A New Challenge for 2020

All of my New years goals this year have really got me revved up and excited to make some big changes in my life. One of the things I decided early on this year was to join in on a new wardrobe challenge: 20 in 2020. That’s right, I am only planning to buy 20 items of clothing for the whole year. And my new years’ optimism is making me think that might not be too difficult; here’s why.

What is #20in2020Dressing

So first off, I heard about this challenge through Dawn (@dressing_dawn on Instagram) and was really excited about the prospects of this but had to think it through for a bit before fully committing. Dawn has created a great community of people through Instagram who are reflecting on their wardrobe, their reasons behind doing the challenge and helping hold each other accountable.

And while it’s an Instagram “challenge” there are no hard set rules for participating. It’s really a personal challenge that you can find support for in the online realm if you choose - how you participate is really up to you. I’m planning to create seasonal capsule wardrobe videos - which I already do on my YouTube channel - and follow along through the Insta hashtag #20in2020dressing.

Why I’m All In

I have several reasons for doing this challenge, but there are two main reasons which I’ll explain. The first reason is that last year I learned a whole lot about my shopping habits through my capsule wardrobe experiment. By reflecting on this past year (which I wrote about here), I was able to really pinpoint where I could improve. I already stick to a seasonal cycle for my wardrobe. Limiting myself to 20 items this year means I can buy 5 items per season - which is close to what I was already doing. There were definitely a few purchases last year that I regretted so I’m hoping that the 5 item limit will make me think even harder about each new piece I add.

The second reason I’m participating is that I set some other financial goals for myself this year that I really want to reach. But a goal is just hopeful thinking without a clear strategy to achieve it. So this year, I’ve taken steps towards to low-buy January, and plan to limit my clothes shopping for the rest of the year as well. While my goals are financial and habit related, yours might be to minimize the number of overall items you own or to shop more ethically and sustainably. We may all have different motivator but a shared end goal to bond us together.

What I’ve Bought So Far

At the beginning of the year, Kyle and I made a trip to Uniqlo and I picked up three items, some winter wardrobe basics that I was in need of. I found this lovely navy fisherman style Knit Sweater in the men’s section and I can’t tell you how much I’ve been enjoying it since. I have one other heavier knit that I was wearing nonstop so a new one in a different color made a lot of sense for my winter capsule wardrobe. I also picked up another trusty Crew Neck Tee in white, as those items tend to need replacing from time to time. I also found a Long Sleeve Tee that I actually really loved, again a men’s section treasure - and it’s in a classic stripe so it basically goes with everything.

While I didn’t actually know I would be doing the challenge before buying those pieces, I feel confident in including them as my first few purchases. There is one more item that I purchased last week and it just arrived yesterday. I am so excited about this purchase as it’s something I’ve wanted for quite some time but I will be sharing it with you later on. And if you follow my Instagram you’ll get a sneak peak before it makes its way to the blog!

Sweater: Uniqlo | Pants: Everlane | Shoes: Sam Edelman | Bag: Kate Spade (similar) | Sunglasses: Ray Ban

So there’s my take on this exciting challenge for 2020. If you want more information or to see everything I’ve bought so far you can check out my #20in2020 video. Dawn has also made an informative video of the challenge too. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Are you planning to participate? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading! xx Jessica

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