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Trying Project 333

Alexandra

(website)

Veteran

Lately I've been inspired by posts here (hello, Claire of the gorgeous 10-item wardrobe) and elsewhere in blogosphere to try Project 333. The original concept is 33 items (including outwear, shoes, and accessories) for 3 months. Janice of The Vivienne Files modified hers to 33 items excluding outwear, shoes, and accessories.

I was aiming for Janice's numbers but I don't have quite that many clothes (I came up with 22 pieces for this first go-around). Where I have extras is in jewelry and scarves. Not hugely much, but it will come to more than 33 total. No biggie, I figure.

Background story: we move every 2-3 years (husband is in the Air Force) and our latest three moves were across the ocean, meaning very different climates, plus a lifestyle change, plus I don't work when we're overseas. This means my wardrobe needs change with every move but it takes me close to a year to figure out a better approach. That means I either buy for a life I don't have (because I'm still mourning the one I left behind), which is a waste, or I don't buy at all because I don't want to make a mistake, which still leaves me with an inadequate wardrobe.

I decided to give Project 333 a try to get a better handle on what it is that works for me, what doesn't, which combinations are best, and why etc. I plan to document my daily outfits for reference. I wrote a blog post about this and plan to write weekly updates. I am hoping that with a small cohesive wardrobe I will either have no issues after a move (wishful thinking, probably) or I'll be able to identify and meet new needs faster in the future.

Anyone else doing Project 333? What are your experiences? Has anyone done it and decided it wasn't the way to go?

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Dressing

20 replies

Latest reply was from Suz

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I have a lot of parallels to you with the moving, working or not, catching up to where you are living with your wardrobe . . .
Funny, I was just thinking an hour ago as I was putting my pants back in my closet that I could probably do project 333 here. I have about 80 things total here with me, including shoes and jackets. For fun I figured warm weather options in my head. I counted out 4 shorts, 5 skirts, 6 dresses, 12 tops, 2 pullover short sleeved sweaters, 4 sandals and a pair of ballet flats. I probably wore close to this the last 10 weeks I've been here.
That said, I don't really want to box myself in any more than I have already with no repeat November and an attempt at SYC. I do better coming by it organically.
Good luck!

anne

Veteran

Very interesting Alexandra. I haven't done the project but have a fairly small wardrobe anyway.

I wasn't quite sure whether you were working now?

MuseumGal

Veteran

I did a 333 last winter - it made getting dressed much easier and really helped me hone my style. As a result this winter my wardrobe is pretty much set. I'll probably do a summer version come May. I love reading about others' experience, do post yours!

minimalist

Veteran

I'll be following your project with interest, Alexandra!

carter

Veteran

You certainly have some awesome pieces with which to work. Looking forward to seeing the fab outifts! First slide, second column, second row, gray sweater...love it! Any chance you remember where you got it

carter

Veteran

Sorry...make that third column, third row.

E

Veteran

I would be bored doing project 333, because I love to play with colour combinations, with requires more clothes, and I'm not big on scarves for changing things up. Also I'm just not overwhelmed by clothing choice: when I see all of my, say, blouses in the morning I don't freak out, instead I'm happy and inspired. The only time I embrace minimalism is when I'm travelling: I backpack and try to keep my stuff at 30l or under and 13 lbs or less. All that being said, I do find exercises like that fascinating and have used ideas from minimal wardrobes to make my own medium-ish size wardrobe more functional by figuring out what I'd choose if I *had* to pare down and then making sure those essential-to-me pieces are in my closet! And I just love it when people write about meta-wardrobe stuff, so I'll be following your updates with interest.

Your selections seem quite cohesive and well thought out, as long as you're fine wearing a lot of outfits with grey on top! My wardrobe has a ton of grey too, so that's not meant as a negative comment. And USAF shout out! I grew up an air force brat, and while I'm not minimal in clothes (or books), I am minimal about all of my other belongings thanks to moving regularly.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Changing location frequently is an interesting challenge. Do you end up mixing with the locals? I wonder if your clothes have to change not just for weather but for cultural differences. Anyway, good luck, your selections look cohesive and workable to me!

