Shopping Diet

Could you go two weeks mixing and matching the same six clothing items? Would you be bored? Or liberated?

I plan to give this shorter version of the Six Items or Less online challenge a shot. The self-imposed "shopping diet" requires participants to wear some combination of six pre-chosen clothing items for a month. Several people—men and women from around the world—have signed on and blogged about their "journeys" at www.sixitemsorless.com.

Their efforts are attracting worldwide attention. The experiment is certainly intriguing. Although some people took part to make a statement about consumerism, I'm more interested from a fashion perspective. As I've often noted, the quality of a wardrobe—not its quantity—is what counts.

Before making purchases, I always ask myself: How long will it last, quality-wise and style-wise?

The Six Items or Less concept ties in with the idea that we don't need a lot in our closets; we need the right pieces.

(The challenge exempts some items: undergarments, swimsuits, workout wear and accessories, along with uniforms required for work. So you can get creative with shoes, jewelry and such.)

I'm not sure I could stick with just six items for a whole month without getting bored. So, when the heat breaks, I plan to give the experiment a shot for two weeks.

--Kristy Eckert