Day #6a, weather issues

Trying to look cool here, but to be honest I'm hot as heck. It was nearly 85 degrees today, and this shirt dress is too short to wear without stockings or tights. You'd think with a planning window of only 30 days, that it would be easy to pick clothes appropriate for the weather. But I got faked out by the cold air two weeks ago.

I felt good at work today, proud that I put in a little effort to look nice. As I said earlier, I've never paid so much attention to my clothes as now when I have fewer clothes. Quite the paradox. I wish you could see the cute , thin leather belt around my waist. I thought it really made the outfit look unique.

Day #5a, the stress of a white shirt

During the first challenge, I decided to have no light colored clothes. But there is something so sharp about a nice white shirt that I wanted to add one to this magic six. Well, the stress of a white shirt reared it's ugly head immediately. First, it was hard to find the right one. I saw lots of Seinfeld puffy shirts, eyelet shirts, collarless shirts, etc. But a classic, slightly fitted white shirt was hard to track down. And did I mention they were all see-through? I could see the back of my hand through all of them, even the one I ended up buying. I had to buy a camisole, which I have not done in forever years.

Then as soon as I put it on, the stress came back in a new form. I have 3 kids, two big hairy dogs, and 3 cats. I jumped left and right, bobbed and weaved, even wore an apron while fixing my kids morning bowl of cereal to avoid stains. At work, everyone seemed to be lunging at me with pencils, pens, and gads... permanent markers. I made it home safely and quickly changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants.

If my shirt is compromised by one of these stain monsters, would it be breaking any rules to replace the shirt during the 30 days???

Day #4a, a tad too warm

And here is... drum roll... the pink sweater. It was in the 80's today. So this was not the most comfortable thing in the world. But during the hour that we went ice skating it was just right.

The unclutter of my closet is making the rest of my house look like an overstuffed junk yard. I really want to call in sick at work and spend a full day tossing stuff out! This week, things are too hectic but I already feel the sniffles coming on for next week :)

Day #3a, top heavy

I have always thought of the weekdays as the top of the week and the weekends as the bottom. Well, my wardrobe is definitely top heavy. This striped shirt is going to be seeing a lot if not all the weekend action. The only other top that will work for the weekends is the pink sweater.

The clothing reduction has worked so well for me, it's time to apply the technique to other members of the family. My five year old has a closet plus a three drawer chest packed with clothes. How much clothing does a five year old need? Especially when I am doing the laundry more frequently to have my clothes clean! Please note that I am not directing that question at my daughter. It is pointed squarely at myself. My daughter's closet and chest have clothing that doesn't fit, is the wrong season, or is too soiled to be worn. That is my doing. So far I have tackled the shirt drawer. It now opens and closes easily. Yeah! It would be nice to be able to go through all of her clothes before school starts in a couple weeks.

Day #2a, never more... never less

Today, I decided to wear the shirt dress as a dress with my new black boots. As I stood in front of my closet, trying to find the accessories to match my fushia tights I had a funny thought. Part of the allure of the sixorless challenge is the time savings from not having a lot of clothing options. This promise was indeed kept. I have never spent less time getting dressed. I can grab a top and bottom and go. If only one top and bottom is clean, well that makes dressing even quicker.

But the funny thing is that I have never spent more time putting together "outfits". I don't have to do this, but I want to. My necklaces no longer get lost in the loud pattern of my shirts. The neutral colors let the accessories stand out. I now want to express myself through careful accessory choices.

So, overall I time wasting less time doing what I didn't enjoy but spending more doing something fun. That is definitely a good trade.

Day #1a, nerd at heart

Voila! Here are the new magic six! A pink sweater (looks like a vest but it's not), gray shirt dress, beloved jeans, white shirt (I actually switched this for a long-sleeve one given the chilly weather of late), black dress pants, and short sleeved striped shirt. Totally different color palate. I feel reborn. Following my nerd star, I figured out today that there are 17 different ways that I can wear these clothes, and that's not counting the scarves. This seems too good to be true. Five or less, anyone? I went back and bought the black boots I saw at Echo Trends yesterday. They were only $20, whereas I saw boots not nearly as nice today for $150. ET is awesome.

I wore the shirt dress over the jeans today with a little pair of black flats. I actually recorded this combination in a notebook and am thinking I might continue to do this so it's 17 days before I have a repeat outfit. But I don't know if I will keep this up as I am not that much of a nerd. Well, actually I am, but I am a lazy nerd.

