In early January, I wrote that I had decided to do another round of the minimalist wardrobe challenge Project 333. Since more than a month has passed since I began my current Project 333 stint, it’s time to share an update on how things are progressing for me. In today’s post, I share my wins and challenges, some of my favorite items and outfits so far, and what I’m learning from dressing with less the second time around.
You can learn a lot from challenging yourself to dress with less!
I have decided to dip my toe back into the Project 333 pool beginning this month. For those of you who are new to my blog, I took on the Project 333 minimalist wardrobe challenge back in April through June of 2013. I did this in order to cultivate more appreciation for what I had in my closet, as well as to assist me in further paring down my wardrobe. I also hoped to spend less time thinking about what I wore and shopping for new clothing. I achieved those benefits and more (see “My Top 8 Lessons from Project 333”) and hope to learn and grow even more the second time around!
You can learn more about the challenge here, but here’s how it works in a nutshell… For three months, you get dressed using only 33 items. Project 333 “purists” include shoes, accessories, and outerwear among their 33 items, but I chose to include only my standard clothing pieces, as that was more than enough of a challenge for me at the time. The creator of Project 333, Courtney Carver, clearly states that it’s not a project in suffering and that it’s perfectly okay to modify the rules to suit your needs, so long as you’re stretching yourself in the process. Continue reading
As much of the world moves into the frenetic shopping blitz of the holiday season, I’d like to talk about a different type of shopping, the “shopping” we can do in our own closets. I first heard the term “shop your closet” a few years ago on a fashion forum and I have to admit that it didn’t sound like much fun to me at the time. As a dyed-in-the-wool shopaholic, I believed the only shopping I could enjoy was the type that took place in malls or on e-commerce sites. I was always looking for what was new and better than what I already had.
Have you taken the time to shop your own closet?
Before this year, I regularly purchased at least 150-200 new clothing and accessory items per year. I bought so much – and so fast – that I generally had little idea of what I already owned. My closet was so jam-packed that even if I spent a large chunk of time looking around in there, I still wouldn’t have been able to remember most of what I possessed. Continue reading
As human beings, we can sometimes be walking contradictions. We often say one thing and act in a completely opposite manner. This is definitely true for me in terms of minimalism and simplicity. I say I want a simpler and less complicated life, yet my past “maximalism” still hasn’t been completely exorcised from my psyche.
Do you struggle with the less vs. more dichotomy?
I’ll tie this discussion in to clothing and wardrobe shortly, but allow me to start with another personal example… I subscribe to a lot of magazines; too many, in fact. This excess happened gradually, as I regularly received low-cost subscription offers from a number of publications. I’d see the offer and think, “Only $12 for a year? Of course I’ll subscribe!” And so it went, until piles and piles of magazines were delivered to me each month. Continue reading
In my last post, I shared some lessons I learned from examining my favorite clothes and shoes from this past summer. In the comments section, some of you pointed out that my favorites constituted a workable summer capsule wardrobe. While I hadn’t really tried to create a wardrobe capsule, I have to agree that my favorites work quite well together. Perhaps that’s why I wore them so much!
Since we started discussing capsules, I thought it would be fun to focus this week’s links post on the topics of wardrobe minimalism and capsule dressing. As many of us are looking to shop less and streamline our closets, learning how to create an easily “remixable” wardrobe can help us in these pursuits.
Wardrobe capsules can help you dress better using fewer pieces!
Recovering Shopaholic 