Project 333 – Making it Work 2

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Posted on November 20, 2013

Now for the next instalment, using the striped shirt as the base for 3 outfits.

Here is the one from yesterday which I will call Outfit 1.

Outfit 2 – black trousers, teal/black/white striped collared shirt with 3/4 sleeve and zip front, turquoise cardigan and black mary janes.

Outfit 3 – white 3/4 pants, black camisole, teal/black/white striped collared shirt with 3/4 sleeve and black leather slides.

Because we live in a temperate climate I have the luxury of being able to wear some of the more versatile items in all seasons. This shirt is a perfect example.

Tomorrow I will show you 2 more ways I wear the black camisole. There are many options for this piece but I will use the opportunity to introduce a couple of the more challenging items.

Project 333 – Making it Work

Project 333 – Wardrobe Orphans

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Posted on November 8, 2013

While I have been busily writing about some of the strategies you can use to reduce your stuff, I have been reviewing the contents of my wardrobe.

As I have said before, I do not have a bulging closet. Nevertheless, there are still items that get overlooked when I am planning an outfit to wear. Why? They fit and there is no good reason but they just tend to get overlooked. They are the wardrobe orphans.

This sleeveless shirt is an identical style to others that I wear regularly but although I like it the top it does not really work with other pieces. My skirts are all patterned and therefore I wear plain tops with them. My shorts are white, black, red and khaki. I don’t get excited about any of those combinations. I think it needs denim or navy shorts or skirt. I don’t have either nor am I planning on adding them to my wardrobe. The final straw is that it obviously requires a white or nude bra and the 2 white bras that I have are too big and really past their use-by date. So, the shirt has to go.

Another white shirt. This time it is a 3/4 sleeve one with light blue metallic pinstripes. Unlike the other one I have never really loved it. I bought this when I needed another ‘business’ shirt but it generally gets cast aside in favour of others that I prefer. It is just not right for me.

I am going to move both of the shirts out of my wardrobe and was planning on putting them in the op shop bag. However, my first option is to offer them to any of my readers who are interested. You may have one or both if you wish. I am giving them away on the understanding that you will pay for any postage costs. I am willing to post overseas if required. They are best described as an Australian size 10 – 12. The sleeveless shirt was made by me and is cotton. The 3/4 sleeve one is Jacqui E cotton/nylon/elastane.

If you are interested please email me. gandy79atgmaildotcom

Are there any orphans lurking in your wardrobe?

Project 333 – Holiday Shopping

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Posted on October 8, 2013

We have been on holidays for a week so I have actually had time to browse in a couple of shops. I found a couple of tops that will add a bit of interest to my wardrobe for the upcoming summer.

I bought this one at Penola in the south-east of South Australia. It is a lightweight cotton and will be perfect for our hot summer. It is a small black and white check with a touch of red stitching on the collar and the frilled front. I will be able to wear it with both shorts and 3/4 pants in black and white. A plain red skirt is on my wishlist which would match perfectly.

Today I bought another top – this time I was at Victor Harbor. The colour is badly distorted – it is actually mauve, not blue. Once again, I will be able to wear it with both the black and white 3/4 pants and shorts.

When I get home, I will take a closer look at my existing tops with a view to moving some along.

Do you refresh your wardrobe on a seasonal basis?

Project 333 – Red Replaced by Pink

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Posted on September 11, 2013

Remember my post from Sunday where I showed that I could wear my red cardigan all week with different outfits? Well that plan came to a shuddering halt yesterday because I was wearing it when I had my hair cut. Now, I know that I had the towel around my neck and a plastic cape on but nevertheless, those tiny bits of hair just end up everywhere. So, the cardigan was consigned to the washing basket – and I had not even worn it on Monday at all as my 3/4 sleeve shirt was warm enough!

All is not lost as I have kept my basic outfits the same and swapped to a pink cardigan for the rest of the week.

Luckily, my choices for today and Friday are fairly neutral and tomorrow’s outfit combines red and pink in the one dress.

It would not have been the end of the world if I did have to re-think what I was planning to wear but I still maintain that it is better to have a plan than not.

Project 333 – Caring For Clothes

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Posted on June 24, 2013

Regardless of how many clothes you have, it makes good sense to take care of them. This includes washing them appropriately as well as taking care to hang them correctly on the line and ironing when necessary. Don’t forget to repair if needed. The old adage of ‘a stitch in time saves nine’ really does ring true.

Finally, storage is also important. By having less clothes they will be able to easily fit in the available space without being crowded in the hanging space or jammed into already over-stuffed drawers. Ironed clothes will stay looking fresh and crisp for when you are ready to wear them.

Items that are not hung will benefit by being neatly folded. I prefer to fold sweaters and cardigans rather than hanging them as the coathangers tend to leave marks in the shoulders. I chose a cardigan that is quite easy to fold for the purpose of the demonstration, however, this method works well with any cardigan.

I find that folding cardigans can be a challenge, especially when the shoulder seam does not seem to meet the armhole at the natural point of the shoulder. Most of my cardigans contain a degree of cotton so I tend to press them lightly with a warm iron. once they are pressed, this is how I fold them.

This shows the shoulder seam after the cardigan has been pressed. There is no use trying to work from the shoulder seams when folding.

Locate and in your right hand grasp the side seams at the lower edge of the cardigan.

Locate and in your left hand grasp the side seams at the underarm seam. Line up the two side seams

Lay the cardigan flat while maintaining the matching of side seams and sleeves.

Fold the sleeve down the length of the body of the cardigan.

Fold the cardigan in half with the sleeves enclosed in the fold.

This will ensure that when you next wear your cardigan it does not look as though you slept in it nor will it have marks from a coathanger.

Project 333 – What Was I Thinking?