Transition day

This was the one day transition between the first 30 day challenge and the second. I went to my appointment with Susan at Echo Trends for some much needed and appreciated help. She and I looked around the store together, and I tried on lots of stuff. But, just as before it was hard to find neutral clothes that 1) worked together and 2) fit. Seems like you only get one or the other.

After an hour, my only magic six purchase was the shirt dress. But Susan, the genius accessorizer, picked out two perfect, gorgeous scarves that will work with everything. I decided to change my palette from browns and cream to grays, white, and black, so none of my old scarves would work. These are just great and I love them already. She also found me a great pair of black boots. They aren't as comfortable as I would like, but I am going to sleep on it and may go back to get them tomorrow.

Next stop was another second-hand store. Again, there are 1000's of clothes with patterns, but very few neutral, useful pieces. Clothing designers either don't care or don't design clothes in this way. Yes, L.L. Bean makes useful, (really!) neutral pieces, but they don't make me feel very pretty.

I am just one white shirt away from my new magic six, which will be revealed tomorrow.

And... I took all of the clothes that I saved from the first time I cleaned out my closet 30 days ago... and gave all of them to the donation bin (accept for a couple sweatshirts). This was very hard for me! But as I held each piece for the last time, I repeated my new mantra: "It's just a piece of clothing."

Days #29... and #30!

Day #29 was the first full , full, full day of work for the fall semester with meetings all day. I threw on the black dress with some coordinated accessories and felt very comfortable. I'm still scratching my head over why I decided to include a dress as part of the magic six. I never, ever wear them. As a child, I insisted that my mom do my back-to-school shopping in the boys' departments. Yet, I loved wearing this dress over the last 30 days, and it received the most compliments of any piece of clothing. Just so weird. Which brings us to...

Day #30!!!! And what did I decided to wear of all the possibilities? The tribute to the crocodile hunter outfit: khaki shirt and shorts. Again, I surprised myself with this choice because over all of the 30 days, my khaki with bling combination was my least attractive look. So why this choice? Well one reason was that the daily high temperatures are dropping fast, and shorts will not be part of the next 30 day magic six. So this was the last chance to wear them. But the second reason was that I really am a huge Steve Irwin fan. I was so heartbroken when he passed on, and this little private tribute comforts me somehow.

What's next? The next 30 days of course! Tomorrow I am headed back into Echo Trends to create the next magic six. As I mentioned, I found a great shirt dress the will be item 1. I've decided to keep the same jeans for another 30 days as item 2 (they are just so comfortable). I want a pair of dress pants as item 3, and then three more shirts as 4, 5, and 6. This sort of shopping with a plan is so new to me and I love it.

The plan is to start the next 30 day challenge on the day after tomorrow. Can't wait to see what my wardrobe will be. I just want to take a moment on day 30 of this challenge to thank the originators of the first @sixitemsorless challenge. I was so inspired by their story, and it has changed my life in a very positive way.

Day #28, just a little research

Today we went to the mall to go skating (purple shirt and jeans), and I did a little "research" at some of the shops. I swear! I wasn't going to buy anything. It doesn't hurt to look, does it? I found a cute little leather jacket that I don't need, a nice pair of Calvin Klein jeans that I don't need, a great short sleeve hoodie that I don't need, and a white cotton shirt that I don't need. All 75% off. I guarantee you that at least one of those items would have come home with me last month. But this month, I acknowledged that they were nice clothes then passed them by.

To console myself, I went into Bath and Body Works and tried out every tester in the store. Big mistake. I have been sneezing non-stop for 2 hours and may need to take an antihistamine to sleep if my nose doesn't stop running. What do they put in that stuff?

Two more days and the challenge is complete.

Day #27, seasons change

There is a good reason why this challenge is only 30 days long... seasons change! Today, I wore my jeans, my cream colored tank, and three(!) jackets. It was cold and rainy and we were determined to go apple picking. The dress and the shorts just won't work anymore. It's also good that the challenge places no restrictions on outerwear, or I would have been wearing all of the magic six at once.

Rather than boring anyone with another picture of me or the clothes I have been wearing for 27 days, I chose a photo of the friendship bracelet in progress. Turns out that impulse buy last weekend wasn't so bad. This is my fourth bracelet. Working on these brings me back to my favorite part of summer camp: making crafts. This is in direct contrast to my least favorite part of camp: capture the flag. I think it's why I cringe anytime someone invites me to play paintball.

