NBC Challenge - Update 1

I really should come up with a different tag for my No Buying Clothes for a Year Challenge, or a cool abbreviation… It’s just too wordy and seems bulky and takes forever to type. I toyed with Shopping Free Year, but it’s not truly reflective of the reality, because I will still buy shoes, accessories and fabric. It is also not quite Ready To Wear Free Year, because I am still wearing my RTW clothes I already have, I am just not buying more. So after thinking about it I am going to go with NBC Challenge as in Not Buying Clothes Challenge. As you can see, I am very creative when it comes to naming things . It’s been a month after I’ve officially announced NBC Challenge on my blog (truly thinking that no one would notice it!), and I think an update is in order. The great news is that I haven’t bought any clothes!!! I think it is fair to say that so far I am succeeding. I bought some socks and tights because mine seemed to wear out, and some shoes, because… shoes! Other than that, here are a few things I discovered this month:

1. I started to really consider my sewing projects before jumping into them. My sewing time is limited, and since I don't have the liberty of buying an item just because I want it (if I can afford it), I really need to reflect on all the details of a potential make before I devote my time to it. That involves thinking about things like style, shapes, details, colors, fabric choices and how it overall fits into my life and closet. All of those considerations help me decide if it is something that I will wear and is worth spending my time on.
2. On the same note, since my sewing time is precious, I noticed that I started to slow down in my sewing process. Weighing in on the decisions about a garment lead me to treat that garment with more care and hence with more intention when I am making it. I try to slow down and make sure that my item comes out the best it can. I still make mistakes of course, and I am sure I always will, but I do enjoy this aspect of slowing down to intentionally create the best quality item I can create at that particular time.
3. All of that lead me to really consider what it is that I truly do wear and ultimately start thinking about my core style. I have always been interested in going through Wardrobe Architect project developed by Sarai from Colette, but I have been quite lazy and in the past I skimmed through it and did some minimal reflection which was enough to have a general idea of what I liked to wear. I am really considering following it along with Christine Haynes who has been doing the challenge and posting results on her blog. I've also been interested in trying out The Workbook from Into Mind blog. Anuschka has a plethora of ideas and tips on building a functioning wardrobe that is reflective of who you are on her blog and I can easily get lost for hours reading her blog.

Those three things have been occupying my mind this month and I have to say that so far I am enjoying the NBC Challenge a lot more than I expected. I don't miss shopping yet, but I am sure there will be a weak moment in the year to come where I will. I will most definitely be sharing it! Love, Anya