Wardrobe full of clothes but nothing to wear? It’s an old, cliched phrase, but it so often still rings true. And don’t you wish you could tackle it without needing to add a single piece to your wardrobe? Welcome to the Kettlewell 10x10 challenge! Discover new outfit combinations, rediscover lost loves, and identify once and for all those pieces that really don’t have a home in your wardrobe any longer. Whether or not you’ve come across 10x10 challenges before, we think you’ll love the Kettlewell version!  

First up, what is a 10x10 challenge?

A 10x10 challenge is simply a decision to wear the same 10 pieces of clothing for 10 days, in different combinations, but without adding any other pieces. The truly committed don’t allow any outfit repeats within the 10 days, although the beauty of this challenge is that beyond choosing 10 pieces for 10 days, you get to set the rules!

But why do it? The goal is simple; to wear more of your clothes, dress more confidently, and enjoy your wardrobe more. But your specific way of achieving that might differ, and that’s where the Kettlewell version of the 10x10 challenge comes in.

10 items, 10 outfits in a Spring palette

1. Chloe Jacket in Soft Yellow  2. Annie Wrap Dress in Deep Aqua  3. Mandarin Spot Shirt in Sunshine  4. Celtic Cotton Shorts in Oatmeal  5. Classic Camisole in Cream  6. Betty Cowl in Poppy  7. Jeans  8. Cotton Weekend Skirt in Pink Geranium  9. Short Cascade Wrap in Poppy  10. Print V Neck in Aqua Sea

What should your 10 pieces include?

Again, the beauty of this challenge is its simplicity, so you can set the rules. You might choose only garments (tops, bottoms, dresses), you might include outerwear like coats and jackets, and you might choose to include shoes and accessories.

Personally, I have found that my best 10x10 challenges have been ones where my 10 items were solely tops, bottoms and dresses, and it’s with shoes, accessories and outerwear that I have been able to make sure that each day felt different, and each outfit or ‘problem’ garment got the best possible chance to look amazing before its eventual fate was decided!

Another point to consider when choosing your pieces is the balance of tops to bottoms (or dresses) – you’re more likely to feel ‘samey’ if you repeat tops or dresses day after day than if you repeat bottom halves. A simple rule of thumb is to have 3-4 bottoms or dresses, and 6-7 top halves (one or two of these might be jackets or blazers).

So you know your motivation, you know which pieces you’re going to limit your 10 pieces to, and you’re almost ready to go! Only one piece remains to create your perfect Kettlewell 10x10 challenge…

10 items, 10 outfits in a Summer palette

1. Roxy Shirt Jacket in Slate  2. Cotton Rib Shirt in Hot Pink  3. Julie Stripe Tee in Cherry & Hot Pink  4. Karin Ponte Top in Very Berry  5. Soft Square Vest in Periwinkle  6. Cotton V Neck in Smokey Orchid  7. Jeans  8. Short Ponte Skirt in Very Berry  9. Elle Cardigan in Light Blue Marl  10. Scoop 1/2 Sleeve in Iced Hyacinth

How does the Kettlewell 10x10 challenge differ?

Our way of doing the 10x10 challenge is to use it to help you enjoy your clothes more. Maybe you’ve got stuck in the same old outfit combinations and you want to push out of your comfort zone, or you’ve got a piece in your wardrobe that you love, but never seem to wear. Or maybe you’ve got expensive pieces of clothing in your wardrobe that you just can’t fall in love with. Or perhaps you simply love a new adventure!

Whatever your reasons, the way to add the Kettlewell magic to your 10x10 challenge is to choose your own specific ‘why’ for your challenge. Here are some of our favourite whys:

1. New to your seasonal colour palette? Choose 10 pieces that are completely within your new palette, so you can experience 10 days of feeling completely in harmony and really find your colour confidence. (Not yet sure which colour palette belongs to you? It’s what we’re all about at Kettlewell, and we’d love for you to pop over to our colour quiz, so you can start to live life in colour!)

2. Got a piece of clothing, or three, that you love but just don’t seem to wear? Add it your 10 items along with some old favourites and see if you can’t find a way to weave it into your wardrobe.

3. Want to get bolder with colour? Make the majority of your 10 items bright and bold, to really push you out of your colour comfort zone, and see some magic happen!

4. Made a purchase that you just can’t fall in love with now it’s hanging in your wardrobe? Or maybe an old favourite that you’ve fallen out of love with? Add it into your 10x10 for one final chance before you say goodbye to it.

5. Want to experiment with print? Use a bold print as the basis of your 10, choosing bold colours and other prints (we love mixing a stripe and a floral!) to co-ordinate with it.

10 items, 10 outfits in an Autumn palette

1. Rachel Jacket in Copper  2. Rita Blouse in Deep  3.Scoop 1/2 Sleeve in Rust  4. Venus Linen Tee in Coral  5. Soft Square Vest in Persimmon  6. Lace Camisole in Rich Chocolate  7. Jeans  8. Jersey Maxi Skirt in Rich Chocolate  9. Short Tie Wrap in Juniper  10. Cotton Pima V in Burnished Gold

The key here is to pick one, or at most two, challenges for your 10x10. Make it too difficult, or add in too many pieces that you don’t currently find it easy to wear, and you run the risk of losing steam with it by day three, and we want to make this easy, fun and achievable! Remember, you can always run another 10x10 challenge any time you like.

Now you’ve got your why, it’s time to choose your 10 pieces

10 items, 10 outfits in a Winter palette

1. Petra Jacket in Fuchsia  2. Cotton Rib Shirt in Navy  3. Cotton Boat Neck in True Red  4. Prue Breton in Tango Stripe  5. Everyday Cotton Tee in White  6. Liza Sleeveless Wrap in Aquarius  7. Jeans  8. Celtic Shorts in Navy  9. Steffi Polo in Chinese Blue  10. Soft Square Vest in Fuchsia

What comes after your 10x10 challenge?

Once you’ve completed your 10x10 challenge, you’ll probably be feeling inspired, reinvigorated, and full of new ideas! There are a few steps you can take to make sure that the lessons from your 10x10 really stick, and help you feel even better in your clothes for the long term:

1. Share your 10x10 challenge! We’ll be running a group challenge in our friendly Kettlewell Colour Club from Monday 12^th June to Wednesday 21^st June – if you want to complete your challenge along with likeminded colour lovers, why not come over and join us?

2. Consider a second challenge for any tricky pieces that you’re still not sure about getting rid of. Was it the 10 pieces that you chose, or that tricky piece, that made it hard to style? One more challenge with a slightly different set of clothes might give you the answers you need.

3. Declutter! If you’ve decided something really doesn’t work, now’s the time to take action and remove it from your wardrobe.

The most important step of all, though, is to treat your 10x10 challenge as an adventure! Style should always be about playing, experimentation and exploration, and it’s challenges like this that will really give you the chance to explore your wardrobe, finding new ways to combine clothes to create a completely fresh look, and reinvigorating your love for pieces you’d forgotten about.

Love Colour Tee in Dark Olive | Classic Leather Belt in Limoncello

Remember, we’d love to see you in the Kettlewell Colour Club, either when we run the challenge this time, or whenever you decide to do your own Kettlewell 10x10 challenge!

Join the Colour Club