Same outer shirt, different day-shirt

See "Quirk #1" to fully understand this...
For the dates of 5/23 to 5/30 I made use of the fact that I could get by with the same outer shirt for an entire week.
See the whole week in the gallery.

The Farm, Cornville, AZ / Day 31

Its way to hot to be wearing three shirts...
the outfit
Solid Shorts 6 + Brown Belt -1 = 5 = May
(Sun) Red T-shirt 1 + Charcoal Long Sleeve T-shirt 7 + Brown/Orange Plaid Short Sleeve 23 = the 31st

The Big Texan, Amarillo, Texas / Day 23

Everything is bigger in Te-has
the outfit
Solid Shorts 6 + Brown belt -1 = 5 = May
(Sat) Charcoal Grey T-shirt 7 + Heather Grey T-shirt -7 +
Orange/Brown Plaid Short Sleeve 23 = the 23rd

Trying to upload excel file to blog

So those that have seen me in the past few weeks know that I currently carry a pocket sized excel printout of my wardrobe points in my wallet. Many have expressed interest in witnessing the specific breakdown of categories, point values and insanity that I follow each day as I dress myself.

Working on it...

Marking the date with fabric & thread / Day 19

So today I got up and got dressed with my daily outfit. Wore it all day until I had to get ready to play soccer with my Tuesday night team. Shannon and I were planning on going to dinner after the game and I planned on getting back into my outfit to go eat and take my picture at that time.

After being kicked in the face during my game and having to go & get stitches, food was out of the question. While I still had my t-shirt color to mark the day of the week, The key to marking this date was not the clothes that I was supposed to wear, but the blue thread that was stitched into my face.

I hate v-necks NYC / Day 13

Some people can totally pull off wearing v-neck t-shirts. I am not one of those people. So the only purplish T that I own is this awful v-neck. It was either this combination or pack even more clothing than I already had. Note to self… buy a new purple shirt for Wednesdays.

the outfit

Blue Jeans 7 + Grey Stripe Socks -2 = 5 = May

(Wed) Violet T-shirt -4 + Grey/Pink/Blue Plaid Short Sleeve 17 = the 13th

Planning for trip to NYC

I’m about to do the first of many trips that I have planned for this summer. Next week will be the first test of the formula and my ability to do this while I’m away from home. I’ve planned the entire week out in order to pack for the trip. I’m definitely taking more clothes than I normally would.

Shopping made easy

In the Formula there are “open” slots in several categories where I can add some more flexibility and variety to my wardrobe (not just in style, but also in point values).
Example: I don’t have many stripe/print short sleeve button-down shirts. By adding a shirt to this category I would gain some very useful mid-range even-number point values.
Thus, shopping is as easy as seeing where I can add diversity to my points.
Currently I also need stripe long sleeve shirts as well as another pair of plaid shorts. Though I don’t really have money for new clothes, being that this is my primary creative exploit at this time, I am justified in buying new clothing in that they are essentially art supplies.

Why don't coats and shoes have points?

I’ve had a lot of people ask me if coats and shoes counted for points and if not, Why?
Simple, shoes and coats get taken on and off too much. Plus, I had enough values in the basics (shirts, pants, socks and accessories) to create a working model without having to make it even more complicated than it already is.

Day Four

Neck tie for no reason
the outfit
Blue Jeans 7 + Grey Stripe Socks -2 = 5 = May
(Mon) Navy T-shirt 2 + Black Long Sleeve Button -2 + Solid Color Neck Tie 4 = the 4th

Quirk #1

Only a few days into the project, I am noticing patterns and odd quirks about the formula. The most obvious oddity, which for whatever reason didn’t register with me while I was making the formula, is in the incremental point growth of the daily t-shirts. Because they have the potential to add 1 point in value each day progressing from Sunday through Saturday, in theory I could wear the same outer shirt all week as long as I sport the appropriate t-shirt for the day. Fortunately there are negative point values as well as positive credits, to add flexibility and variety to my wardrobe.

How It Works

While each item of clothing has a different point value, the basic idea is as follows.

The Month of the outfit is determined by the combination of items on the lower body. Each item has a designated point value. The total of all lower body points equals the number for the month of the year. January = 1, February = 2, March = 3…

The Day of the Week that the outfit is worn is determined by the color of the outermost T-shirt. In addition to marking the day, the T-shirt color has a point value that also contributes to the date.

The Date of the outfit is determined by the combination of items on the upper body. Each item has a designated point value. The total of all upper body points equals the number for the date of the month.

Rules for long sleeve T-shirts

Long sleeve T-shirts equal the same day and point value for color as short sleeve T-shirts.

A long sleeve T-shirt over a short sleeve T-shirt counter acts & cancels the hidden shirt.

A long sleeve T-shirt under a Short sleeve T-shirt contributes points to the date, but does not effect the day represented by the outer short sleeve T-shirt.

Special Rules / Unique Exceptions

Green T-shirt and Blue Thread (in lip) = Memorable Injury = May 19th

Silver Paisley Neck Tie = Anniversary = June 28th

Pumpkin Socks = Halloween = October 31st

Red and Green Socks = Christmas = December 25th

Heart Socks = Valentines Day = February 14th

Emergency Back Up

In the event that a proper date cannot be achieved, an emergency kit of patches (including all months, days and numbers) has been generated to uniquely mark the date. The patches are to be sewn to an available shirt. The shirt must then be retired at the end of the day as documentation for the project.

The Idea for the Formula

The Formula is the latest evolution of my continuing work with clothing (fabric, thread, buttons…) and it’s association to memory. It originated out of a desire to wear a unique combination of clothing items for each day of a single year. In developing a method that would prevent me from repeating an ensemble, I decided to connect the clothing choices to the month and date numbers, a combination that only happens once a year. As if that wasn’t enough, I also implemented a scheme for connecting the specific day of the week as well. The entire formula was established from my current wardrobe, assigning types of clothes as well as different colors, textures, patterns and fabrics with point values.

The result is a journal of my life, organized by what I wear. While not entirely, in most cases the specific day, month and date, can be figured by the clothing I am wearing. Though at times the formula is tedious, it is not intended to be torturous. Keep in mind it was developed as a way to uniquely mark each day for an entire year. On occasions, days may be marked by items not directly discussed in the formula, just as long as that combination is impossible to be repeated at a later date. Ultimately it is for everyday to be different.