Runcarla

Veteran

Love the idea of a small collection of clothes, but 33 is a bit too small for me. I've got 60 +/- garments, a dozen pair shoes/ boots and 6 coats (2 winter, 2 trench coats, 2 leather jackets). Counting bags, scarves, and gloves, I would be at around 100 items? I don't rotate seasonally, except for the coats, and use everything year 'round with the exception of 2 pair shorts, and a pair of cropped black pants (which are for our all too brief summers), and the coats.

These garments cover all occasions, which for me are: work (dressy casual), home (mostly casual), and social occasions (dressy and casual). I have not included sports gear, since that is a capsule on its own, and I don't let gear spill outside of sports related activities.

Mo's idea of restricting her wardrobe to her personal neutrals, and two other colours really struck a cord with me. Shopping is quite a different experience when working with a restricted palette. It is easier, and just as much fun. Maybe more so.

Good luck with your experiment. I do love your colour palette, but wonder if you have enough bottoms?

Alexandra

(website)

Veteran

Mo, thank you! It's interesting to hear that you've been wearing a wardrobe that fits within P333 parameters but that you also want to keep your options open. I don't quite understand the no repeat November things. Does that mean not repeating outfits for the whole month? I can see how that could be a challenge for someone like me, with a few favorite go-to outfits that get repeated all the time. But I guess that would be the point, right?

Anne, I'm not working outside the home now, having quit my best job ever right before we left the US. I'm not sure about this stay-home thing: I like the freedom and extra time, but I miss feeling productive and useful and also the interaction with coworkers. So I am looking at volunteering after the first of the year.

MuseumGal, it's wonderful that it helped you hone your style. Maybe it will do the same for me. I'm looking forward to seeing your summer version. Thank you for sharing!

Amy K., thank you!

Carter, do you mean the wrap top? Mine is from Banana Republic from maybe two years ago. I think I grabbed the picture from Polyvore and it may be a different brand, but it looks exactly like my BR top.

E, yes, wardrobe exercises are fascinating - really great way to put it. I too like reading about other people's experiences with theirs. I'll have to take a closer look at your posts and pictures - I admire people who wear a lot of color(s).

Shevia, mixing with the locals: it depends. Stateside I usually work, talk to neighbors, join the knitting group that meets regularly at the local yarn store, etc. So yes, I mix with the locals and that helps the transition. Overseas, the cultural divide is greater and while I talk to our German neighbors on the rare occasion that I see them outside, it's not quite the same. Also, there's no knitting group at the yarn store so we created our own but all of us are Americans, no locals. Our quilt guild has a few German members. We rarely shop on the economy (expensive). All this combines to a lot less interaction with the locals.

Runcarla, that's a good question about the number of bottoms. I don't know. I figure with the jeans, the wool pants, the skirt, and the dress, I can go for four days without a repeat. If I have to get out of the house more than four days in a row, something will have to be worn twice. I'll see how that works and adjust accordingly in the next phase.

lyn67

Veteran

Would really like to see your updates on this Project Go on Alexandra!:-)

Alexandra

(website)

Veteran

Thank you, lyn67! I'll do weekly posts with pictures. I took my first one today. Well, more like first thirty to get one good one because I'm still learning to use my camera (gift from my dad), the remote is brand-new (and very cool), I had to move the tripod a few times to get the picture just so, and having to coordinate posing, remote clicking, standing in the right spot, and everything at once - this is a steep learning curve!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Yes, no repeat November is about mixing up your closet to maximize it's potential. No exact outfits repeated. I tend toward this naturally - I like something different - but still do have a couple of favorites just like everyone. I think the idea is to see that one really has enough with what they've already got. As Runcarla mentioned, I pared down my color palette and love the results. It does make mixing easier.
As for the moving and integrating, I don't mix much with the locals here, either. Mostly just cashiers at the stores I shop in. I am a bit of a fish out of water. Many here are retirees, and most fishing enthusiasts. I'm neither. It's southern culture and I'm a CA girl. We simply just don't fit in, to be blunt. I like the idea of volunteering, or maybe part time work in a totally new and maybe fun field I've never tried.

amiable

Veteran

I'm also very much looking forward to this - LOVE your palette!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Really looking forward to seeing how things go for you, Alexandra.

