Project 333 - and a bit

Following on from my thoughts below about the 10 item wardrobe,  I’ve recently been reading a fascinating blog called Project 333 (http://theproject333.com/) – fabulously sub-titled ‘Simple is the new black’.

The basic premise is that each 3 months, you select 33 items of clothing, and wear these and only these in rotation.  Unlike the 10 item wardrobe, the 33 includes accessories, coats, shoes, jewellery.  Excluded are jewellery items worn all the time, underwear, workout gear etc.   For full ‘rules’ and details I’d recommend reading the Project 333 website as I’m bound to get something wrong here!

I am somehow drawn to this concept of simplicity, and am current in the middle of an experiment to see if it can work for me.  There is one big difference however.  Courtney, who started the blog, is clearly not into clothes or fashion, and her overall lifestyle aim is very different to mine.  She is clearly a minimalist, wanting to strip everything down as far as possible.  I’m not in that space and I don’t think I ever will be. 

I love my clothes and I love playing with the message they give.  To me, even actively choosing not to pay too much attention to your look is sending a clear statement about who you are and what you believe.  Like it or not, we are generally superficial creatures, and we do make assumptions based on the way we look.   And why not actively try and positively influence this with our clothes and overall look?

So here is my take on Project 333 – definitely a cheat’s version, but a version nonetheless

·         Given the unpredictable nature of the London weather, I’ve decided to take this one month at a time.  33 items for January, 33 for February etc. 

·         There can be overlap between the items each month – and indeed there has been significant overlap from January to February.

·         I only select 30 items at the beginning of the month – giving myself a bit of wiggle room for unexpected nights out/freak weather/boredom.

·         I do include accessories, but I’m not strict on sticking to this, and I don’t include jewellery. 

My main aim and objective from this is to try and gain a bit more insight into my wardrobe, and what I naturally gravitate towards when pushed.  Overall, if something doesn’t make it into the 33 item wardrobe at all, unless it’s a unique item or something for special occasions, I will strongly question whether it really belongs there. 

I may love it, but unless I really want to wear it, and wear it repeatedly, perhaps it’s not the right thing for me.  I’ve already identified about 20 items that were just taking up space in the wardrobe that I would just not wear.  And that’s after a significant amount of de-cluttering over the last year.

I’m also trying to restrict shopping – but that’s a subject for another blog.

In my next post, I’ll give some detail as to what I’ve included in my 33 item wardrobe.

Is this something you think could work for you?  What would be your core items?