I have a dilemma approaching... there is a one day gap between when this current challenge ends and Wednesday when I get my clothes for the next challenge. Do I go nuts and wear whatever I want? Kind of like eating an ice cream sundae on a diet cheat day. Or do I turn this into a 31 day challenge. I really do not have a strong longing for my unworn clothes, so will probably go with the latter. But ya never know.

Day #26, purposeful shopping

Here I am in my jeans again(!) at our favorite frog catching spot. While it somewhat uncomfortable for me to take pictures of myself, it is a really great way to get a real look at my clothes. Reminds me of a funny scene in the movie Clueless. These jeans are super comfortable, but will they be a part of the next 30 day challenge? They have to be something I could wear to Casual Fridays at work, but these are so worn... maybe they are too casual.

Today, I returned to Echo Trends to begin the search for the next magic six. It was so fun, so... purposeful. Definitely one of the funnest shopping days ever. And that is saying a lot since I am from NJ where we are taught the joys of shopping from an early age. I found a fabulous gray shirt dress that could be worn as a dress, over jeans, or as a skirt (with a jacket over it). That's a definite go. I found two other tops which I also liked, but they don't have a lot of versatility. In the past, I would have snapped those two tops up in an NJ heartbeat. But today, I just put them on hold until Wednesday when I will return to Echo Trends to get some help from a particular sales girl, Susan, that Colleen says does a lot of the mannequin dressing.

Day #25, smoke and mirrors

Here's the scarf I wore on my head today (matching the orange shoes on my feet) to distract viewers from the shirt and jeans I have been wearing for 25 days. And guess what, it works! People pay way less attention to what I wear than I imagined (ego is a foolish thing). And they are much more interested in colorful accessories. We are like bowerbirds, attracted to shiny, interesting objects. The male bowerbird decorates an otherwise boring nest with trinkets that make the female say "wow". I am attempting to decorate my basic wardrobe with trinkets as well. Smoke and mirrors!

Five days left. I need to get my butt down to Echo Trends. Maybe tomorrow.

Day #24, coasting downhill

Feeling triumphant today, as there is less than one week until the challenge is over. I must get going on finding the next magic six items. But I don't feel like clothes shopping. Did I just say that?

One thing weighing on my mind is what to do with the clothes from my closet that did not make the magic six list, but I liked enough not to send immediately to the donation bin. I almost want to tape up the bucket that they are in and take them straight to the bin. I know they are in good shape and someone else can wear them. But I think I am going to take a look at them before they are banished. See if I can figure out what was so special about them that I was willing to jam them in my closet. Will this cause me to fall off the horse? Will I fall back in love with them and hang them right back up? Only one way to find out. I think I will do it this weekend.

Day #23, to do or not to do

Tried to get creative today with a scarf tied at an angle around my waist. I think it looks OK. Also tried to get creative with the photography. I think that was less successful.

I've been pondering the question of why this sixorless challenge has been relatively easy for me, and it hit me today. This challenge is about not doing something. Not buying new clothes. Not wearing other clothes except the magic six. I am a master at not doing. I invented not doing, as they say. Why? Because I have been dieting since I was 13 years old. Dieting is all about not doing. Not eating certain foods. Not eating after 6PM. I have spent my life practicing not doing things (which I am finally working on, by the way).

The place where I would run into trouble would be a challenge that involves doing things. Cleaning one drawer per day. Vacuuming one room per day. This blog is fun to do, but I have to tell myself to park my butt in the chair every night to get started. This is harder than the clothing challenge.

If I really wanted to challenge myself, I would commit to doing something on a regular basis instead of not doing something on a regular basis. Maybe everybody is like that? I know I am.

Day #22, a little repetitive

OK, I admit that today my clothing choices felt a bit dreary. I looked in the closet, and the words "Black dress, again??" may have slipped out of my mouth. But I dug out a green scarf that hasn't been out of the closet in a long time and felt renewed. Matched it up with a green pair of earrings (which you can't see because I waited too long before getting a picture), and felt even better.