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Posted on June 17, 2013

It is now about 18 months since I first read about Project 333 and a little over 14 months since I first dipped my toes in the water and participated in the April/May/June challenge in 2012.

After constantly and critically reviewing the contents of my wardrobe and having experienced the full seasonal cycle, I thought that there really was nothing extraneous in my closet.

How wrong I was!

I wore this top to work last week. It was teamed with black trousers and I wore my dusty pink suede jacket when I was outdoors on my way to and from work. I felt unsure about it when I left home but it was what I had planned the night before and there was no time for mucking around and trying on other combinations. As the day wore on I was more and more convinced that this was not right and by the time I got home I knew it had to go.

The top has a ‘grandpa collar’, is loose-fitting and is black and cream. I know I look better in white than cream. Fitted shirts with a collar and v-neck suit me best so I am not even sure why I bought this but now I am sure it is going to a new home.

Project 333 – Winter Wardrobe & Wishlist

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Posted on May 28, 2013

Since it will officially be winter in 3 days I thought a post about my winter wardrobe was in order. We live in a relatively mild climate but it still gets cool enough to need more than summer-weight skirts and t-shirts.

Over the last 10 months I have lost 8kg so that has necessitated moving a number of items along as they were simply too big. This has pared down my wardrobe even more. However, a bonus is that I can now wear these 2 jackets.

They were a neat fit when I bought them a couple of years ago and a little over a year ago they were destined to be given away.

I also have a black cord jacket and a pink suede one.

One of the few things I have bought for this winter is a new pair a tailored black trousers as I did not have any trousers suitable for wearing to work in winter. I gave my only pair away at the end of last winter as they were too big. Last week I had to buy a belt because even my new trousers are a bit on the loose side. I did try the next size down but they were a bit too tight.

I generally wear a collared shirt (3/4 sleeve) under the jacket to work as I don’t want to be rugged up because I work in an air-conditioned office. I have 5 striped shirts. There are also these 2 lightweight knits.

A couple of sleeveless vests, 2 pairs of jeans, 3/4 sleeve tees and a couple of rugby tops pretty well round out my work and casual winter wardrobe.

My shoes are 2 pairs of flats – red and pewter, red lace-up casuals and RM Williams boots.

Now for the wishlist:

Black skirt – purchased and waiting for me to shorten the length
Grey patterned cord skirt – waiting for me to refashion it from a skirt that is too big
Plain black lightweight knit – in the cupboard but need grey skirt to wear it with
Grey/charcoal trousers – need to buy
Black flat/low heel court shoes – need to buy
Black low heel boots (knee-high) – need to buy to replace the high heeled ones I have given away as they were too high and I did not feel confident walking in them
Black stockings – need to buy
Scarves – I would like some lightweight plain coloured scraves – probably black, fuschia and red with possibly mint green or purple as well. Just need to go looking.

I need to try on some boots to see whether they will suit me as I am not overly tall.

I have 6 pairs of grey stockings (most unworn) that I bought last year in the USA and after wearing them a couple of times I have decided that I do not really like the colour, hence I need to buy some black ones.

Recently, I bought 2 pieces of cotton lycra fabric which I hope to be able to make some 3/4 sleeve tees. One is black and cream striped (narrow stripes) and the other is plain in a raspberry colour.

Now that I have written it all down, my plan seems quite realistic and doable. What do you think?

Project 333 – One Year On

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Posted on April 9, 2013

Today I wanted to share with you how I choose what to wear each day. My inspiration is Courtney Carver and Project 333 although I do not precisely follow the principle of 33 items for 3 months. We live in a mild climate and many items can be worn almost year-round so I have chosen to have a simple selection of clothes which can be worn in a variety of ways and most importantly, that suit my lifestyle. I have never had a huge selection of clothes but since discovering the concept of Project 333 nearly 12 months ago I have streamlined my wardrobe and made the items I have really work for me.

Since going back to work last Tuesday I set myself a mini-challenge. I wanted to see how many outfits I could create that I had not previously worn before. It can be something as simple as a different cardigan/jacket or a skirt/top combination that I have not tried before.

Today is the 6th day and here is what I am wearing.

This dress is a relatively recent acquisition and I love the fact that it includes my 2 favourite colours – red and pink. I have worn it with a red jacket but today it is a different look with a fine cotton cardigan in pink.

I am wearing sandals as it is still quite warm here (about 25C) during the day but mornings and evenings are cooler and the cardigan is also useful in the air-conditioned office.

I have streamlined my wardrobe to the extent that I do not need to trawl through it to see what I have or what goes with what. I know exactly what I own and can plan my outfits a day or 2 in advance in my head and then simply grab the required items in the morning.

We live in a mild climate and it is officially autumn (fall). It is hard to believe but it will get cooler over the coming months. I need to buy some new trousers to wear to work as the one pair that I owned were discarded at the end of last winter as I had lost weight and I could have nearly ‘lost’ my trousers! I hope to buy 2 pairs – black and charcoal grey in the same style if possible, so wish me luck!

Project 333 – Goodbye Summer

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Posted on March 7, 2013

We are now into March and it is officially autumn here in the Southern Hemisphere.

I was reading this post over at Extra Organised where Kim posed the question, “Have you worn all of your summer clothes yet? If not, why not?”

This was just the reminder I needed. My wardrobe is now sufficiently streamlined, that when I read this I could confidently answer to myself that everything had been worn except one item.

These board shorts.

I had previously identified that they probably would not survive as a long-term addition to my wardrobe but the thing that finally prompted me to move them to the op shop bag is the fact that they are much too big for me now. So, out they go.

My summer collection will continue to be curated and upgraded but it is a good feeling to know that the number and type of clothes that I have suits my current lifestyle.

I wonder if I will be able to say the same about my winter clothes at the beginning of spring?