Monday, April 20, 2015

Project 333: Spring edition

Ah, spring! If my math is correct (and, mind you, I am not implying that it is), this is my sixth dance with Project 333. I really didn't think it was possible to dress with 33 items for 3 months when I started, and yet, here I am.

I've had a couple of P333 brainwaves recently, and I'm kind of wondering what took me so long. The first is that there is no such thing as a trial period when it comes to building my three-month capsule. That never works out. If I have even a shadow of a doubt about something, it's not worth hanging up because I'm just not going to wear it. The second has been a little harder: My wardrobe needs to reflect the life that I lead right now, not the life I think I lead or the life I want to lead (more ball gowns! That implies I have a ball gown. Sadly, I do not). I tend to try to "build" a wardrobe based on some future goal of what I'd like it to look like... I don't know, years down the road. It's occurred to me that THAT is rather pointless. I mean, I'm all about pointless, but even I have my limits.

Anyway, that was a whole lot of words to just say that I had some specific goals in mind when I set out to create my spring wardrobe: Toss what I'm tired of, add what works now.

Speaking of adding (and I feel sheepish writing this, because minimalism), I went shopping. GASP. My wardrobe has been terribly bland and boring, and I wanted some color and pattern. Which is weird, I realize, because that's not normally my scene. I don't know, the weather has been so gorgeous, it just seemed wrong to be wearing black all the time.

But I wasn't stupid about it. I had something very specific in mind, which is probably why it took several shops to find what I was looking for... and then, in that last one, it finally came together. I found exactly what I wanted in one fell swoop, which made me very glad I walked out of the previous ones empty handed.

My new lovelies.

My closet now is a thing of beauty. It seems like an abundance of riches. Every morning I think, what beautiful thing am I going to wear today? Here's the benefit of having your perfect wardrobe right now: it's perfect, so you feel like a rock star. And as we've already established, of that I am a big fan.

The lot... except for what's in the wash. ;)

Here's my list--and my plan is to make this my summer list, too. I need to replace a few things (uh, see my Eddie Bauer breakup post), but I'm looking forward to just sitting back and enjoying the heck out of my beautiful wardrobe.

Grey: Pants, cardigan, striped pullover sweater (3)
Black: Dress, pants, capris, long sleeve tee, pretty tee, turtleneck sweater, cardigan, floral scarf and four pairs of shoes/boots (12)
Black/white: Top, tank (2)
Beige: Jacket, skirt, long sleeve tee, capris (4)
Beige/orange: Top, tank, scarf (3)
Maroon: Pullover sweater (1)
Purple: Skirt (1)
Navy: Cardigan, long sleeve tee, tank, striped scarf, patterned tank (5)
Navy/beige or orange: Top, gauzy top (2)
Blue/other: Recycled t-shirt skirt (1)
Denim: Skirt, jeans (2)

That equals 36. And maybe we should just say 37 because my goal in life is to find a perfect pair of summer sandals.

P.S. I always feel like I should do some sort of promo at the end of these things for people who have never attempted Project 333 and are on the fence about giving it a go. First: DO IT. Second: This wardrobe will get me through my news job, lacrosse watching, walks with Abby, Mass and weekends. Dates too, I suppose, if Eric and I could ever get our act together. (Fact: We're not fussed that we can't.) Third: I'm not including workout gear/shoes (well... I do have a pair of yoga pants and some Cons I wear walking) or tank tops that are only worn underneath other tops. Fourth: Here's the P333 link so you can see the rules for yourself. But look, when I first started, I swapped out items every month because I couldn't quite figure it out. Even if you can't get down to 33 (and I won't be throwing stones because look at my 36 above), you'll learn a lot. Modify it if you need to, but don't be afraid to even try.

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