Another look at Project 333

I've written several posts about Project 333 since I first started blogging about it in October 2012 and, as several readers have asked questions about it, I thought it was time to review what I have learnt.

The first lesson I learnt was that I had a wardrobe full of clothes that didn't fit me, didn't suit me or that were totally unsuitable for my current lifestyle.  At the beginning of Project 333 I had taken all my clothes out of my wardrobe, plus the spare room wardrobe and a multitude of other hiding places.  I made sure that my husband John was out of the way for this exercise as the shock might have been too much for him!

First of all, I divided my clothes into 3 piles: the clothes that I loved; the clothes that I should have discarded months if not years ago; a "Maybe" pile, which proved to be the biggest one by a long way. The second pile went straight into our local recycling bins, which are for a Spanish charity, and then I had to deal with the remainder of my clothes.

My target was to select 33 items of clothing that would form my Autumn wardrobe and put the remaining clothes away until it was time to select my Winter 33. To begin with I followed the "rules" and included shoes and handbags in my 33, however that was a step too far for me, so for my Winter 33 I only included items of clothing. Click on the following link to find out more about getting started with Project 333.

I thought it might be interesting to look at last year's Spring 33.

 

Hmm. Only ten of the above items have been included in this year's Spring 33. A couple of tops have had to be thrown out and there are about a dozen other items that are ready to be brought into action once the weather becomes a bit warmer. Last year I included two summer dresses, as I knew I had occasions where I would be wearing them before I selected my Summer 33. This year I have included a couple of warmer dresses for any evening events that may occur before summer arrives.

It's obvious that there are nine items from last year that haven't been included in this year's 33, so I wondered what the reason was. Comparing the two wardrobes, it became apparent that last year I had twice as many different colours, apart from more neutrals. I have learnt another important lesson from doing Project 333: by limiting the number of colours that I wear, and by choosing colours that flatter me and also go with each other, I have created a far more versatile wardrobe.  This year's Spring 33 will provide me with far more choice and be more flexible than last year's

I have also learnt how useful accessories can be in creating different outfits and changing your look. Here's one simple example: I can wear the navy jeans, green striped top, a pair of flat shoes and casual handbag during the daytime, then change into a pair of heels, add a necklace and swap the casual bag for a smarter one and I'm ready to go out in the evening. This is because I have cheated a bit and excluded my accessories, scarves and jewellery from my 33!

The final lesson that I have learnt is that we really don't need so many clothes. They say that most women wear 20% of their clothes 80% of the time: my aim is to make that closer to 100%.

From a Common Wardrobe to Project 333

Hopefully I've persuaded you that it's possible to have a versatile wardrobe with just twelve items of clothing, as shown in my Common Wardrobe series of posts. These were inspired by Janice's "A Common Wardrobe" in The Vivienne Files. The link is to one of her posts giving a variation in pink and navy, which seemed the most relevant one after I'd written "The Common Wardrobe: Pretty in Pink?"

Now I am going to be generous to you - after all it's the season of goodwill! - and allow you to have another 21 garments, giving  you a grand total of 33.  I am talking of course of taking part in Project 333 and what better time to begin than January 1st? I know there are almost two weeks to go, but you need to start planning it as soon as possible. Briefly, the idea of Project 333 is to select just 33 items of clothing to wear over three months. The official version includes accessories and jewellery in the 33, however I have bent the rules slightly.

When I first started doing my own version of Project 333 last year I did include shoes and bags, however I found it a bit limiting.  I suspect that this was partly because my wardrobe at the time was rather haphazard with lots of different colours, not all of which went well with the other colours. There was an occasional wardrobe crisis if I let the washing pile up and realised that nothing in my wardrobe went with anything else in it. By the second season I realised I needed to exclude accessories if it was to work for me. My wardrobe has changed over the last twelve months and is starting to look more coordinated so maybe one day I will be able to manage with less.

To start with, this is my Common Wardrobe, based on neutrals of black, grey and navy, with a touch of red.

Your neutrals don't have to be the same as mine: you may look better in dark brown, khaki and taupe for example. The idea though is to have a core wardrobe based around neutral colours that flatter you and then,  if you wish, build on that with more colourful clothes that go well with your neutrals.

As I said earlier, if you are going to take part in Project 333 from 1st January, you need to start going through your existing wardrobe now! You are aiming to keep only those clothes that fit you, look good on you and suit your lifestyle - then get rid of the rest. If that seems too drastic, then box them up and put them away until the end of March.

My wardrobe is obviously a lot more casual than the wardrobe of anyone who goes out to work. My preferred style is casual chic. Other over 60s may go for a more classic, romantic or dramatic look. Whatever your preferences, it helps to identify your personal style before creating any capsule. You may discover some gaps in your wardrobe once you  have cut it back to only those items that you enjoy wearing, however if you start your clear-out now, you should have time to drop a few hints to family and friends regarding possible Christmas presents.

It's been bitterly cold here recently so I've not been wearing the navy trench-coat, however it's ideal over layers on a sunny day so it will still be part of my Winter 33. The indigo jacket is lightweight but very warm and therefore will definitely be packed for my forthcoming trip to London.

My final three neutrals are a black pencil skirt, a grey jacket that fits well under my trench-coat and a charcoal dress. I don't wear skirts that often, but this one won't date and is good for a dressier than usual night out, which is why I've included it, as is the dress that I wore for a charity dinner last Friday. Now for a bit of colour! I've included fifteen colourful items in my total of thirty-three, but colour is optional if you're a fan of neutrals.

