Do You 6IOL?

Posted on October 16, 2010 10 Comments

This summer, fashionistas and reccesionistas alike heard about Six Items or Less, a wardrobe challenge designed for trendy nine-to-fivers with a little too much closet and a twinge of self awareness. 6IOL is just what it sounds like – participants select six items (or less) to wear for one month, excluding workout clothes, pajamas and intimates. In one interview, the site’s founder Tamsin Davies said she was inspired by the everyday uniforms of Tom Jones and Steve Jobs.

It’s an intriguing idea, especially for those of us trying to maintain a budget. I’ve spent years fretting about my work wardrobe. In my early 20′s, I didn’t have enough work clothes –  I spent my paychecks at Old Navy buying sensible button down shirts and black slacks by the bag to fit in with the oh-so-sophisticated managers in my office. Later, as I became one of those managers and neared 30, I spent an equal amount of time and money worrying about how to fit in with my trendy interns. Every episode of What Not to Wear sent me frantically to my closet for a re-evaluation – am I dressing age appropriately? What says professional… cardigans or blazers?  Do I wear flats, heels or flip-flops to the office? What’s Vogue saying for this season’s color palette?

All this attention to trends in office wear has left me with a closet full of cheap-ish blouses and ill-fitting pants. And yet, most days, I don’t want to wear anything in my closet. I spend several minutes every morning trying to throw together an outfit, taking great care to avoid wearing a combination I wore within the past two weeks. I regularly send bags of clothes worn less than five times to GoodWill.

6IOL challenges the vicious cycle of buying on trend, feeling discontent with your wardrobe, tossing old clothes and buying the next trend. It says you can wear the same basic clothes every day and hardly anyone will notice. It says clothes don’t make you; you make the clothes. It says your wardrobe doesn’t have to be a hassle in the morning. It says, and I’m quoting here, we can “rethink our relationship with our clothes.”

Sounds like something some middle-aged frugal blogger cooked up to save some cash, right? Well, wrong. 6IOL was dreamed up by some very chic, young and thoughtful advertising gals – one living in New York, the fashion capital of the US.  The site’s “roster” looks like an American Apparel catalog or a Leo Burnett creative team. This has nothing to do with financial bloggers.

I first read about the experiment in August or so, and briefly considered doing it but found I couldn’t commit fully – something about the extreme weather changes we experience in Chicago. But I was excited about the concept of a work uniform and about thinning my wardrobe in general. So I read up on a few people who have taken the challenge (“sixers”), and adopted some of their key learnings to my work wardrobe. For instance, I’m not afraid to wear the same pants twice a week, and I’m not hesitant to wear the same outfit within a certain time period anymore. In fact, it helps to have about five basic outfits picked out that I can wear week after week. It makes my mornings a little more automatic, and seriously, no one cares whether you are repeating outfits.

In honor of the challenge, here are six tips for downsizing your work wardrobe:

1. Think of your work wardrobe as a uniform. No matter what your job, your work clothes should be professional, functional, age-appropriate and contemporary. Those who have taken the challenge have found that sticking to one neutral color for your base, like black or gray, enables a little more flexibility in working accessories. I’ve found it’s a little less noticeable – if you’re wearing an orange shirt three times per week, your co-workers might catch on a little quicker than if you’re wearing a white button down.
2. Don’t be afraid to wear the same items multiple times per week. I’ve noticed that if I wear black pants and black T-shirt, I can throw on a blue cardigan one day and a gray cardigan the next, and voila! – different outfit. (Sidenote: have you seen Gap’s line of black pants? I got two pairs on sale and have been wearing them at least three days per week.)
3. Consider different ways to wear the same piece. My dark skinny jeans are simply amazing chameleons. Roll them, and they’re capris. Wear them with a heel and they’re evening jeans. Wear them with converse and T-shirt and you’re on the way to the diner for breakfast food. I never, ever buy capris…not versatile enough to wear with everything.
4. Buy some Febreze and learn how to spot clean. This will save you time and money.
5. Save Forever 21 clothes for the bars. Buy clothes that are timeless and good quality for work.
6. Your appearance is about more than your clothes. Confidence, poise, intelligence, happiness, attitude – these all factor into your professional image. Clothes alone don’t make the woman (or man). Take pride in who you are and be true to yourself. As this guy said, it’s about the total presentation vs. the clothes.  I would have done well to remember that when I was worried about keeping up with my trendy interns.

I’m excited to see what the founders of 6IOL do next. They’ve inspired me to rethink the way I dress, and the way I consume clothing. They’ve added a new voice to the fashion world, a contrary perspective that’s appealing to many former fashionistas hit hard by this recession. They’ve shown us how to be conscious and contemporary.  I hope it’s a perspective that lives on.

Category: Career

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