Sometimes you just find yourself in the same outfits week after week. You buy something new and it makes it into the rotation but that too just becomes another static addition after time. So when that happens what do you?

For me and a few of my co-workers the answer was simple. We are playfully competitive with each other and what started as a weeklong contest evolved into a new way to approach my wardrobe every day.

Color of the day.

Simple really. Each week we assign a color to the work days coming up the following week. So for example, yesterday we fleshed out that next week would look like this:

Monday: Green

Tuesday: Grey

Wednesday: Purple

Thursday: Orange

Friday: Yellow.

Now the goal is to incorporate that color into the outfit and to do it in a better way than everyone else. Better is subjective I know. But dousing myself in yellow next Friday will not win me the approval of the others. We have a good eye. We’re honest with each other if an outfit works or doesn’t. We also avoid wearing the same outfits when a color comes up that’s been done before.

And that’s really the point of the game. Testing the waters and playing with colors in new ways.

We’ve been doing it for about three months now and we’re adding new twists all the time. Some days we mix in a wild card and you do what you want. Some days have “plaid” and others are “shiny”. Some are more abstract like “muted colors” or “seasonal colors”.  I think the next thing we’ll do is add in a random spin on the color wheels from this site. http://www.colorsontheweb.com/colorwheel.asp

The way it pairs up the colors for you is pretty slick. I did it yesterday and ended up with green, brown and purple. And you know what, it worked out.

I learned that I like those colors together. The sweater I started out with bothered me after a while. Felt like too much brown so I modified it to be super casual. And by doing so I found a new outfit that I like that I would have never tried otherwise.

 

(Note, its hard to see the tie is a purple, white and metallic grey deal)

Since starting this game I’ve had more people ask “is that new?” to outfits I’m wearing than ever before. And no, much of it isn’t new. It’s just worn differently and with things it’s never been paired with before.

It gives me a reason to open my closet the night before and take time to plan out an outfit.  I’m wearing something with purpose and something that I put thought into. I’m searching my closet for combinations that haven’t been done, adding accessories and taking risks with pieces that I never intended to be worn together. It’s just fun.

And that’s my approach to a stale wardrobe. What’s yours?