I think Adelfa has done (does) the 333 and others here do as well.

I do a very informal version. In that I didn't intend to do it -- I simply found that this is the size of wardrobe that tends to work best for me -- with some adjustments.

I switch out seasonally because of my climate, and work in 6 to 8 week blocks, moving items in and out as weather conditions change. My winter is much longer so I have more than 33 items in that season (or I would go mad with boredom). My high summer is shorter so I need fewer items for that season. And so on.

I also don't count footwear, coats, accessories as "items."

Anonymous

Hmmm, I will probably end up doing something close to this. I haven't packed up yet. I have set some things aside but don't know what the count is. I have to pack for 3 months.
Last winter I was gone also for 3 months and I think I had way less than 33 items. I was bored, bored, bored. I have been planning and yes buying all summer for this winter (like you said, buying for the future). My advantage is that I am going back to the same place so I know what types of items I need.
Whenever I'm limited I always miss my shoes. I could probably pick out 3 outfits (3 tops, 3 bottoms) and 10 pairs of shoes to mix it up.

Lisa

Veteran

I haven't done project 333 myself, but I recently started a challenge from DH to keep and wear a very small number of clothes in my closet. All the extras are in a separate closet for now.

Rules
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....m-dh-rules

Week 1 recap
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....nge-week-1

Week 1 outfits
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....-1-outfits

E

Veteran

I don't wear a lot of colours at once! And a lot of time I'm mixing neutrals rather than colours. I just like having my favourite pieces in different neutrals and colours so I can mix it up.

Alexandra

(website)

Veteran

Mo, thank you for the explanation. I looked at your blog - I love how you have that laid-back, casual vibe. This is something I struggle with. Even when I try to dress casually, the result looks like I'm going to a fairly formal office.
I hope you find some like-minded people soon. Fish out of water is not a good feeling.

Amy (amiable), thank you!

Suz, it's interesting that you worked out a (relatively) small-sized wardrobe organically. Your adjustments make sense. With your climate, do you have any items that you wear year-round? Or do you, over the course of the year, rotate every item out at some point?

Tracina, good luck with your packing. Funny that you miss your shoes more than clothes. While we were moving earlier this year, I ended up with just one pair of shoes for two months (my mistake - letting the movers pack up all my shoes). I didn't mind having only one pair, I just worried that it may not be good for them to be worn every day.

Lisa, that is a very interesting challenge. It looks like your first week went well. I'll be watching your progress. Thank you for sharing!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Alexandra, I have a very few items that I wear year round. Underwear, obviously. I do keep some jeans available all year -- but in summer, I rarely wear them. I have one dress that in a pinch could be used cross seasonally in all seasons with some layering -- but it is not truly warm enough for my winters, so gets little use then. And honestly, apart from a few button up cotton shirts -- that's about it. Jackets and blazers are needed in different weights in my climate. I don't wear sweaters in the summers, apart from one cotton one on the rare cooler evening. I don't wear many sleeveless items in winter. I do wear sleeved shirts in summer, but they are different fabrics than my winter ones (linen vs. a heavier cotton or silk for winter). And so it goes.

Part of this is because I live and work in a non-air conditioned environment. So even though my summers are short, they are genuinely hot. And my winters (I'm in Canada) are long and cold.

Of course I do have items that cross most seasons. So -- although I don't wear jeans much (if at all) in high summer, I do wear them for 6/8 of the year. I might not wear the same jacket in December that I wear in June...but I will wear the June jacket in September and the December one in February. And so on.