Laura Hine and Marjie Killeen at a 2017 Dermaflash event.
Laura Hine and I have been exploring style and culture together as friends and colleagues for years. Now the lines are so blurred, it’s hard to know where one role leaves off and the other begins. We originally met through our book club on Chicago’s North Shore and then Laura became Editor in Chief of a magazine I wrote a sex column for. We took a Paris Cafe Writing workshop and stayed in the Marais district in a chic little AirBnB, jetted off to the islands for a couples’ trip and hit a lot of theatre, fashion and beauty events. When Laura moved over to a new editing post at Modern Luxury, I continued to write for her and even took on some editing work of my own there. A few years ago, as empty nesters, we both sold our suburban family homes and moved to downtown Chicago, starting an exciting new urban chapter of life that has continued to keep us close contact. Now we’re ready for a new project and voila, Style Challengers is born! Our plan is to tackle new approaches to living, looking and feeling our best, and share our progress with you. While we have a lot in common, Laura and I have very different skills and perspectives, so you’ll see two unique versions of each challenge. We hope it will be entertaining, informative and fun to follow along with us. We invite you you to join in our challenges yourself!
Marjie and Laura during their Capsule Wardrobe Challenge
We were a little bored—tired of pulling on the same shorts and t-shirt every day—it was all a little too comfortable and too easy. Plus, we’ve both got a closet full of great clothes that weren’t getting worn. So, to break us out of our rut, we accepted the style challenge and chose seven pieces that we would mix and match for the next seven days.
What Marjie Wore
I started planning my capsule wardrobe by consulting the weather forecast and my calendar for the week. I had a couple social events and a lot of running around to help my daughter move into her first apartment. The four tops/three bottoms split seemed most versatile. I chose some patterned and colorful pieces to make the looks more vibrant and interesting. It took me about an hour to choose the seven pieces. I tried on everything and made sure each item could be worn with at least two others. At the last minute I swapped the sleeveless black tee for a warmer black top because the weather looked unseasonably cool for August and these days, all my socializing happens outdoors. Here are the pieces I chose, with a few substitutions because mine wasn’t available:
I looked at the challenge as something like packing for a summer trip, aww remember going on trips? I knew the weather; I knew what I’d be doing for the next seven days (and there were some fun things) and the key was flexibility. My initial picks were a little too boring, with too many solids, so I swapped in a floral and a stripe, which definitely livened up my picks. I also had two dressier tops, one silk and one with puffy sleeves, so I felt like I could go anywhere from the library to drinks on the Riverwalk. Here are the pieces I chose, with a few substitutions because mine wasn’t available:
Getting dressed every day was a snap. After selecting my seven pieces it was like the rest of my clothes didn’t exist. No rooting through drawers or hanging racks to try on various options. My closet stayed neat and tidy. Also, I only wore one outfit a day. If I wasn’t perfectly dressed for my dentist appointment or dog walk, I just rolled with it. It was liberating.
I looked better. Choosing a week’s worth of clothes in advance made me up my style game. I know most of us aren’t going many places these days and it’s easy to hang out in sweatpants. But it felt good to put on actual outfits for a change, and having fewer options made me pay more attention to the details. Even a trip to Home Depot felt more like an occasion and I think my husband appreciated it.
It was fun. Taking on this challenge was like working a puzzle with many creative solutions. How could I mix up the seven items and tweak the look with shoes, belt, bag, mask to look my best and suit my day? Also, it was really great to do this capsule wardrobe challenge with a friend. I loved seeing how Laura approached the challenge and comparing notes with her. It was a welcome bright spot and point of connection during Covid.
What Laura Liked
Keeping it Basic. What I did right was to choose a color palette, navy plus white (or cream) so everything went with everything else. The blue silk top was a little dressier for drinks outside on Friday night and the striped shirt was pretty casual. I felt like I could have gotten dressed with my eyes closed if necessary, since it was pretty hard to make a mistake (and anyhow, I don’t believe there are any mistakes in fashion).
Time Saver. I’m hardly in the rush I used to be when my routine included a workout, shower, getting dressed and commuting to the Loop all before 9. But if I was in a hurry, I would absolutely recommend a capsule approach. For a tiny investment on the weekend (really the photos were the most complicated part), getting dressed took me minutes each morning. I hung everything together and they were the first things I saw in the morning, and I didn’t have my usual internal debate about pros and cons.
What Marjie Learned
As chic French women have always known, less really is more. If you love your clothes, you don’t need a lot of them. This challenge made me realize that normally, I avoid being seen in the same things, which is kinda ridiculous. It’s not my job to entertain people with an endless array of original outfits. My job is to buy clothes that make me feel great and wear the hell out of them. I’ll keep this in mind whenever I go back to shopping—if I don’t love a piece enough to wear it a couple times a week, I don’t need it.
Also, I learned some lessons that I’d use when doing this challenge in the future.
Precious pieces aren’t practical—garments need to be robust enough to withstand frequent wearings and be easily maintained. No ironing, hand washing or trekking to the dry cleaner for this chick.
I’d swap in a layering piece. It was a cool week, but even on the hottest summer days, temperatures fluctuate. A light sweater or long sleeved buttoned shirt would have been more useful than one of the tees.
I’d use a more consistent color scheme. For example, I couldn’t wear the black tee with the navy shorts. Next time I’d choose black or blue as a basic color – not both! (Jeans go with everything, hurray.)
What Laura Learned
First, weather apps aren’t infallible. Even after multiple checks of the forecast, I was unprepared for a few cooler nights that weren’t predicted. I should have included a jean jacket or an army jacket. If we’d had eight items, I would have been set, but if I had to give one thing up, it might have been the khaki pants. There was really no day when I couldn’t have subbed the jeans for the khakis—white jeans are as versatile and blue ones. This challenge also helped me realize that I have a habit of saving clothes for “special” occasions. That fancy-schmanzy event isn’t happening right now (and indeed, even in normal times, it may not), so wear pieces you love now. Why not? The worst that can happen is a trip to the drycleaner or an extra delicate wash.
Should You Try This?
If you want to save time, reduce stress, pare down your closet, develop a signature look or just try something new, give this easy capsule wardrobe challenge a try. What else could we have done? Any ideas or suggestions? Let us know what you think and what you’d try.
Style Challengers 