Tuesday, January 31, 2012

What's in your closet?



I thought I would share with you what I've selected for my Project 333. You can read about Project 333 here and Janet also blogged about it here. I know Slastena is doing it as well.
If you want to see my OOTD you can scroll down.

Basically, the idea is to select 33 items of clothing and wear it for 3 months. This sounds very limiting, I know, but it is not as hard as it seems. I blogged about it here.

I am not too dogmatic about it and my list does not include jewelry or hats and scarfs. I am also letting myself to add shoes, if needed, but I am trying to first select from the ones I've chosen. Lounge wear is not to be included either. At first, I selected about 88 items, but after 10 days I have been able to narrow it down further. I also plan to swap few items (maybe 5?) around mid February.

So here is my current working closet:


4 double serge wool skirts: black, ochre, green and red rose print:


4 pairs of pants: skinny jeans, chinos, wool in camel and charcoal (not pictured because I was wearing them):


4 button down shirts: black with polka dots, blue Liberty print and 2 (!) white shirts.


6 Tops: navy stripe, black stripe thermal, black/natural colorblock, navy, white and red.
6 sweaters: black v-neck, cobblestone cardi, black cardi, camel v-neck, blue v-neck(not pictured), navy cardi


Two dresses (not pictured separately): one black and one paisley (Terra Paisley).

That's all folks.

Other items visible are my lounge wear.

This adds up to 26 items. Other items are 2 coats, 2 purses, 2 pairs of boots, and 3 pairs of shoes. 35 total. Close enough for me. I am not too strict about the rules. If it gets very cold I will wear my puffer or snow shoes but I did not count them. If I go out I may use different purse. You get the idea. It supposed to be fun and learning experience, not some kind of punishment.

The rest of my clothes are in different closets or boxed. Some of it you can see in the top picture.

So far it has been easy. I did not get bored yet. I was actually surprised that I can still come up with many outfits and be happy with them.

This is today's outfit, still keeping with my Blue Theme:

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I am wearing couple of non J.Crew items: the striped top is from Banana Republic and so is my purse. My necklace is from Lucky Jeans and my shoes are Sofft. The rest is J.Crew: Viridian Green pencil skirt, Roadster Boots from couple of years ago, Elements coat and Spring 2012 scarf.

What do you think? Have you ever considered narrowing down your wardrobe? Have you been successful? Did it help with your shopping habits? Do tell.

18 comments:

  1. I keep a limited number of items in my bedroom closet but I can only do that because I have my large clothes closet upstairs. I like it because I don't have to keep anything in bins, I have a terrible memory and I forget I own things if I can't see them.
    I do continue to pare down my clothes, I just purged out 8 dresses last week. I find I want to own less stuff, but I want to have the right things for any occasion without having to buy new clothes, it can be tricky to decide on what I should get rid of!
    Thanks for sharing your project with us!

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    1. Dani, I know. I already forgot what I have in my other closets. It is liberating to get rid of stuff, isn't it?
      I can't believe you got rid of 8 frocks!

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  2. ahhh ajc, the picture of your pared down closet is a breath of fresh air. i L O V E it! it is such a fascinating challenge. i love that you have to get creative and actually use the things you have - such a novel idea, no? good luck and i'm so excited that you are doing this. i'm working on a big closet post myself.

    xo
    janet

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    Replies
    1. Janet, I love the Project, you were my inspiration! Can't wait to see your post.

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  3. i did some closet purging and cleaned out a lot of my things.
    it feels so good,plus when everything is in order it is so much easier to choose.
    it also helps with shopping because i know what i have and i know what i need,so i (hopefully)dont buy anything not necessary.
    i love to look a my orderly closet and i enjoy to look at yours.

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    1. Thanks Ina, yes, somehow this is the only thing that curbs my incessant shopping.

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  4. I am really impressed. My husband would keel over if he opened our closet doors and saw my side looking like yours. As it is, my side of the closet is completely stuffed full of things, and the overflow is down in the basement, as well as the closets of my children. I have been purging things but it is slow progress.

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    1. Louise I am keeling over myself as I am looking at the pictures, it was never so bare, it is surreal.

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  5. Wow, your organization is impressive. I really need to reorganize my closet. Your outfit is super cute!!!

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    1. Thanks Rynetta, I loved your outfit today but couldn't figure out how to post with Atom? feed.

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    2. Thanks, ajc!!! There should be a "post a comment" box, but I'll double check to make sure that it's there!

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  6. Very nice OOTD. I sense your "liberation". I am unfortunately one of those people with a pretty cramped closet, albeit organized. My buying has gone way down this winter, even going as far back as the summer. My "virtual" closet at Polyvore has helped. Everytime I'm about to pull the trigger on something I just take a look at the things I have in PV and find an item I already own and make an outfit from it. Good for you to pare down so drastically. Looking forward to your other 333 OOTDs

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    1. Closet Crisis, now I get your handle :) Polyvore closet sounds like an excellent idea!

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  7. I am looking forward to your OOTDs and seeing your journey with Project 333, it has been a great experience for me! We can Project 333 together! Along with Slastena. I have been using polyvore to document my Project 333 OOTD.

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    1. Hi Lisa, I am off to find you on Polyvore.

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    2. Great! I am lisabfashion there, Slastena is jcrewchick. If you join polyvore let me know and I'll follow you there!!

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    3. I forgot to also say that Slastena and I have a Project 333 group on Polyvore so if you join polyvore join our group too (along with all the JC groups). It is a lot of fun seeing all the sets and OOTDs! You can also link your blog to your polyvore site. : )

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  8. Great post! Rock this winter with colorful
    v neck pullover hoodies and renovate you wardrobe with stylish winter outerwear!

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