Project 333 - Capsule Wardrobe Challenge

This is part 2 of my Project 333 series, click here to read part 1: the Ultimate Closet Cleanout.

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What is Project 333?

In case you don’t want to read part 1 of my series, Project 333 is a wardrobe challenge to have 33 items in your wardrobe for 3 months. You begin by cleaning out your closet, which I did in part 1. I also suggest reading the book by Courtney Carver to get a full picture of what Project 333 is all about.

333 = 33 Items for 3 Months

After you cleaned out your closet you can pick your 33 items. If you’re like me, you have a lot more than 33 items left in your closet. Or maybe you have less because you actually hate all your clothes, that’s ok, too. I found it helpful to write 1 to 33 on a piece of paper and to write down the pieces I needed to have. That left me with about 16 items to add. Here are my must have items for year-round:

Jewelry – 1 necklace, 2 earring pairs
Accessories – 1 purse, 1 pair of sunglasses
Shoes – casual shoes
Shirts/tops – white top, black top, striped top, sweatshirt, cardigan
Pants – blue jeans, leggings, black pants
Skirts – 0
Dresses – 0
Outerwear – 1 denim jacket, 1 utility jacket

What About Underwear?

There are some items that do not count towards your 33 items: underwear/socks, workout clothes (as long as you wear them to work out) and sleepwear/loungewear (as long as you only wear them to sleep/lounge). Also not included are wedding bands or any other jewelry that you never take off. I didn’t include my FitBit in my 33 items but if I wanted to change out the band I would include the extra band as an item.

Considerations

I am currently working from home due to the Coronavirus so my next 3 months looks slightly different than normal. I included a couple of nice tops in the event of a video conference but other than that it is very casual.
Consider any special events that you will attend in the next 3 months and whether or not you need to include a few more dressy pieces.
Look at the quality of your clothes. If you need to replace an item because it’s worn out, make a list and carefully select new pieces as you need to.
Don’t have 33 items that you love? That’s ok. Take another day or 2 to consider if you need to add some items to your wardrobe then make a list and carefully purchase new items. This is not an excuse to go on a spending spree.
You don’t need to be legalistic about the number 33. If you have a cold snap in October and need to grab a hat and gloves from your seasonal box, go ahead. This is supposed to be a fun experiment, there’s no need to freeze!
I will share the items that I included in my 33 but please don’t feel like you need to copy mine exactly. What works for me might not work for you. Sizes are Small for tops, 2 for pants and 8.5 for shoes, unless stated otherwise. (see photo below list)

My 33 Items

Tops

White top (Old Navy)
Black t-shirt (Gap Factory)
Striped top (Amazon)
Burgundy top (Old Navy)
Graphic t-shirt (Old Navy, the one I have is no longer available but any graphic t-shirt will do)
Blue sweater (Nordstrom, similar)
Sweatshirt (Old Navy)
Plaid button-up top (ThredUp, but this one is similar)

Bottoms

Black skinny jeans (Nordstrom, similar, similar)
Blue skinny jeans (Nordstrom, similar)
Straight-leg jeans (Old Navy)
Black leggings (Nordstrom, similar, similar, similar)
Olive pants (Nordstrom)

5 pants. jeans, black, blue, skinny, green, leggings

Outerwear/cardigans

Gray Cardigan (Old Navy, Nordstrom)
Burgundy Cardigan (Amazon, Nordstrom)
Puffy vest (Old Navy)
Utility jacket (Kohl’s, similar, similar)
Moto jacket (ThredUp, similar, similar, similar)
Denim jacket (Nordstrom, I sized up to M for a roomier fit, similar, similar)

6 jackets. cardigans, denim jacket, moto jacket, vest, utility

Shoes

White casual shoes (Amazon)
Black casual shoes (Amazon)
Leopard shoes (Amazon)
Brown ankle boots (Amazon, Nordstrom)
Black riding boots (Nordstrom, similar)

Accessories

Plaid scarf (Amazon)
Blue scarf (Amazon)
Pendant necklace (Amazon)
Statement necklace (Amazon)
Small hoop earrings (Amazon)
Earrings – casual (Nickel & Suede, the ones I have are no longer available but I use them as neutral since they are denim color)
Earrings – dressy (Nickel & Suede)
Sunglasses (Amazon)
Purse (Amazon, similar)

I have already come up with about 60 outfit combinations with these items, which is plenty to get through 3 months. A lot of them are repeats with just the jewelry swapped out, but jewelry can make a big difference in changing the look and feel of an outfit. I think my biggest struggle will be my purse. The one I chose is not very big but I’m also not going as many places right now as I normally would so I hope it won’t be a problem.

Let me know in the comments if you use a capsule wardrobe or if you’re interested in trying it.

I will be sharing some of my outfits on my Instagram, so make sure you’re following me there.

Project 333 – Capsule Wardrobe Challenge