Way, way back around the beginning of June, I committed to Project 333 – wearing only 33 pieces of clothing for 3 months. Well my three months is finished with the beginning of Spring, and it’s time to look at how I went

The Positives

• 33 Items was really doable. Until probably the last week or so, I didn’t feel like I was rewearing outfits. The last week got tricky as layering was less possible
• I wasn’t digging through big piles of clothing to figure out what to wear
• I knew everything in my list fit me and looked good (with 2 exceptions – see below)
• Washing was easier because everything went in one load
• I didn’t buy any clothes during this time – no compulsive buying!
• I really thought about clothes – what looked good on me, what my style was, what features I was looking for
• I had clothes for birthday parties and weddings!

The Negatives

• I didn’t include a warm casual jumper. I ended up swapping one in
• I didn’t anticipate a sudden change to summer like conditions (30 degrees Celsius) in the last week of winter – I ended pulling out two pairs of shorts to cope, and found that all my cardigans and almost all my long sleeve shirts were unwearable
• Two pieces I’d chosen became problematic – my casual jeans became way too loose and one layering piece was unsuitable for breastfeeding.
• I struggled a bit with the washing – in our house nappies are first priority, then work clothes, baby clothes and then my clothes (then linens etc) I washed some of my clothes with the baby clothes, but sometimes ended up with bits of food encrusted on them.
• Similarly, I struggled with hanging them up and putting them away. It’s a little job which is fairly low on my priorities at the moment
• I discovered a lot of my clothes were terribly poor quality and unsuited to being worn and washed repeatedly 😦

Not immediately. Although I felt the positives were extremely positive (and most of the negatives were workable) I realised around the end that I like having a slightly bigger selection of clothes. Also as we come into spring and summer, it’s harder to rewear clothes, or to layer them to get different looks. I might return to Project 333 for another season at some stage, but I will rest it for now.

But What Have I Learned from Project 333?

I’ve learned an awful lot about my clothes shopping habits. I’m realising that I can be more deliberate with my shopping, going into the shops with a good idea of what I need or want to buy. I’ve also learned that it’s worth talking to the shop assistants if you’re after something specific – today I was after a certain type of shorts, and I would never have found them without the assistant because they looked different on the hanger to how they look on.

I have learned that it’s ok to follow a classic style and that it’s not necessary to get caught up in the latest fashions or to emulate what others are wearing. I’ve also realised that I need to dress for my job right now – which means lots of playground suitable clothing!

So over the next few weeks, I’m going to look at the clothes which I put away back in June. Some will stay, some will become clothing for Squirm and some will go. I don’t think I’ll ever again have a wardrobe crammed with stuff I never wear – and my wardrobe will definitely be thankful for that!