Hello!
I’ve never really been a fan of seasonal wardrobes – several YouTubers I follow have successful capsule wardrobes but I never thought it was for me. I felt like my wardrobe was more efficient when I could make it work in all seasons, but then I saw Hannah Witton try Project 333 and I like the sound of that challenge.
Project 333 is essentially a capsule wardrobe with rules and I like rules / structure / guidelines – the principle is 33 items of clothing to last over 3 months, so it’s a smaller wardrobe that you get more wear out of lasting three months, could be pretty well timed with the seasons if I use both of my brain cells.
The 33 items are meant to include jewellery and shoes, but not items like underwear, pyjamas, gym wear or sentimental jewellery like a wedding or engagement ring.
But I’ve bent the rules ever so slightly to work with my wardrobe and lifestyle (because I didn’t see the point in forcing myself to comply to rules that don’t work for me) – I don’t bother counting my shoes, because I don’t have loads of shoes but I make them work year round. I don’t count my ‘fancy’ clothes because I can’t judge them on how frequently I wear them because they’re situational (and pandemic…). I don’t really stick to 33 items either!
But sorting through my clothes at regular intervals makes me think about how much I wear them – I have so much more space in my drawers now that I have them separated out and it’s really satisfying.
The worst bit is the sorting itself – I put it off for all of September but when I did it, it felt so good to shuffle everything round and fold everything neatly into the boxes under my bed or in my drawers. Swapping everything around every three months makes everything feel fresh and new even though many of my clothes are years old. There’s nothing wrong with them though! They still fit, I’ve never been one for ‘fashionable’ or ‘trendy’ styles so I still wear them.
It makes me think so much more about the clothes I buy and what I actually wear – it’s helped me streamline my wardrobe and spend less on clothes; even though I think the t-shirts with the Disney slogans are really cute, I don’t get any wear out of them.
Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I still impulse buy and it’s a bit hit and miss but I’m getting much better at keeping receipts and taking things back (and getting a refund always feels like an exciting bonus).
I’m currently in the market for more office-wear and trying to find the balance with not having loads of clothes, having clothes that are distinctly not for work but also buying clothes that fit both smart and casual. It’s a fun balance to strike, that’s for sure.
I love clothes and I love fashion, I’ve never considered myself fashionable because I don’t keep up with trends, I don’t follow what celebrities are wearing and anything I’ve ever seen from any location’s ‘Fashion Week’ always baffles me. But I really love clothes – I like finding clothes that make me feel comfy, I like finding clothes that make me feel cute, predominantly I like finding clothes that make me look edgier than I am (read: a leather jacket and my Dr Martens). I love dressing in a feminine style, I love dressing in an androgynous style and I love dressing in clothes that are four to six sizes too big for me and feeling like a toddler wearing my parent’s clothes.
Clothes are cool, fashion is cool, I like figuring out new ways to make my wardrobe feel more exciting while saving money and being more environmentally conscious.
Thank you for reading,
Sophie xx
sophie counts clouds 