This week I am going to head in to Echo Trends to start looking for items to create the next magic six. Will any of the current six reappear in the next 30 day challenge? Well, temps are dropping so dress and tank top are no and no. The purple shirt is drooping mightily, so that's going in the donation bin, as are the unflattering shorts. The jeans are very comfy. I wish they were a smidge dressier, but they are good weekend wear and will certainly work for casual Fridays at work. So I think they are a yes. Only question mark is the khaki shirt. It can go over lots of stuff or be worn alone. Only problem is that it really does need to be ironed after it's washed, and I have not managed to do that once. It may get replaced with something that does not need ironing.

Day #21, routine or rut

Today, I wore the khaki button down shirt and jeans. But I since those items appear in many photos, I decided instead to show that I have indeed made use of yesterday's impulse purchase: the friendship bracelet kit. I made two others before this one and gave them to my kids. I'm not sure if you are supposed to give yourself a friendship bracelet.

Anyway, today I was thinking about how easily the sixorless practice could turn into a rut instead of a routine. Routine, to me, means a repetition of actions that minimizes effort or thought. Sixorless can be a healthy routine, providing almost a uniform to wear that can then be embellished in an infinite number of ways. But, without the embellishments, without the little bit of thought every day to try and dress up an outfit, it becomes a rut. Then people DO start to notice that you are always wearing the same thing. I had a high school teacher that wore the same food stained(!) tie and shirt every day for the whole school year. That was a rut. I do not want to be in that rut.

Day #20, the urge to shop

Much to my surprise, I have no urge to add to my wardrobe. It is just so easy to grab the clean stuff and run out the door. Maybe this is not such a surprise after all. When I was 8 years old and at sleep away camp for two weeks, I wore the same red and white Phillies shirt and blue pants every single day. The camp counselors gently suggested that there were other clothes in my suitcase. But I can remember every morning looking at that Phillies shirt and blue pants and thinking, "yes!".

But while the urge to shop for clothes is nonexistent, the urge to shop still exists. I'd like to chalk it up to some primal hunting-gathering instinct. Really, it's probably just a bad habit. Today, in shopping desperation, I bought two books off the bargain table and a friendship bracelet making kit. A friendship bracelet making kit??? Was that necessary? I have promised myself to make at least a couple of bracelets for my kids, while I ponder the strangeness of that purchase.

Day #19, preparation... or lack thereof

Better luck today with the self-timer on the camera. But gads, those shorts are not flattering. They will not be returning to my closet when the 30 days are over.

One of the key principles in successfully navigating the sixorless challenge is preparation. Making sure the right clothes are chosen... and then making sure they are available for wear.

Well, I dropped the ball on this one yesterday. Last night, all six items needed washing. But for some reason all I did was hand wash the tank top. With the humidity, it did not dry overnight. So, I greeted the world this morning in a damp shirt and unclean shorts. I was the only one that seemed to notice. Several people actually commented that I looked pretty today (that pink scarf always gets compliments). If they only knew. If anyone hugged me, the wet shirt would have raised some eyebrows.

Day #18, "corporate" sponsor!

I've been thinking about what to do when this 30 day challenge is over. One option is to choose another category, like (gasp!) cookbooks to scale back on. But, honestly I want to try the clothing challenge again. It has been such a pleasure to grab clothes from my nearly empty closet... to start wearing accessories that mean more to me than my old shirts... to have the extra few minutes every morning.

And very soon, my clothing needs will change. When school starts again, I'm going to have to wear more professional looking clothes every day. Can I stick to just six clothes items for the workplace and the weekends?

Since I clearly fall into the category of "fashion challenged", I decided to ask for some help. The consignment store where in the past I have bought the clothes directly off the mannequins is called Echo Trends (the store link is now on this blog page). They have great clothes and accessories, and the sales people have always been exceeding kind and helpful. Today, I met with the owner, Colleen Campbell, explained what I have been doing, and asked for her assistance. Over the next two weeks, I am going to visit her shop and create my new 6 or less work/weekend wardrobe. The sales people will help with my choices. I will, in return, submit articles to the local newspapers again explaining my new challenge and the aid I am receiving from the store.

I am very grateful to Colleen and can't wait to see what we come up with.

Day #17, what else would I give up?

I seriously do not know how to operate a self-timer on a camera. Well, you get the idea... purple shirt with jeans. My shoes are nice black flats, and there are also black earrings.

This clothing challenge has so far been easy. Almost a little too easy. It makes me think that clothes are not that important to me. Why in the world was I buying so many and moving them from house to house???

