Experiment Gone Slightly Awry

There’s a long list of things that I’m not very good at, but right up near the top are science — without a doubt my worst subject in school — and dieting. Given that, I’m not sure what possessed me to participate in a global web experiment called the Six Items or Less project – otherwise known as a shopping diet.

In case you haven’t heard of it, Six Items or Less was devised to show that most of us have an abundance of clothes we don’t wear and that our closets could be stripped down to a handful of bare necessities – namely, six items that you pledge to wear for one month. (Items like underwear, swimsuits, work-out clothes, uniforms and weather-related outerwear fell under the heading of “exceptions,” along with shoes and accessories.)

The month-long web project began on June 21, and participants documented their efforts on a blog. The “shopping diet” part was not some rant against consumerism; it was intended to make women think about how much they already have and how often they really wear the clothes they “just had to have.”

While the diminutive size of my closet helps to keep my shopping in check, I’ll confess to having way more than I need and this seemed like a worthy experiment. My six items: a pair of jeans, two T-shirts (one black, and one white), a casual black knit dress, a pair of khaki shorts and a white button-down shirt.

I started just after July 4 weekend and planned to log 31 days. I knew that I’d bend the rules for an upcoming family wedding, but I figured I could pull it off otherwise. It would certainly make packing for two short roadtrips a whole lot simpler. But just over a week into the experiment I caved in and called it quits. It was just too darn hot, I wasn’t doing the laundry as frequently as I should have, I’m really not that good at changing up accessories, and on and on. I know I’m just a bundle of excuses, but I did learn a few things from the experiment.

I’d like to believe that what I wear says something about my self image and what’s important to me. The bottom line: no one noticed. Even my daughter, who typically has a snippy comment about everything, seemed oblivious.

Will I buy fewer items? Maybe. I’ll admit the idea of updating my wardrobe with a few new on-trend items each season feels right to me, but maybe that’s just because I live and breathe retail. But I think the real lesson learned is to stop holding on to things that don’t fit (and never will) and that it’s time to part ways with those items that have been hanging untouched for years.

A local charity is about to get a windfall of a lot more than six items