The Year of Less - Project 333 - Review of Season 1

 

 

At the end of last year I joined in with Project 333, (read more about it HERE) and I can honestly say it's been brilliant. It makes day to day dressing so easy, and when Lovely Hubby surprises me (which is not very often ... he knows that's a very dangerous thing to do) with a meal or a day out getting ready to go takes me no time at all. There's not much to think about when there are only a few items in the wardrobe that are earmarked as suitable for 'special occasions' the fact they aren't reserved for special occasions at all, but they are available for me to wear whenever I want to, is great as there simply aren't any pieces that languish at the back of the wardrobe.

 

This morning in amongst the Blogs that landed in my emails I went on a voyage of discovery and found this http://dailyconnoisseur.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/ten-item-wardrobe-questions-week-off.html a brilliant piece about having only 10 core items in your wardrobe, which is essentially the same, as you can have extras to fill out your 10 core pieces. We can all do this sort of thing but in the way that suits us.

 

Well I'm a bit late but it's time for me to re-jig my Project 333 items,  I have worn the last lot since December last year when I began, owing to the rather chilly freezing weather we've had up until this week there has been no need to switch to a lighter weight wardrobe as I was still mostly in jumpers.  But now with a hint of Spring finally in the air I do feel the need to get some lighter things out and into action.

 

So how did my first round of Project 333 go?  Well here is a little reflect back on the actual clothes.

 

Most of the clothes got worn and worn and turned out to be just right for me and my life, they will go forward to be worn again when the weather turns Autumnal later this year. A couple didn't get worn at all and a few won't be joining in another round and here they are and the reasons.

 

 

Check M&S Shirt with a silver stripe running through.

 

This shirt not worn at all. 

 

How do I know, well at the start I hung everything in the wardrobe with the hangers facing the opposite way to how I normally have them.  Putting things back after wearing or washing I hung them my normal way.  This hanger is still facing the wrong way!!  This shirt may stay for this round of 333.

 

 

 Orange M&S Jumper

This was worn once!!

 

I don't know why I bought it (except that it is in Lovely Hubby's favourite colour), it has a round neck, I prefer jumpers with a vee, it has three quarter length sleeves, something I feel uncomfortable in, I can wear long sleeves pushed up but not 3/4, a bit weird that.  SO it was sold at the last car boot and some of the cost re-couped.

 

 

Green T Shirt

 

Worn once and then relegated to work-wear. 

 

It was too baggy and just felt 'wrong'.  When you have so few clothes available to you everything has to feel 'right'.

 

Brown cords. 

 

I don't know why I included these, maybe because they looked suitable 'wintery', maybe because they were a 'Next' bargain for just £1 at a car boot sale, maybe I thought they would be warm.  But I didn't wear them out once, I put them on to wear but they were just once again 'wrong'.  I've decided I don't like cords ....full stop.  They are on the car boot rail for next time.

 

M&S Blue Jeans

 

Bought from a charity shop a few years ago for £3.99, I most definitely got my money's worth, they fell apart last week, luckily when I got home after a day out!

 

 

Green Next Jumper

 

Bought new at the start of Autumn, never worn.  I lived in the cream version that I had bought at the same time.  This will be the basis for next Winters round of Project 333.  Still a brand new cardigan :-)

 

 

Next Jumper

 

Bought new at the same time as the cardigans, worn so many times, but now almost worn out so this will go forward into next years workwear.

 

 

Cream 'Tu' Jumper

 

Worn a few times, but then it got baggy and felt much too big.  When  I was on holiday with Suky, the Pug she was cold at night (I did seem to pick the week with the most extreme cold weather conditions), so I tucked her up in her bed with this, she loved cuddling into it for a few weeks and then it went in the bin.

 

 

 These accessories were all a brilliant success but I wore the woolly scarf to bits and I had to sadly throw it away last  week, it was unrepairable :-(

 

 

 

These were all brilliant successes and, apart from the woolly scarf, will all be used next Autumn.

 

 

The shoes and boots were all good choices and have survived well enough to be brought back into action another time.

 

 

 

And this is the star of the show.

 

Worn more than any other item of clothing, when out and about, when cold in the house, worn with all the other items underneath, it seemed to match everything and cosy up every outfit.  The colour made my heart sing and my skin light up in the most flattering way.  I felt good in it, and that to me is everything.  It has washed and washed and still looks new.  If possible I need to find a lightweight Summer equivalent, as this has a thick fleecy lining and I feel would be too warm for all but the coldest of summer evenings.

 

I love it.  The star of my wardrobe. 

In fact if I had to choose a single outfit to wear for ever it would be this, a long sleeved V neck jumper, my surviving pair of jeans and my boots.

 

So today with the sun seeming to be hiding away, I intend to get stuck in to the summer weight clothes that have been packed away and do my second round of Project 333.  It shouldn't be as hard or as time consuming as the first round because I had the major sort out then, this time there is simply one rail of clothes in the spare room and a suitcase of T shirts and really Summery things to go through.  Most things that do not make the chosen 33 will be sold at our next car boot sale or a couple of favourites may be kept as spares.  Because as I have learnt through this process when you wear your clothes over and over some do wear out.  I actually like this, to wear something out means you have truly had your moneys worth out of it and that sits well with me.

 

Sue xx