Valerie Elizabeth is subjecting herself to any good fashionista's nightmare: She's getting up every morning this month and putting on the same dress.

Photos by Associated Press

The Dallas stylist wants to show how easy it is to look glamorous on a budget. She's aiming to have a new look each day with one little black dress and some creative accessories – belts, shoes, scarves, jewelry and even jeans.

Elizabeth said her "Little Black Dress Experiment," which she's documenting at societystylist.com, helps her reach more people with the advice she's found herself giving women on a budget: Take a good look in your closet and get creative with the pieces you already have.

"If I'm telling people this, I should show that I can do this, too," she said.

So she set out with a versatile little black dress – actually two identical Elli Grace dresses, so she has time to wash them – and started digging in her closet.

So far she's worn the dress to everything from a performance at the House of Blues to media interviews to a visit to an arcade with her son on a day she had paired the dress with a pair of steep Prada wedges.

"I certainly was the most dressed up," she said.

And while she's not necessarily forswearing any new purchases this month, so far she's found most outfits came from items she already owned.

Each day she posts on her Web sites a picture of herself, a listing of everything she's wearing, how much it cost, where you can buy it and where she wore it that day. She said she's made an effort to put together outfits that wouldn't necessarily be her personal style just to give people inspiration.

"It really has gotten me back to the roots of actual styling," Elizabeth said. "There's a difference between spending and actual styling."

Associated Press

Sheena Matheiken (left) embarked on a mission May 1 to go an entire year, 365 calendar days in the same dress (well, seven identical dresses to be exact). But being a die-hard fashionista, she was determined not to compromise her style in the process and three months into the project, she hasn't.

Every day, the little black dress is made new again.

She's dubbed her efforts the Uniform Project and she's raising funds and awareness for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India.

At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha's School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for slum children in India.

Sheena's collection of unique looks revolving around one dress can be viewed at theuniformproject.com. McClatchy-Tribune