Tag Archives: Project 333

Project 333 – Wardrobe Additions

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Adding to my wardrobe may seem to be contrary to the essence of Project 333 but it is not about denial but having a small collection of clothes that you love and wear.  The more I work with what I have the more clarity I have about the direction I want to take.

Last week I bought a new pair of shoes but they do not really count as they as for walking (exercise).

2015-03-21 01I did consider actually selecting 33 items to participate in Project 333  this autumn (fall) as I am in the southern hemisphere.  However, I am constantly drawn to the idea of a modest selection of clothes which can be worn year-round (with modifications) as we live in a warm temperate climate.  I work in an air-conditioned office during the week and live on a small, semi-rural acreage.

I tend to wear separates – skirts/trousers and shirts to the office and a few years ago I only owned one dress.  I have since realised that it was not really my choice – I love dresses – but dresses that I found suitable and flattering were difficult to find.  I now have 5 dresses plus a dress suitable for wedding/special occasions.  Additionally, I have fabric to make another dress and am seriously contemplating buying this one.

2015-03-21 02It is identical to these two dresses I already have in my wardrobe.

2013-02-11 02 2013-02-11 03Along with a plain black and two black/white dresses these could form the basis of a year-round office wardrobe.  I have a red jacket that can be worn with the two existing dresses and I would make or buy a navy jacket which could go with the new dress as well as the pink/red one.

My other proposed purchase is this bag.

2015-03-21 03I found it on Friday and plan to go back and buy it on Monday.  I have been looking for a bigger bag for some months as I want to be able to put my laptop in it and still have space for a few personal items – purse, sunglasses, phone, car keys.  My plan is to make this the one bag that I take to work so that I am not carrying a laptop case as well as a handbag.  My small black handbag will still be used on all other occasions.

By judiciously choosing the additions to my wardrobe and removing those items that do not make the grade, I am gradually creating a collection of clothes that I love and which work together in a variety of ways.

Unlike the earrings, my clothes are definitely a work in progress and that will continue to be the case.  What was perfect 3 years ago is now worn out, looking a bit jaded, no longer a perfect fit or just not a favourite.  I can see my wardrobe evolving to match my changing style.

Project 333 – A New Beginning

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Some of you may remember this post from 3 years ago when I first dipped into the world of Project 333.

This is the list of what I chose for that first round.

Floral skirt
Black skirt

Grey trousers
Black 3/4 trousers
Jeans
Narrow-leg jeans
Charcoal travel pants

Pink suede jacket
Black cord jacket
Pink quilted vest

Turquoise cardigan
Black cardigan
Grey/cream polo-neck jumper

Turquoise striped shirt
Blue/white pinstriped shirt
Black/white striped shirt
Black/cream patterned shirt

Black/pink striped top
Black/pink squares top
Pink top
Red/white striped top
Black/white striped top
Black/white striped top

Navy rugby top
Navy/striped rugby top

Bronze/pink scarf

Black handbag (not shown)

Black knee-high boots
Black ankle boots
Black shoes
Red lace-up shoes
Sandals

Of the 32 items listed, only 13 remain in my cupboard.  The black handbag has been replaced with another as have the red shoes and the sandals.  I grew weary of some clothes and others wore out.  My style has evolved over time and some of the remaining items may yet be culled.

I have almost a month to finalise my autumn list as I intend to participate in the next round which will begin on 1st April.  Even though it is officially autumn (fall) we can still have quite warm days so my challenge will be how best to manage a selection of clothing to suit the change of seasons.  Dresses and light jackets or cardigans are a good option for work.

Here are some of the pieces I am considering.

Black dress with white spots2013-02-27 06

2013-02-11 03Dress and jacket2014-10-26 012013-02-11 02

What do you think?

Project 333 – One In, Two Out

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I think we have all heard the mantra of “One In, One Out” in order to keep the clutter under control.  This week I have gone one better.  I made this skirt last week.

003Now I have sent these 2 skirts to the op shop.

2015-02-05 02I bought the navy/white one when we were in the USA in 2012 and it is wearing out.  The lightweight fabric is pulling away from the seams at the sides of the waistband and I noticed that it has actually split along the fold of the hem in a couple of places so definitely time to go.  The red/white skirt is one that I made a while ago.  I attempted to make a pattern from the navy/white skirt.  It was reasonably successful and I have certainly worn it many times but it is far from perfect.  Now that i have a perfect pattern I will be using that for future skirts that I make.  Time for these to go.

Sexism, Sadness and Simplicity

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The catalyst for writing this post came in the form of a post on a friend’s Facebook page where she posted a link to this article.  While the ‘extreme grooming’ that is described in the article is about a television presenter, it can be seen every day in our offices and shops.

