Over the next few months Ten Key Pieces will be getting a new look and feel. When I relaunched the site in October of 2017 my goal was to bring the focus to the clothes. I was able to accomplish this with a minimal theme and an easy to navigate site.

But as a I grew the blog, I went down the rabbit hole of influencer marketing and social media imagery.  I felt I had gotten away from the original intent of Ten Key Pieces which was to help you attain a wardrobe that never goes out of style with just 10 items. At times I seemed to be giving my readers content including a never ending shopping list, clickable links, or even worse a wish list that they could never afford. 

After taking a recent pledge to shop more sustainably for 30 days (join the movement here at #remakeourworld) I knew I could do a better job of bringing awareness to conscious consumerism (and save you a few bucks in the process). Below are some of the improvements you can look forward to in the coming months. Many of these will be behind the scenes and subtle, but trust that they will be there.

Elevating Basics & Keeping it Real: I’ll continue to elevate basics because you all love that topic. But instead of pairing basics with unattainable-for-most luxury accessories, look for pre-loved budget friendly add ons from places like The Real Real (bye-bye Gucci belts and loafers!). Admittedly I still own a handful of investment pieces and do encourage you to shop quality over quantity, but these pieces will feature less prominently on the blog and my social feeds.

I’ve worked hard for what I have; I’ve been on my own since 16, put myself through engineering school and racked up 20 plus years as a construction manager. I’ve always bought my clothing with my own paycheck -not my husband’s- and only accept gifts from brands that I stand behind (Everlane, Grana, to name a few). However, I know that certain types of social media #ootds have a way of making people feel that what they have isn’t enough. Whether during tough economic times or not, ostentatious Instagram posts are just not cool.

IGTV Shop You Closet Series: I never thought I’d do video but it turns out that you all love seeing what’s in my closet up close and personal. (queue the Ultimate Ten Piece Wardrobe) New to the channel will be a “Shop your closet” series where I’ll show you multiple ways to style one key piece in your closet – that you already own. I’ll still do unboxing of collabs and product reviews but I’ll continue to steer clear of “Haul” videos. Because I don’t know anyone who feels good after watching one of these!

Ethical & Sustainable Essentials: I’ve already begun this as a new category on the site. So look for more content and collabs with brands that produce in small batches, offer better supply chain transparency and ethical manufacturing practices. While sustainable fashion is still coming in at a higher price point I’ll continue to prioritize partnering with ethical brands that also offer discount codes (as I have with KAIREEXSAMARA 15% OFF Vegan leather goods) and Unyé

Breaking up with Fast-Fashion: By now you’ve probably heard enough about this topic to make you think twice about that next Asos or Forever 21 purchase. But I’m not here to make you feel guilty. Because I’ll probably slip up from time to time and reach for an H&M or Zara piece. But I also have some thoughts to share in upcoming videos and posts on reclaiming these pieces before they end up in landfill. I’m definitely not perfect, I’m just here to help you find the perfect closet. 

Xo.

“Be more with less”

– Courtney Carver