Tag Archives: Project 333

Project 333 – Holiday Shopping

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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.

Shirt
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.

Top
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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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.

Wednesday outfit

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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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.

2013-06-24 01I 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.

2013-06-24 02This shows the shoulder seam after the cardigan has been pressed.  There is no use trying to work from the shoulder seams when folding.

2013-06-24 03Locate and in your right hand grasp the side seams at the lower edge of the cardigan.

2013-06-24 04Locate and in your left hand grasp the side seams at the underarm seam.  Line up the two side seams

2013-06-24 05Lay the cardigan flat while maintaining the matching of side seams and sleeves.

2013-06-24 06Fold the sleeve down the length of the body of the cardigan.

2013-06-24 07Fold 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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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!

Blouse

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 – One Year On

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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.

2013-04-09 01This 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.

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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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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.

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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?

Project 333 – How Many Can You Make?

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While I don’t adhere precisely to the concept of 33 items for 3 months, I have been working on streamlining my wardrobe.  I make sure that everything in there is something that I truly love and wear.  It also needs to be capable of being worn in several different ways.

Today I want to show you how versatile a few pieces can be so I selected a total of 13 items.

2013-02-27 012 skirts

2013-02-27 02A pair of 3/4 trousers

2013-02-27 03Dark blue jeans

2013-02-27 04That is a total of 4 ‘bottoms’.  Then I added 4 tops.

2013-02-27 05Three are the same style and the white one is slightly different.

A jacket with 3/4 sleeves which is very practical for our climate and also air-conditioned offices.

2013-02-27 06A cardigan

2013-02-27 07Finally, some footwear.

2013-02-27 08Look carefully and you will see that almost any combination will work.

In reality there are a few things I would not do.

Wear sandals with jeans
Wear sandals when wearing jacket or cardigan
Wear white top with spotted skirt (cream) or with the white trousers (too much white)
Wear red top and red jacket together
Wear black top and black cardigan together
Wear blue top and black cardigan with checked skirt or jeans (too many different dark colours together)

By applying the ‘rules’ I set above I have calculated that I could create 72 different outfits by adding/deleting a jacket/cardigan or changing the shoes.

How versatile are the clothes in your wardrobe?

Making Way

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As many of you would be aware, I have been streamlining my wardrobe for nearly 12 months.  My goal is to have a modest selection of good quality clothes that I love and are flattering to wear.

The Duke generally keeps his selection of shirts under control but after our  shopping spree in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago it became obvious that he had too many pairs of trousers that he rarely wore.  So, this evening we went through them and culled 3 pairs of trousers as well as the suit he had replaced.  I have also put 3 skirts into the op shop bag.  I am planning on refashioning 2 other skirts but the these do not fit with the clothes I need and love.  All of the items we are letting go of are good quality and in excellent condition so I hope someone can use them.

2013-02-18 01In the back of my mind I keep thinking of the money that we have spent on these (and clothes) over the years but I know that I cannot use that as a reason to hang onto them for ever.  That is no way to recoup the money spent. However, it is a timely reminder to be very thoughtful about what you spend you money on, whether it be clothes or something else entirely.

It is far better to someone else the opportunity to gain some use from the items that are no longer wanted or required.

Finally, a warm welcome to all of the new readers and followers.  I hope you find something of interest in my blog and thank you for joining in.

Project 333 – Clothes Shopping

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One of the things I did while I was in Melbourne was to buy some new clothes.  I bought 3 skirts, 2 dresses and a jacket but they were not just random pieces.  Each had to earn its place in my wardrobe and be able to be worn in a variety of ways.

Here is one of the skirts.

2013-02-11 01I wore it to work today with an existing black top.

2013-02-11 02These are the dresses I bought.  They are the same style and can both be worn with the red jacket I bought.  I also have a black cardigan and a pink cardigan as well as a black jacket so there will be several options.

2013-02-11 03I will show you some of the other items another day.

On the weekend, I hope to have time to go through my wardrobe and decide what I need move out.  I am definitely getting closer to having a selection of clothes that I love, fit me well and can be worn in a variety of ways.  I prefer to have a small number of quality pieces than a cupboard bursting at the seams with ‘bargains’.

Project 333 – A Perfect Fit

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I have been continuing my quest to own only clothes that I truly love and wear regularly.

When I first became involved in Project 333 in April 2012 I took 4 items out of my wardrobe that did not fit me.  I was not prepared to get rid of the clothes at that time as they were almost brand new and I was not ready to let them go.

Fast forward to July 2012 and I decided to embark on a grain free, gluten free diet for health reasons.  Coincidentally, I have lost 8kg in 6 months.

In October I tried on the skirt and decided that it was never going to suit me whatever size I was, so that went to the op shop.  There was a pair of white linen 3/4 trousers which 6 months earlier had not been even a glimmer of hope of zipping them up yet now they fitted.

2013-02-06 01Tonight I decided to check the other 2 items in the bag.  They are cotton drill jackets – one red and one a dark charcoal in an identical style.  They now are also suitable to wear so will be added back to my wardrobe as the weather cools down over the next few months.

2013-02-06 02It is just as well that I had these additions because there is going to be some more culling of the wardrobe contents before long.  There are several pairs of 3/4 trousers which are really much too loose and now are quite unflattering.  Some of my skirts are also rather loose.

I am trying to think carefully about what new items I might buy and make sure that they fit with the existing pieces in my wardrobe.  We will be in Melbourne this weekend so I am hoping to find some trousers that will be suitable for winter here.  I will also look out for anything else that is on my wanted list.