Then just to top it off I found another link via Facebook about the ‘social experiment’ conducted by Karl Stefanovic.  He wore the same suit every day for a year – and no-one noticed.  This was his silent protest to highlight the way his female co-hosts were constantly judged and critiqued on what they wore and their hairstyles.

These articles in the media highlight the unreasonable pressures and expectations that society has on women in general and more specifically women who are constantly in the spotlight such as television presenters.  It saddens me to realise how much of this pressure is on women in all walks of life.

There have been small, incremental steps to break down these ‘societal norms’ but we must all be a part of the solution if things are really to change. The Little Brown Dress project by Alexa Martin in 2005 – 2006 chronicled her anti-consumerism stance in which she wore the same dress every day for a year.  Like Karl Stefanovic, no-one really noticed.  Project 333, is loosely based on the same principle – have a small number of clothes that you wear and love and realise that the world mostly does not care what you wear.  Anyway, none of us should be defined by the clothes we wear.

Wardrobe

To return to the first link in this post, make-up and grooming are yet another facet of us feeling the expectation that we have to present ourselves to the world in a certain way.

Make-up module

I have never been a great fan of make-up and tend to keep my make-up to an absolute minimum.  I no longer colour my hair and have a small but much-loved selection of clothes.  My clothes fit my lifestyle and I feel good in them.

What about you?  Do you feel pressured to present a certain face to the world?  Does your workplace have an expectation of how you are groomed?

Project 333 – Black & White

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From time to time I set myself mini challenges to force me to push the boundaries of my streamlined wardrobe.  I decided that this week would be entirely monochromatic – a black and white theme.

The forecast for Monday was hot so I reached for this old faithful which I have owned for 4 years.  There is so much to love about it – 100% cotton with a collar and cut away armholes AND made in Australia.

Black dress with white spotsTuesday was nearly as hot so another 100% cotton dress was a good option.  This is the one I bought a month ago.

2014-10-26 01On Wednesday the temperature was more reasonable so I opted for black 3/4 pants with this blouse from the recycle boutique.  I have worn it several times since I bought it a few weeks ago.  It is destined to become a firm favourite.

2014-10-26 02Today I tried a previously untested combination.  The black 3/4 pants got another airing but this time I teamed them with a black sleeveless fitted top and this blouse worn unbuttoned over it.  The blouse is a very fine fabric and needs an appropriate coloured bra underneath it and as I only had a black bra clean I decided to be a little creative.  While the outfit looked perfectly acceptable, it just did not feel right to me.  I will keep the blouse to be worn as it was designed in future.  I also think that I prefer this particular blouse teamed with my straight black skirt rather than trousers.

BlouseTomorrow it is going to be quite warm so I plan to wear white 3/4 trousers and this shirt.

Shirt2013-02-27 03
I have plenty of other black and white options but I will save them for another time.  Here is a selection.

2013-02-27 01Dress and jacketSleeveless top2013-02-27 02

Project 333 – 3 In, 6 Out

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It is now 5 weeks since we arrived home from our trip to the UK and Ireland.  Those of you who followed my travel blog will know that I travelled fairly lightly and had 6 tops earmarked to go to the charity bin at the end of the trip. In this post you can see the 3 tops (red, blue and black) and the 3 striped 3/4 sleeve tops that I had decided would need to go.  They were all pretty much past their use-by-date as they had faded, had small stains and the necklines were stretched and out of shape.  I wore them to death for the 6 weeks that we were away and was glad to see the back of them at the end of the trip.

I think I have enough short-sleeved and sleeveless tops in my wardrobe but the 3/4 sleeve ones will need replacing.  That will be a project before next autumn.  In the meantime I did buy 3 pieces on the weekend we arrived home.  I did not specifically set out to buy any of them.

The Duke and I went to Maleny to pick up a few groceries and I decided to take a look in a small boutique.  I found this dress which is 100% cotton, lined and cool and comfortable.  The fact that it is black and white is an added bonus.

2014-10-26 01
Next, we wandered across the road to a recycle boutique where I struck it lucky.  This blouse is also cotton (with a touch of spandex) and I don’t think it had ever been worn.  I discovered why that was probably the case when I tried it on.  The top button was at the level of the bottom edge of my bra!  It was an easy matter to make another buttonhole and add a button.  Also, black and white!

2014-10-26 02
Finally, I found a lovely stretch lace waterfall cardigan by Mela Purdie.  This was also in the recycle boutique and a steal at $35 when it would have been around $250 when brand new.

2014-10-26 03
I am really pleased to have found these pieces and feel that they are all worthwhile additions to my wardrobe.

