When you spend a year doing your best not to shop, you get a much more clear idea of what it is you actually like and want, rather than what an ad tries to convince you that you need.
Clothes were my biggest culprit prior to last years challenge. I wasn’t an excessive shopper by any means (my favorite store was a thrift store) but I definitely ended up with a lot of clothes that I thought I liked but didn’t actually wear. Not shopping forced me to forge deeper into the depths of my lesser worn items and as creative as I tried to be with them, I still didn’t really want to wear them.
Thus, a clear picture of my style emerged and a clear vision of what I valued in clothing emerged as well.
For some clothing is a purely functional endeavor but I have always loved clothes for their ability to help me feel creative, confident, and strong. Some might try to pass off clothes and style as only a shallow endeavor (and it certainly can be) but I found that clothes are a fun and simple form of self-expression. That isn’t shallow at all. When we utilize what we wear to give the world an idea of who we are, clothes can be incredibly empowering. They can absolutely make us feel beautiful and confident and lovely and carefree, and they should! It really is about finding what makes you feel most like yourself.
So I knew I wanted to challenge myself again and challenging my wardrobe was what I was drawn toward.
As I read to stay motivated last year, one challenge kept coming back up and piquing my interest, Project 333. The challenge is pretty simple, 33 items of clothing for 3 months. This includes shoes and accessories and typically does not include activewear and sleepwear. Many people have undergone this challenge and you can look up their efforts under #project333. It’s basically a twisted version of fashion blogging, and many have tweaked the guidelines to fit more in line with their lives (which is encouraged by the creator of the project), but the main element typically stays the same: 33 items, 3 months.
I have loved looking at other’s challenges and what they chose and how they wore it, so with this challenge I will try to document it along the way, most likely on instagram (@gidgetgoestorome). I chose not to include outerwear or accessories (because my accessory game is non-existent) and am giving myself 3 opportunities to alternate an item if something really isn’t being worn (sticking with the magical number 3 makes it legitimate right?).
So without further ado, here are the clothes!
13 tops total. Lots of blues, whites and pinks. I know what colors make me feel most confident, what can I say?
The sweaters. Keeping me warm on those colder spring days. I actually got all my items down to 34 and really struggled to finally ditch a third gray sweater that I was holding on to. Kyle convinced me to let go, especially since it was wool and wouldn’t get that much wear now that the days were getting warmer, plus no one needs 3 gray sweaters…
Nursing-friendly dresses! I love dresses, they always make me feel instantly put together with very little thought. The denim one can be dressed up or down and the floral is perfect for a few fancier occasions coming up (Easter, baby blessing, school fundraiser).
Both of these pants are for warmer days. The chambray gauchos are a risk, but I wanted a little excitement in my life. That’s right, I live on the edge with chambray gauchos, be jealous.
My favorite and most worn skirts. I am actually looking for a chambray a-line skirt (I like denim okay?!) to replace the floral but feel like I might have to venture into sewing it myself, a project for summer!
The jeans clockwise from the top left: skinny, boyfriend, destroyed, black.
Wedges, booties, nude flats. Each spring I purchase a new pair of nude flats, because they are my most worn shoe. I haven’t been able to make the purchase yet, but plan to replace these within the next couple of weeks with a new pair because these ones are on their last leg of life (and I can because it is my challenge and I am an adult).
Sandals (which actually need to be replaced as well but I will wait until July), sneaks (that I have had since 2008!), black flats.
So there you have it! This is what I will be wearing for the next three months starting April 1st. If you feel inclined to do this yourself or think “33 items? I probably only have that many already!” (this is straight from the husband’s mouth), I challenge you to join me. The benefits far outweigh the struggle of these challenges and I promise there is a secret bonus: less laundry!
In the meantime, I am consciously choosing not to wear anything in these pictures until this Saturday.
Oh this is so fun!!!! I can’t wait to see how you do this! And I have that same chambray top from madewell!
My top is from Nordstrom Rack circa 2013, but I am pretty sure every brand has a version of it ha! Can’t go wrong with chambray!
I’ve been working towards a capsule wardrobe without success for too long. Like Kyle, I legitimately think I may not have 33 items. But I’m going to count, because I’m intrigued by this. I’ve been getting rid of clothes for a couple years without really replacing much. Maybe doing this would help me with my efforts to be intentional with what I’m replacing into my wardrobe. I’m excited to see how you style your outfits with these pieces.
The book, The Curated Closet, is a great place to start for making more intentional choices and really loving what you are wearing. I worked my way through it and found it SUPER helpful. It helped me feel way more confident in knowing what I actually needed/loved versus what I felt like I was supposed to like.