Tomorrow marks the beginning of the third (and final) month of my Fall Project 333 capsule wardrobe! I have to admit, I’m blown away by how little I have had to think of what I wear, but yet I still get to wear my favorite items everyday and I enjoy my outfits. I thought I would get sick of my clothes (and maybe at the end of next month I will) but I sure haven’t so far!
What is Project 333?
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Project 333, it is a capsule wardrobe challenge founded by Courtney Carver- see my post here about listening to her at The Tiny Wardrobe Tour. For 3 months, you wear 33 items (not counting lounge, undergarments, or workout gear). At the beginning of the challenge, I did not include outerwear, because I thought I’d need multiple different coats with our temperamental weather. But after listening to Courtney in person and hear her say to pick a number (any number!) and stick to it, I am including outwear now- and while my number is a little higher than just 33 items (try 40 items), it is what’s working for me. Sticking to a number has helped me, because now I’m not compensating in that department for the limits in other areas.
My Fall/Winter Project 333 Items:
- black sweater tank dress
- madewell black turtleneck dress
- madewell grey shirt dress
- madewell teal shift dress
- taylor stitch linen dress
- dark jeans
- black jeans
- black skirt
- navy pencil skirt
- denim skirt
- green cargo skirt
- anthro patterned skirt***
- black and white tiered top
- chambray button down
- blue plaid
- yellow plaid
- madewell black and white buffalo plaid courier shirt
- gray turtleneck sweater***
- white ruffle tee
- black chunky cardigan
- gray tee
- j.crew striped tee
- objects without meaning blouse
- green anthro coat
- black puffer coat
- gray blazer***
- black blazer***
- leather jacket
- clogs
- leopard flats
- brown booties
- black oxfords
- cowboy boots***
- black heeled booties
- jean jacket
- frye boots pair 1***
- frye boots pair 2
- anthropologie camo jacket***
- mustard scarf
- red scarf
What I’ve Learned:
In the first few weeks of implementing the challenge, I found out the black booties I had included were much to high and I could hardly walk in them- yikes! Talk about non-versatility right there. My goal is for the majority of my clothes and shoes to be able to go for work, playing with Lucy, and church. So too high of heels are definitely a no-go! I replaced them with a lower heeled option and have been pleased so far, except my new booties have zippers up the side, which are super cute, but they jingle every time I walk- the saying “with bells on” rings (get it? Ha) all too truly for me when I wear them. If you have ideas or tricks for me, please send a comment my way! I have tried adding medical tape on the back side and it cut down a tiny bit of the noise but not much.
I have also learned that I don’t need 2 pairs of Frye boots, nor a pair of cowboy boots. I love all my boots so much but I gravitate towards one tall pair and my booties. Maybe my cowboy boots would be worn more in the summer when there are fairs and rodeos to go to, and sun dresses to be worn with them, so I will be hiding them until then to see if I wear them enough to keep.
I included a patterned pencil skirt that I don’t wear as much as my other more muted and basic bottoms. I have found I prefer my patterns to be in my tops or fun accessories like tights. I also think I included too many bottoms and not enough tops (my ratio of 7 bottoms to 11 tops is NOT ideal!) Sticking to 3-5 bottoms would be better with at least 12 tops. I have loved wearing dresses, even when it’s getting colder because I just wear tights and layer a jacket on top and am good to go!
Although I wear a “topper” item almost everyday (jacket or sweater), I do not think it was necessary for me to have 2 blazers, a jean jacket, a camo jacket, a leather jacket, AND a cardigan. That’s a lot. I wear my leather jacket the most, followed by my jean jacket and the cardigan. Interesting that my blazers are worn the least, even though I’m working in a business setting! (Items on my list marked with *** are the ones I think I could have lived without so far.)
The turtleneck sweater was included because the last few years we have had extremely cold Novembers- this year happened to be a November with days in the 60s instead of single digits. So the turtleneck has been worn maybe three times, max. I may wear it more this month, but I probably could have survived the whole three months without it.
How I Have Dealt with Shopping:
The only purchasing I have allowed myself are items that I have on a list I keep in my journal (like when I needed to replace my booties), or items for my online shop (which I have also not shopped as much for since I find that when I’m shopping for my “sales closet” some things like to migrate into my “real” closet). This challenge has curbed my mindless and impulsive shopping for myself which has been freeing and cost saving! But I will admit, I DID go Black Friday shopping (crazy, right?) but it was to get items for Lucy. Her capsule wardrobe has shifted quite a bit because growth spurts have left her dresses looking like tops and everything else quite shrunken. So on to 2T sizes we go, and off to the mall I went for 50% off Baby Gap at 6 a.m.
Takeaways:
All in all, this experience has been so fun and rewarding. I am excited for the last month of the challenge and I’m not bored yet! I will most likely give myself the first 2 weeks of the year to shop for any key pieces I need for the next round but let’s be real, I think I learned I can survive with less!