Project 333 – Changing Colours

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Over the past couple of years I have streamlined my wardrobe quite a bit.  The neutrals I use are black and white with predominantly red accents.  There has been a touch of blue and fuschia pink.

When I was planning what I would take on our overseas trip, I decided that the 3 fitted tshirts that I am taking would go in the charity bin before we come home.  These tops are at least 3 years old and are definitely past their best.

It was an oppotunity to start planning my wardrobe for spring and summer as it will be well into September by the time we arrive home.  I am thinking of a change of accent colours to purple and jade green.  Coincidentally, a work colleague and The Duke both commented on how good the purple tshirt looked when I wore it last week with white trousers and a black/white patterned jacket.  I already have a couple of pieces to get me started.

Purple and jade

I bought a lightweight travel shirt last week which is also purple (although the colour is not true in the photo).

Purple shirt
Now that I have made a decision about what colours I want for my wardrobe it will be easier to go looking just for those rather than aimlessly hoping to find something I might like.

 

Project 333 – My Favourite

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I have a fairly streamlined collection of clothes thanks to my participation in Project 333 as well as generally narrowing down the selection of clothes that I own.  I love and wear all of my clothes but I have one stand-out favourite and this is it.

Shirt

The photograph probably does not do it justice but it is a blue and white striped collared shirt with 3/4 sleeves.  It is cotton with a touch of elastane which gives a tiny bit of stretch for wearing ease.  Even ironing this shirt makes me smile.  I just love it.  I bought it several years ago from Rivette & Blair in Melbourne and it must be popular as it is still currently listed on the website as being in stock.  Finding this store has been a godsend for me as they stock lots of the type of clothes I wear and the fit is excellent.  In fact, I have no fewer than 32 items from Rivette & Blair in my current wardrobe.  That is almost half of my total clothing items.

Do you have a favourite item of clothing?  What makes it special for you?

Note:  The opinions in this blog are entirely my own.

Project 333 – What to Choose

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Despite my assurances at the end of yesterday’s post, I am still not much further advanced in my quest to choose 33 items for the April – June quarter of the Project 333 challenge.  It is proving to be quite a challenge as the days here have still been over 30C yet I know that by the end of the 3 months it will be cold (as much as it can be in our very temperate climate.  I also know that will probably have to go to Sydney for work in sometime in the next month and I will need some warmer clothes there.

Anyway, 7 days have passed and I have 84 to go.  So, what have I worn so far?

Trousers

Black cropped
White 3/4

Shorts

Khaki

Skirts

Black/grey check

Tops

Red fitted tee
Black camisole

Shirts

Blue/white stripe

Cardigans

Red/black/white floral

Shoes

Pewter flats
Red flats

Accessories

Leopard print scarf
White pearl earrings
Black pearl earrings

As Courtney Carver discusses on her blog Be More With Less there are no hard and fast ‘rules’.  I think I may end up excluding shoes and accessories from the count but will keep them in for the moment.  It really should not be too difficult to keep to 33 pieces as the total count of all of my items of clothing is 76 pieces.  This excludes underwear and sleepwear but does include parka, coat, spray jacket and formal attire as well as all of my winter and summer clothes.

Tomorrow I will add a black skirt and a striped shirt to the list as this is what I will be wearing to work.  That will bring the total items of clothing to 10.

Outfit
Both the skirt and shirt are versatile and can be worn in a variety of combinations with the other things on the list as well as some I have yet to choose.

Other items that I am pretty sure will make the cut include:

Black trousers
Denim jeans
Green jeans
Red/white striped 3/4  sleeve fitted tee
Red casual vest
Red ‘denim style’ jacket
Black dress
Black white print jacket
Black knit sweater

No prizes for seeing a red/black/white theme emerging here!

Project 333 – An Anniversary

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It is two years since I started my first Project 333.  You can read about it here.  After the the first couple of 3 month periods I decided to take a slightly different approach and work towards having a streamlined wardrobe which covered all seasons.

I think I have been fairly successful in that goal so perhaps it is time to try Project 333 again.

I have not actually set aside 33 items yet so I am going to keep track of what I use until I can work out my 33 items.

2 days into April and so far I have worn 1 pair of shoes, 1 shirt, 1 pair of earrings, 1 pair of trousers and 1 pair of shorts.

Shoes – pewter flats
Shirt – 3/4 sleeve blue and white stripe
Earrings – white pearl studs
Shorts – khaki
Trousers – black cropped pants

Outfit

This is what I wore to work yesterday.  Today I was at home and a friend came for lunch and I also had visitors for afternoon tea.  I teamed the same shirt and shoes with a pair of knee-length shorts.

Have you ever participated in Project 333?  Has it changed how you view your clothes?