new clothes | organised castle

Over the last few years I have been looking to gradually transition at least some of my dark neutral pieces of clothing from black to navy.

My latest 2 op shop purchases support this transition.

The first was a dress I bought when I was in Brisbane recently. It was brand new and still had the original swing tags attached. I am not familiar with the brand and the fabric is simply described as ‘cotton blend’. The style is very simple and super comfortable to wear and it could be dressed up or down depending on the accessories chosen. I am thrilled with this addition to my wardrobe for a mere $10.

Last week I spotted a Liz Jordan navy jacket. The fabric is 40% wool and 60% polyester. It is fully lined and no front closure. It needs a little bit of attention as the lining seems too long for the sleeves so I am going to do some running repairs. I paid $15 for the jacket and am sure that I will get plenty of wear from this piece during our cooler weather.

I have numerous other navy pieces, both plain and patterned, in my wardrobe and I will show those another day.

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!