Project 333 Update

I believe I gave myself about 48 clothing items for this first round of P333. Here I am 1-1/2 months into it, and I haven’t worn quite a few of those items. I am finding myself wearing the same things over and over but not really repeating outfits. Here’s my roundup:

 

Sweaters:

7 button down – 3 worn only once, 1 of them several times (my trusty black cardigan), and the other 3 not at all. I decided that one of the sweaters was a little too lightweight and therefore it has been moved back to my closet and will come out in the spring. I had a second black sweater and the opportunity to wear it just never materialized. The last one is ¾ sleeves and I just haven’t been inclined to wear it. It’s also quite bright, so I think it will work better in the spring.

4 pullover – I’ve worn all of these several times. Two are lightweight and work well over a blouse and the others are a bit heavier and are worn on their own.

 
1 open front cardigan – worn two or three times. I can wear this with so many things; I just don’t know why I haven’t.

Dresses:

1 black, 1 geometric pattern, 1 wool cowl neck. I wore the cowl neck for the second time yesterday and almost died of heatstroke in the office. Last night I washed it and it is now in the giveaway pile. It was one of those dirt cheap, name brand, final sale bargain buys that I never really loved. The geometric pattern dress has been a staple and has been worn several times. The black dress was worn a few times, but the last time I washed it my husband unknowingly threw it in the dryer. I haven’t tried it on again to see if it still fits. I’m a little afraid.

 

Pants:

1 gray, 1 brown, 3 denim, 2 black – I wore the gray and the brown earlier on. They were also Talbots final sale bargain pants of good quality. I was never happy though with how they fit so decided I could live without them. They’re in the giveaway pile. I’ve worn the denim several times, and the black ones got the most wear.

 

Skirts:

1 black, 1 gray, 1 taupe, 2 multicolored, 1 polka dot – I’ve worn the black, gray and polka dotted several times. The taupe is fairly new so I’ve worn it once. Wore one of the multicolored ones twice and the other one I decided is more spring like so it went back into the closet.

 

Blouses:

2 white button downs, 1 red, 1 animal print, 1 silver – Have not worn the white cotton blouse at all. I’m not entirely sure why; maybe because it’s not a good layering blouse. The other white, the red, and the animal print were new purchases. Red and white are great for layering as they are silky and lightweight. The animal print is kind of long; I wore it once but am having a hard time styling it. It will work into spring though, so I’m holding on to it. Wore the silver blouse a couple of times.

 

Tops:

3 striped tees (black/gray, black/white, white/black), 1 polka dot, 1 solid royal blue, 2 black – have worn all of these (minus the polka dot) several times. They continue to work as great base layers with my sweaters. The polka dot is a new purchase. It’s a bit big but since it’s black and white, it will go with a lot and can transition into spring.

 

Jackets:

3 black, 1 denim – wore 2 black and the denim a few times. The other one is a bit heavy so I’ll end up wearing it more as an outer layer when the weather warms up.

 

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I did not include outerwear, shoes, purses, scarves or jewelry in my 33-50 items because I did not want to limit myself. However, as to be expected, I ended up wearing the same shoes/jewelry/ outerwear and carrying the same purse all winter.

Shoes:

1 pair rain boots, 1 pair black Uggs, 1 pair black pumps, 1 pair black flats, 1 pair of sneakers, 1 pair black walking shoes, 2 pairs of black leater boots. Clearly many of these won't be on the spring list, but I am not sick of them yet. I've had no desire to purchase another pair of shoes because these have all suited me just fine.

Outerwear:

1 almost knee length black wool coat, 1 black shorter coat, 1 black down coat, 1 shorter ski jacket – wore all of these, but the down coat has seen the most wear because of all the snow. It is functional and warm, but I’m tired of looking like a grizzly bear. I have two more winter coats that I need to just give away as I am unlikely to wear them again. I tried making the argument to myself that they are wool, warm, good quality, and I will wear them next year, but who am I kidding. I haven't worn them in about 5 years, so it's time to pass them on to someone who will use them.  

Purses:

1 light tan satchel with a detachable shoulder strap, 1 small green square bag that fits my laptop perfectly. I’ve gotten compliments on my purse from everyone. I picked it up at a discount store for $50. It’s not real leather, but I really wish it was. The size, shape, and color are perfect, and in the future, I may splurge on one that is real leather. The laptop bag was a super lucky find. I saw it in the same discount store for $20 hidden behind some more expensive bags. It’s colorful and matches nothing, but that is okay because I only bring it home some of the time. It’s the perfect size and I am thrilled with it. 

Jewelry:
I have been either throwing away super cheap jewelry that I never wear or colleting the stuff that is still salvageable to give away. I feel like I have a lot of jewelry, but probably not as much as others. Many of my pieces were gifts from my husband, so they stay. As for the other stuff, well, if it doesn't look classic/timeless, I'm probably going to get rid of it as I go along.

Scarves:
I've gotten rid of a few but I still have a lot more. Because I don't feel that they take up much room, I will keep them for now. However, I have not bought any new scarves at all this winter, nor have I had the desire to do so. 

What I Have Learned:

1. I am not yet tired of any of the clothes that I’ve already worn. I can still come up with a lot of different combinations.

 

2. The number of pieces I wear can probably be reduced next winter because I find that I wear them to work and then come home and change into yoga pants anyway due to the cold weather. I should probably stock up on those instead.

 

3. Many of my clothes will transition over to the next season because it will still be chilly in April. Also, because I work in an office, many articles are all weather pieces.

 

4. I need a new pair of rain/snow boots. I'd like to get a really good pair this spring duruing a sale, but I'm not sure it's in the budget this year,   

 

5. Real Uggs are the most fabulous things in the world. (Will share an interesting story on real vs. fake Uggs in an upcoming post.)

 

6. I will try to include shoes in my next selection. I'm making no promises, but I do think I could limit myself to a few pair and not feel shoe deprived.

 

7. I really need to go through my purses, but I am finding that this is the one thing that I tend to get bored with faster than everything else. I like carrying different purses, but I don't switch them out enough to get sufficient use from them. I need to further examine my feelings on purses as the year progresses.  

Finally, our winter here has been brutal, but I'm not dying to get into spring clothes like I usually am. I'm not even thinking about a "new" wardrobe for spring. Instead, I am really satisfied so far with my clothing choices and how this project has been going. I have become so much more selective about spending money on clothes. On the rare occasion that I have actually been in a store and see something that I might like, I immediately think, “If it’s not EXACTLY what I’m looking for, then I’m not wasting my money on it.” This has carried over to other things as well, such as items for my home. I absolutely refuse to have buyer’s remorse anymore, even if I just spend $10.