During my recent colour analysis with Fiona of House of Colour in London, my best colours were identified as Royal Purple, Royal Blue, Electric Blue, Lobelia, Fuchsia, Raspberry, Carmine and Dark Emerald. I'm what's known as a Jewel Winter, which suits me as it includes some of my favourite colours. I decided to use these brighter colours wherever possible when working towards my Winter 33. Your own best colours may be totally different, however the principle is the same: try and wear your most flattering colours near your face.  This is particularly important for those of us who are women of a certain age - youthful faces are far more forgiving! Some colours that I could wear when I was younger now look dreadful on me, which I discovered when I was doing my initial wardrobe purge for Project 333 and also during my colour analysis.

I just had to start with pink, didn't I? Interestingly enough, when Janice commented on my previous post, she said that she liked the pale pink best on me, however I've not included it in my Winter 33. It may make a re-appearance in Spring though. These bright pink trousers clearly aren't as versatile as the dark grey pair or my navy and black jeans, however they are there because I love the colour and because I do have some dark tops that go well with them.

I've chosen lots of green plus some blue and purple tops, all of which will go well with most of my skirts and trousers. That's the beauty of starting with a Common Wardrobe based on neutrals: you can still indulge in your favourite colours for tops and accessories.

My final three are a lovely warm jumper that I've owned for several years (however it's good for at least one more winter), a red jumper (red is another favourite colour of mine, especially for accessories) and a dark grey waistcoat. Yes, I admit that it's not colourful, however it makes an ideal extra layer on colder days and blends in with any outfit.

To finish, here are a few calculations. For everyday wear I have 16 tops and jumpers plus two pairs of jeans and one pair of trousers, which gives me 48 possible outfits. Add in the pink jeans, which can be worn with at least half a dozen tops, the two skirts and a dress for smarter occasions and of course there are four cardigans and a jacket ready to swap around - and I haven't even mentioned accessories and jewellery. I hope that you can see how versatile a wardrobe of 33 items of clothing can be. I don't think I'm in any danger of running out of different outfits to wear for the next three months, do you?

Do clothes maketh the woman?

Many years ago when I worked in Human Resources, interviewers were warned not to judge applicants by their appearance. As an obvious example, if a young blonde woman wearing a mini-skirt walked into the interview room, it would be very wrong to assume that she was a bimbo: chances are that she's better qualified than the interviewer! I remember one place that I worked at where our receptionist used to give us the low-down on candidates: "Dirty finger nails - a bit scruffy looking." "Stuck up. Totally ignored me." It was hard not to be biased against certain applicants after her comments!

Candidates too are warned to wear appropriate clothes: "If you are going for an interview at a finance company, then dress conservatively" is the standard advice. I guess that I've always been a slight rebel at heart, as I have always been of the opinion that if a company didn't like the way I looked, then it wasn't a company that I wanted to work for. Having said that, I kept denims for out of office wear unless it was a dress-down Friday.

Now that I've retired I don't have to worry about dressing appropriately for work, however I think I am even more aware about what messages my appearance may be sending to people, although the rebel in me doesn't really worry about it! Women over 60 used to be told that they shouldn't wear jeans, to cover their knees, and to avoid the latest fashion trends like the plague. The one terrible fate that we wanted to avoid was appearing as mutton dressed as lamb! Our grandmothers and great aunts seemed to spend their time in the kitchen with their pinnies on and, to our younger selves, seemed positively ancient. Does the picture below look familiar?

Many of our grandmothers didn't go out to work, were practically chained to the kitchen sink and dressed dowdily, whereas my generation of women expects to have a career outside the home, to be treated as equals and we enjoy wearing more flattering clothes.

The good news is that there are lots of older role models out there: Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep and Susan Sarandon immediately spring to mind. However those of us who haven't been born with their natural beauty and talent, and who definitely don't have a film star's budget, have also learnt to make the most of our assets.

Being interested in fashion, I am fully aware of the styles and colours that many other older women wear. They look stylish in a low-key and age appropriate way, which used to be my aim too. Their wardrobes contain black, navy, grey or other neutrals, all beautifully matched and stylish. However over the last year or so I have embraced my inner rebel and started wearing more colourful outfits. Why? Because they make me feel lighter, happier and because I think that they flatter me more. What do you think?

 

Style Statement - part 1

Generous, warm-hearted, adventurous, independent, creative, compassionate: these are the words a dear friend used to describe me when I was trying to define what type I was for Dressing Your Truth.  I am now trying to establish my individual style within the DYT guidelines, and part of the April Style Challenge is to find your personal style statement, so this seemed like an opportune moment to do so. 

The words for type 1s in DYT include: light, animated, buoyant, crisp, fresh and fun.  From these words, I think the ones that best express the way I like to approach fashion are light, crisp and fun. Looking at my friend's list, the words that I would hope to convey through the way I dress are warm-hearted, independent and creative. Imogen from Inside Out Style described my style as colourfully, comfortably relaxed.  

Colourfully, comfortably relaxed?

Is there a common theme here?  As Imogen is the style expert, I will look at her words first. "Colourful" probably relates to the light, fun part of me that uses colour to brighten up my outfits and I hope that this makes me seem more approachable and warm-hearted too.  The "comfortable" aspect is light again, and crisp, as I don't like to wear anything that feels heavy or drapes too much. "Relaxed" ties in with the comfort factor too.  I hope that I am expressing my independent side by not slavishly following fashion, but using the latest styles if they happen to suit my lifestyle. I like to think that some of my looks are creative, but the main criteria when I wear a particular style is "does it feel good?" and any creative touches are secondary to that. So, not surprisingly, I think that Imogen was spot on - she is the style expert, after all!

I think that "colourfully relaxed" is a good starting point for me, as it also represents the way I like my home to be.  At the moment I am working my way through "The Style Statement" book so I plan another post on this topic, in which I will reveal the two words that are my personal Style Statement.