hot climate, include 2-3 dresses. You can also include more tops than bottoms as you won’t want to wear sweaty tops over again. Alternatively, just plan to throw your pieces about half way through.
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Get good at changing up your looks by doing different hairstyles and wearing different shoes or accessories. That way you can easily repeat an outfit because those additions will make it fresh.
Do you want to try this?
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Comment below if this intrigues you and you plan to give it a whirl!
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Head here to read how. (You can make it whatever number you need to accommodate your trip length or just a full week at home!)
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You can find another example by Jamie at Mommy in Flats!
