September 2025 HPL Re-wear Challenge Reflection

CEFR Level B2-C1

This is not a sponsored post.

I’ve followed Her Packing List for years. Or at least, I read the website for years. If you subscribe to The Variety Page Circular, then you know my feelings about social media. At any rate, I think Brooke Schoenman offers a wonderful service that truly helps people. I think her mission offers so much value that I even worked for her as a freelancer for a bit.

Before that, I took the class that is now called Baggage Freedom Express. It was absolutely worth the expense and time commitment. After the class, I joined the HPL Mighty Networks group and haven’t left since. 

One of the fun things we do to practice packing lightly is an annual rewear challenge. If you’re a member of the group, you get photo templates and support and the fun of doing a challenge in community. (I used a different template here so that I’m not giving away members-only content.)

The smart thing to do when starting a rewear challenge is to pick a versatile item like a t-shirt. I was not smart. I gave in to I-Just-Made-This Syndrome and chose a heavy denim duster-dress. If you don’t know, September in the mid-Atlantic area is hot like summer. Most days this month were between 80-90℉.

In my mind, I had images of all kinds of outfits to make the most of cool fall weather. It was going to be a month of artistic expression for me. None of that happened. It was way too hot and biblical Hebrew class is taking all my mental energy. 

Here’s what I used in the outfits this month, minus accessories.

The Clothes

The Re-Wear Piece

1. Self-Sewn Dark Blue Denim Duster-Dress

Tops

1. Blue floral swim top
2. Black casual t-shirts with various neckband colors (4)
3. Blue-toned casual graphic t-shirt
4. Blue casual graphic tank with floral neckband
5. Brown dressy t-shirt
6. Brown dressy tank top
7. Blue drapey t-shirt
8. Blue drapey tank top
9. Blue drapey tank top with shoulder ruffles
10. White tank top

Bottoms

1. Grey trousers
2. Brown trousers
3. Black bike shorts
4. Black skirt

Wildcard

1. Tie-dye dress

Shoes

1. Chaco sandals
2. BØC platform sling-back heels in tan
3. Glitter loafers
4. Lems Chillums in blue
5. Lems Chillums in off-white
6. Merrel clogs in brown

As you can see, this was not a travel-friendly capsule wardrobe, but my goal for this challenge wasn't focused on using as few pieces as possible. 

The Process

Because a rewear challenge with an item that isn’t suited to the weather isn’t enough of a challenge, I decided to wear the same base layer for the first seven days. That entire week, I wore black bike shorts and a floral swim top (with my normal bra). It was fine. I don’t know that I would travel that way, but I could if I had to. 

Safety pins became my friend. I used them to pin back the lapels at the start of the challenge. I added them all along the front opening just to make the duster-dress look different. I used safety pins to attach a ribbon or rick-rack “belt.” And then it was too hot and I was tired and my mental energy went elsewhere and I just wore the plain duster. 

I wore this thing no matter how hot it got, sweating through Master Naturalist outreach events and bearing the weight of all that denim even when I worked from home and would see no one. Then one day in the third week, it rained, I was tired, and after I did my hair and make-up to go out, we decided to stay home. 

I couldn’t stomach putting that thing on just to sit on the couch all day and wonder if the hem was transferring germs to my upholstery. That photo is marked with an X. The duster-dress is thrown over my shoulder while I consider if I want bragging rights for participating for all 30 days. I decided that I didn’t. 

Long skirts may look dramatic, especially in movement, but they drag down stairs and up hills and even if I could, I don’t know if I want to take a swab for a petri dish. I got good at swinging the skirt over my arm to go up and down stairs or get in the car. On October 1, the duster-dress went straight into the wash basket. 

What I Learned Doing the Re-Wear Challenge

I don’t know if I learned anything, but this month did confirm for me that I don’t want to be a fashion blogger. Taking outfit photos is too much work. You’ll see several blurry ones because the front camera of my phone takes poor photos but it is the easiest to use for taking my own outfit photos. ​

Tips for Doing a Re-Wear Challenge

• Pick a piece you love. It should feel good on you and give you joy to wear.
• Pick something that can be handwashed and that will dry overnight. This removes worries about food spills or body odor smells.
• Pick a piece that coordinates with the predicted weather. Don’t be like me. Pick something cool if the challenge is in hot weather.
• Wear an apron to cook, clean, garden, etc.
• Most of all, adapt the challenge to your needs. If you get joy from creating different outfits, then do that. If you don’t care if you wear the same outfit for the entire challenge, then do that. The point is to have fun while gently pushing you beyond what you would normally do. 

And if I may, consider joining the next Baggage Freedom Express class. Brooke doesn’t know I’m writing this post. I get nothing from referring people. I just think the class teaches a great skill in a supportive community and would be useful for anyone who might ever need to pack a bag.