But do I own things that I would not be willing to scale back on? I did a quick scan around my house. It seems to be full of stuff I would part with without a second thought. Now I am super motivated to give it the boot.

But there are a couple categories that would be hard for me. First is cookbooks. I will do a count tonight, but I'm guessing I own about 50. I use them. They are all meaningful to me. But there must be some that I would give up, right? The second category is shoes. Again, 50 pairs sounds like the right number. I love shoes, but I do not wear them all. Again, there must be at least some that I would be willing to give up. Then I will just have to walk the other way every time I see a shoe sale sign.

Day #16, coordination

Today I attempted to dress up a simple pair of jeans and a tank with a couple accessories. There is a cute green bracelet on the wrist you can't see (darn it), and the earrings have some blue in them.

It is way easier and way more fun to coordinate accessories than it is clothes. I am an earring ho. Never met a pair I didn't like. Is my over-purchasing of clothes simply going to be replaced with an over-purchasing of earrings? I hope not because it somehow seems to violate the spirit of this exercise. But, at least it will take a lot longer to fill my closet.

The photo pose is a bit hokey, but I just ate a huge meal and was trying to find an angle that didn't show my belly :)

I'm already thinking about the next 30 days. What six items will work in the work place? I am considering going into the local consignment store and asking them if they will "sponsor" me (give me a little discount) and give me some advise. As mentioned before, their mannequins always look good.

Day #15, half way through... poor fashion sense

Looking at this photo, it is clear that my fashion skills are still in need of work. I began with the shirt and shorts, which look exactly like what the late Steve Irwin wore on a 24 hour basis. I was and am still a huge fan. So if my outfit is an homage to him, even if unintended, well that's OK. But then I oddly decided that the outfit needed some bling, so added a woven rhinestone encrusted belt and rhinestone necklace. As I type this, even I can hear how ridiculous that sounds.

Where does one learn to dress fashionably? Magazines show clothes I would never wear. Sales girls (they are usually female) in clothing stores are so unhelpful, it seems that they are purposely so. Several times I have entered stores, credit card in hand, and asked for assistance but received none and a little attitude to boot.

Last fall when I needed clothes for work, I went to the local funky consignment store, pointed to their mannequins which they always dress really cool, and said "I'll take that!". Then I wore those exact outfits, just like on the mannequins, over and over again. Sad, right? But I don't know what else to do.

Well, Rome was not built in a day. Maybe there are some websites out their that can help. In the meantime, I will celebrate that I am now have way through the 30 day challenge.

Day #14, temptation and another benny... laundry!

Rainy days and blue jeans go together, and the purple shirt makes it an outfit. I managed to find a cute belt that I have not worn for at least 6 months to tie it together. Unfortunately, the purple shirt is getting saggier and saggier. It is just not up to this kind of frequent wear. Next time, I will buy my sixorless wardrobe at Mark's Work Wearhouse. Or at the very least, save the receipts from the store where I do buy the clothes. I have never been in the habit of saving receipts except for at Christmas time. Usually, I wear something once, then when I wear it a second time two months later and the button pops off, the receipt is long gone.

I must confess that today I was VERY tempted to buy a pair of pants! But please, hear me out. It was the perfect pair of low rise, dark blue dress jeans that would have been the perfect magic six item to replace my shorts in September when I have to dress up for work again. I want to say I resisted because of my commitment to my current sixorless challenge. But truth be told, I was in a rush. I don't know what I would have done if I had more time, but like to think it would have been the right decision.

And finally, I got another little thrill today when doing the family laundry. It was about 25% less than normal! Most of it was kids clothes (they wear six shirts a day!). The remainder was my husband's clothes. He has lots of clothes in his closet, but seems to wear the same things over and over. I bet I could get him down to six or less without his even knowing it :) Anyway, the laundry reduction was very welcome.

Day #13, branching out

Today the little black dress was paired with a blue scarf and a jean jacket. It really is a useful piece of clothing. But it makes me feel fat. I think it's the way it hangs on my hips. I need to get over that, because I like the dress.

Well, now that I'm feeling a little more confident with my selection of the six items of clothing, I am a hammer looking for a nail. Where else might I be able to get rid of some unwanted/unneeded/unloved stuff?? The undies drawer! Seeing the contents strewn across my bed, it's no wonder it didn't close properly. There was a 10 year old running bra in there, for goodness sakes. It begs the question yet again, why in the world am I hanging on this stuff and even packing it up and moving it from house to house??? It also begs the question: what do you do with old undies? I thought of using them as rags, but decided that was gross even though they are technically clean.

