This week, I wanted to share what I have been doing with my wardrobe.
Sarah shared how she once again reassessed and minimized her wardrobe back in September. I have similarly been gradually slimming down my own collection of clothing. Over the last six years, I have been pursuing a life with less by making small, incremental changes.
This year, we lived with my in-laws for several months after our house flooded, and I had twenty articles of clothing – max.
I didn’t want to bring a ton of stuff to their house since space was limited and I knew the move was only temporary. So I basically just wore my favorite pieces on repeat. For the nearly five months we lived there, I had one church dress.
Maybe that sounds super extreme to you, but no one noticed!
I do like clothing, but I also love the simplicity of having a basic wardrobe and the minimal mental energy required to decide what to wear each day.
In October, as I started the annual process of swapping out summer clothes for cold weather items, I decided to try an even more minimal wardrobe for the winter.
Project 333-ish
I had already reduced my wardrobe on several previous occasions, but for added inspiration this go-around, I watched a few videos about Project 333 and minimal wardrobes.
Project 333 essentially challenges you to select 33 clothing items and accessories (including shoes and outerwear) and commit to wearing only those items for three months.
I didn’t feel like I needed to strictly adhere to 33 items, but I started out with 34 items (knowing I would need to purchase a few replacement items as well since some of my favorite items were ruined or worn out this year).
Challenges
My main problem is that I need some clothing items in my wardrobe for church, for example, but these items get worn only once per week. Those church pieces aren’t generally versatile enough to use at other times during the week.
For the winter, I selected one skirt and decided to mix it with different tops each week. I didn’t love this plan but to leave room for items I would wear more frequently, I committed to the one skirt and stowed all my other church clothes in a bin in my closet.
In full transparency, I have accessed that bin one time since October; I tried on 3-4 different items but ultimately hated all of them. Rather than returning them to the bin, I tossed all the items in a donate bin and went back to my original skirt.
The Final Count
My 34 items take up so little room in my closet and getting dressed has never been easier!
Since taking these photos, I have made a few minor adjustments.
I added a black sweater and purged the tan one because it had a hole.
I also realized that my black jeans have a hole in an unflattering location and my blue jeans are too big; I’ll need to replace both items, but I haven’t done so yet.
Conclusion
The winter is only just beginning, but so far, I am really happy with my reduced wardrobe.
I could probably slim things down a bit more still without really feeling deprived.
What’s your wardrobe like? Would you ever try reducing your day-to-day clothing selection?