Hey there! Two months ago I told you I was participating in Project 333 – a minimalist fashion experiment. I may have promised you monthly updates … I hope you’ll forgive me for missing the first one! I’ve been working on a BIG project and I’ve had to be intentional with how I spend my time, which has meant blogging a bit less than normal.
But rest assured – even though I wasn’t posting regularly, I have been sticking with the project. Keep reading for an update on my experience so far and a few outfit photos too!
(If you’re not familiar with Project 333, click to read my original post or the official rules.)
PROJECT 333: 2 MONTH UPDATE
I actually started Project 333 with only 31 items (not 33). I left 2 spots empty because I need a few more cold weather pieces. (I live in a subtropical climate; it still gets cool in the winter … but I don’t like to admit it! Hence my very limited winter wardrobe.)
But – despite my best intentions – I didn’t buy anything new! I couldn’t find anything that really suited my style and I’ve been really busy writing, so I decided to try and make do with what I already have.
So of those 31 items:
- x 1 item damaged due to an olive oil spill …
- x 4 items not worn at all
- x 26 items worn
- x 7 of the worn items were only worn a few times
I ended up wearing the same 19 things over and over again – especially my brown boots and black skinny jeans. I’m not sure if this is what you want to hear – I know there are a lot of bloggers out there doing really incredible, creative Project333 wardrobes where they look like they are wearing completely different outfits every day! But this is the real me and I want to be honest with you.
I still care about looking good, but I’m actually really happy wearing the same thing over and over. After all – I’m always wearing my favourite things! I never feel uncomfortable and I feel confident in my own skin.
So with that in mind, here’s a little peak at my outfits from the last 2 months. I will probably mix things up a bit more as the weather gets warmer (it’s spring here now) but for now, I probably wear some version of the first and last photos most often.
This just shows that even with a tiny wardrobe, we still don’t wear everything we own!
>> If you’re interested in downsizing your closet, click here to read my simple guide to a simple wardrobe.
So what do you think? Am I boring? (Haha!) Could you dress with a tiny wardrobe? If not, what are your biggest challenges? Let me know in the comments! x
Photo credit: The Husband! (He absolutely loves taking photos of my outfits *eye roll* hehe!)
I love your wardrobe! My friends say I wear the same thing every day anyways (other than work) so I’d love to keep downsizing. How did you find the perfect fall boots? I want to invest in a good pair, but struggle finding “the perfect one”. Any store or brand suggestions?
I love wearing the same thing all the time! Of course, right now it’s because I only fit a few things haha 😛 (I’m 38 weeks pregnant!) But even when I’m not, it’s a great feeling just wearing the things you really love.
About boots, I definitely understand the search for the “perfect pair”. I actually researched boots for nearly a year before committing to a pair of Acne Pistol Boots (it might be hard to see, but they are the ankle boots in the photo). You can see them better here if you want https://www.instagram.com/p/BBNHpsKHH9w/?taken-by=simplyfiercely
I’ll be honest – they were pretty expensive – but I’ve had them since 2012 and still absolutely love them. They are really comfortable, they go with everything and they have years of wear left in them. I used to buy a few pairs of shoes every winter (pre-minimalist days) but I haven’t bought a single pair since I bought these five years ago, so I justify the cost!
Some other brands I’ve used in the past are Frye and Madewell boots. Both were really comfy but they didn’t have the longevity of my Acne boots (but in full disclosure, I didn’t put as much effort into taking care of them). I think because my Acne boots were so expensive, I’m extra careful!
All the best with your search and thanks for stopping by! x Jen
Love your outfits! They are not boring at all 🙂
Thanks sweetie! x
I’m not sure why you think you’re boring; there’s plenty of variety to your outfits even with a limited number of pieces. I love how that sleeveless checked top looks totally different with the pencil skirt and with the skinny jeans!
My biggest challenge with a small wardrobe is laundry. We typically have five different loads that we do on around a fortnightly basis: tops and socks, jeans and towels, cardigans and knitwear, underwear, and bedding. We *could* amalgamate some of these washes (which I know my husband would be perfectly happy to do), but with fewer clothes it’s even more important IMO to make sure things aren’t being damaged in the wash, so I like to keep heavy items away from lighter ones. I’m the kind of person who will wear the same clothes for literally YEARS, so I do try to avoid things getting damaged in the wash.