Tomorrow will be the first time in 40-ahem-ahem years when looking into my undies drawer gives me a big smile.

Day #12, successful sixorless vacation

I wore the tank and the jeans on the plane ride home. Comfortable.

Hard to believe, but the sixorless approach made my vacation easier instead of harder. I didn't ponder what to wear for more than a second, and I'm not coming home with a suitcase full of dirty clothes which is always a huge drag. I didn't feel limited by the clothes at all. Instead, I could concentrate on fun. My in-laws complemented me on how lightly we packed. That felt good.

There is one looming problem now, though. The temperatures in my home town dropped 20 degrees F in the 5 days I was gone. It's going to be chilly in those shorts and the dress. Not much I can do about this. I can wear unlimited outerwear, so maybe I will wrap some sweaters around my knees :)

Day #11, weather

The latest issue to be overcome: weather! Just after this photo was taken, the heavens opened and down came the rain. My purple shirt and shorts got soaked. The black dress needs to be washed, and the jeans and khaki shirt are in the laundry. So, all I have to wear is a tank top. I have never heard of a dress code for air travel. But I would imagine that they expect you to wear pants. Something should be dry by the time we need to leave. Good thing our flight wasn't sooner.

This is the first trip ever that I am returning home without a single souvenier t-shirt or sweatshirt. I didn't even feel the need to buy any for my kids, since they grow out of them so fast anyway. A small miracle. Or at the very least, a small victory.

Day #10, stains

With all of the interesting philosophical issues that the sixorless challenge raises, what am I thinking about? Stains! With three kids, stains are a constant issue in my world. Food, body, dirt... the sources are endless. In the past, I would have taken the stained clothing item and stuffed it back in the closet or in the bottom of a drawer. There, it would have festered for the next who-knows-how-many years.

Now, on day 10 of this challenge I do not have this luxury. My 3 year old managed to get more chocolate ice cream on my khaki shirt and the salad dressing stain on the jeans did not come out comlpetely. So now, I am not the girl wearing the same clothes for 30 days. I am the girl wearing the same stained clothes for 30 days. When we get home from vacation (today), I am going to surfing around the web to look for some stain removal tricks. Never something I ever would have spent time on before.

Day #9, sixorless... in this economy?

Today the little black dress and khaki shirt made their return. It was a comfortable outfit for walking around. I will probably keep a dress in my rotation after the 30 days, which I have never done in my life. Turns out to be very versitile.

I had a discussion with my mother-in-law today about this challenge. She had actually read the New York Times article about the @sixitemsorless group already. She thought it was an interesting, if not new, idea and also raised a good point. She said that in this economy, the worst thing we could be doing was to stop spending money. I have heard this argument before. I wish one of my old economist friends was around to give a more informed response than I could. But in the last 9 days, I have absolutely been spending money on services that I might have spent before on clothes. For example, in the past I would have bought clothes to get ready for a trip. This time, I got a haircut and would have gotten a pedicure if time had permitted. Spending money on services seems more environmentally friendly than on goods (most of the time), so I am happy with this shift. But I would like to read up a bit more about this line of reasoning, time permitting of course.

Day #8, just knocking about

It was sure easy to get dressed for the day. The tank, the jeans, and I'm out the door. If I added up the hours I have wasted thinking about what to wear since I started to think about what to wear... Vacation is no time for such thoughts! Only challenge is that at lunch my daughter smeared my pant leg with ice cream and then salad dressing. So the jeans will need to be washed after just one wearing.

Another benefit of the sixorless challenge: I am not going to waste a single instant of my vacation buying t-shirts or sweatshirts. I don't need them and I don't want them.

Day #7, off to vacation land

Well, the packing did take A LOT less time. But I managed to stress myself out anyway. Old habits... The purple shirt and shorts were the outfit of choice for travel. But, I realized that: a) the shorts are kinda outdated, and b) the shirt is kinda worn out. That's part of why it's so comfy, I guess. Well, Rome was not built in a day, so I'm not going to be too hard on myself for not having the best sixorless eye for clothing. But it will definitely improve my scrutiny of clothing from this point forward.