It’s Been a Year Since I Started Project 333

Minimalism

Mar 3

My closet’s still minimal, but not 33 items minimal

On March 3, 2024, I embarked on the Project 333™ challenge.

I had been decluttering for a year and was ready to test the limits of my newfound minimalism.

For those unfamiliar, “Project 333™ is the minimalist fashion challenge that invites you to dress with 33 items or less for 3 months.”

Thirty-three items seem reasonable until you discover that jewelry, shoes, and outerwear count towards your total.

Fortunately, staples like underwear, your wedding ring, and even workout clothes are excluded (as long as you wear them).

Being the overachiever that I am, I decided to count my workout wear.

The Preparation

My mom joined me on this challenge and we set our start date for March 3. Not a typical Project 333™ commencement, but we liked the date’s 3/3 significance.

To motivate myself, I read multiple books on minimalism, including the official Project 333 book.

I swapped my jewelry box to a smaller model, forcing me to downsize my collection.

I ruthlessly went through my closet, donating or consigning items I hadn’t worn, didn’t look good on me, or were made with cheap or uncomfortable fabrics.

And I bought some new clothes too.

Which is discouraged by the challenge, but my lifestyle had majorly shifted. I no longer worked out of the house, I was exercising consistently, and I had lost thirty pounds. My wardrobe was not aligned with the new me.

Being limited to thirty-three items, I created a Pinterest board of the clothes I owned and considered purchasing. This helped me see the gaps in my wardrobe and ensured that these new pieces would fit with what I already had.

I primarily shopped on Poshmark to save money and to incorporate a buy used component. When I bought new, I ensured I was purchasing items made with high-quality materials so they’d last.

Check out my Instagram Highlights to watch the journey unfold.

The Challenge

Because I now owned clothes that fit my lifestyle and could easily be mixed and matched, Project 333™ was rather simple.

The timing of the challenge was also advantageous for testing my full wardrobe because our northern New Hampshire winter was transitioning to spring, and in mid-March, I went on a week-long vacation to Florida with pieces from my summer closet.

My mom had a harder time than I did.

She works outside the house and thus had to include more formal attire in her 33-item list.

Other than my vacation, I was a hermit the majority of the challenge, which meant I wore my workout clothes nearly all day, every day, and accessorized very little.

On the weekends I rotated between a couple of outfits, but my style wasn’t very creative.

The Results

I came out of hermitude partway through the summer and realized I needed more clothes.

In particular, clothing for the many activities I was now enjoying: beach days, kayaking, cross-country skiing, ice skating, yard work, weekend trips to places where I want to look more polished, and working at my friend’s boutique.

Not only that, I live in a variable climate. The temperature can be -6 degrees Fahrenheit one day, then 40 degrees the following week. I need a variety of outerwear to accommodate that.

I’ve also learned that there are some clothes you should keep around for special occasions. When I went to a friend’s baby shower last summer, I wished I had a dress that would suit the occasion. And come Halloween, it’s helpful to have a costume on hand. (Mine is a flapper dress.)

While activity-specific clothing is excluded from Project 333™, and there’s overlap with what my activities require, my wardrobe has still expanded beyond what I think the challenge creator, Courtney Carver, would approve.

Though Carver has stated that the intention of Project 333™ is to challenge the limits of what you actually need, she continues to live the Project 333™ life. But I’ve noticed her wardrobe consists primarily of basics and blacks.

She has shared posts of challenge participants who opt for a more colorful palette, but thirty-three items can still be restrictive for people like me (who live in a variable climate and participate in a diverse range of activities).

Plus, I’ve totally leaned into dopamine dressing over the past year.

I stumbled upon a post on the Going Zero Waste blog that resonated:

“I view clothing as a form of self-expression and keeping a teeny-tiny closet made me sad.” — “6 Things an 18 Piece Wardrobe Taught Me” by Kathryn Kellogg

But, as Kellogg points out, there is value in undergoing a restrictive challenge. I ensure my closet only contains clothes I love and wear, and I still have that Pinterest board to help me make purchasing decisions.

I’m grateful for the lessons Project 333™ taught me:

I established a color palette that makes it easy to create outfits and limits superfluous items in my closet.
Having fewer options makes the decision on what to wear faster.
My Pinterest board helps me keep track of the items I own across all seasons so I can make informed purchasing decisions.
Buying clothing made with merino wool allows me to wash it less often, meaning I need fewer items — and they’re top-notch for workouts.
Packing for a trip is easier because much of the clothing I own is multi-use, can be re-worn, and I have a better understanding of what I actually need.

Though my closet now contains more than thirty-three items per season, I’m not done refining my personal style and finding the right number of items for my needs and wants.

Minimalism isn’t about having the least number of possessions, after all, it’s about only having possessions that you need or love. And determining that can be an evolving journey.

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