I actually recently cleared out my closet and found myself with about a week’s worth of tops, and even though they’re all the ones I grab first after I do laundry (often straight off the clotheshorse!), I feel like I really have to keep on top of the laundry so that I have something to wear to work.
Do you find yourself handwashing things more often, or do you not notice any damage if you just toss everything in together?
Hey Nicola! Haha – I like my wardrobe but I’m not sure if it’s everyone’s cup of tea 🙂
About laundry, for me it comes down to a few things:
1. I don’t own much that requires special washing – with the possible exception being that sleeveless checked top, but so far it’s doing just fine with everything else! I do one load of laundry a week and everything – bedding, towels, jeans, tops, etc – goes in 🙂 I put delicates in a special bag and hand wash my bras.
2. I wash on cold water and line dry – so that washing process is pretty gentle on my clothes.
3. I also don’t wash things too often! Unless something actually looks (or smells!) dirty, I’ll just air it out and wear it again. I also don’t mind repeating outfits – I can wear a shirt to work on Monday and then where it again on Wednesday. Also, I often wear layers, so only my base layer needs washing.
Just my 2 cents! I think that travelling a lot – I’ve spent over 4 years of my life backpacking – has really lowered my laundry standards! ?
Thanks for the explanation 🙂
Out of curiosity, do you use a front-loader or a top-loader? We have a front-loader, which is standard here and is meant to be much gentler on clothes, but any time I see my husband’s heavy jeans falling down on top of one of my thin cotton tops I cringe, even though I wash at a cold temperature as well and hang everything to dry (usually indoors, because it’s always raining here). I recently had to recycle a bunch of much-loved tops after eight years as they were all getting holes in the wrists and hems, so I’m probably just a little over-cautious about my clothes at the moment!
As for wearing things between washes, I actually do do that with most things; I have three pairs of jeans that I wash every 1-2 weeks, while cardigans, dresses and skirts get washed when I remember (or spill something on them!). It’s only my tops that I change every day, because my office is really stuffy so they get a bit smelly.
Super inspired by your wardrobe! You really did a great job of choosing pieces that fit with more than one thing. I’m a huge jeans and black pants gal too so I think I could do this. Choosing tops would be tough though. This may be an odd question but I’ve always wanted to ask this with these kind of wardrobes: Do you find yourself needing to do lots of laundry and does it wear out the clothes? I feel like if I wore some of my pieces that often, they would shrink or really fade with that many regular wears but maybe I’m totally off base. I’d love your thoughts!
Hey Kayla! Thanks for stopping by and commenting 🙂 I spoke a bit about my laundry habits in the comment above, but to sum it up I do 1 load a week, I wash in cold water and line dry, and I don’t wash my clothes until they are really dirty. Also, I purposely avoid buying things that need special washing.
The only thing I’m noticing any real wear on is my favourite black skinny jeans. They are more like a jegging, so not think like regular jeans, and I honestly wear them ALL the time; they’re still ok but I’m not 100% sure how much life they have left (but fingers crossed because I LOVE them!)
Um – not boring at all!! Oh man I am so inspired by project 333 and your style looks like it would be pretty similar to mine. I’ve really got to go for a more minimalist wardrobe, but dropping everything that’s cheap/doesn’t fit me well is 99% of my closet. I get intimidated by investing in big pieces!
Hey Amanda! If you need quality (but inexpensive) things check out secondhand shops! The good thing about secondhand clothes is they’ve (usually) been worn before so you see how they look after they’ve been washed a few times – nothing is worse than cheap tops that change shape after one wash! And don’t be afraid to stick to just a few things you really love and wear the same basics over and over – if you love them. xx
Don’t think it looked boring at all! I like the outfit in the first shot (probably because it’s very similar to a favorite outfit of mine tbh :D). Awesome how you’re nowhere near tired of your 31 pieces, it seems. You could probably go more than 3 months with this same combo if the weather didn’t mean changing things around.
To be 100% honest, I only have about another 5 things in my entire wardrobe! So Project 333 isn’t really too much of a stretch for me and yes – you’ll be seeing me in these same things over and over haha! x
Awesome! I’ve been inspired by Project 333 and am slowly curating my winter wardrobe. I hate shopping but I really hate trying to pick out outfits in a morning when you have a million things but everything is in a terrible state. Thus I am trying to purchase a few nice pieces and get rid of tons of useless items. Skinny jeans and boots FTW!
Hey Lauren! Good luck with your closet and you should definitely try Project 333. And yes, yes, yes about skinny jeans and boots! x