You Are What You Read

Check out what books currently interest and inspire me. After all, you are what you read, so make sure it's good and good for you too.

Courtney Carver, creator of Be More With Less and author of Soulful Simplicity, released her second book in 2020 entitled Project 333: The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really Is So Much More. I purchased the book online last year. Actually, the book came with my purchase of a ticket to see Carver live on her book tour. The event was supposed to have taken place at the the SF Ferry Building in March 2020, but due to pandemic, the event was cancelled and I never got to see her in person. I did, however, receive my copy of her book and recently finished reading it. While this blog post will be about the book itself, it will neither be a review of the book, nor will it encourage my readers (you) to go out and get your own copy. This blog post will focus more on why Project 333 interests me and will serve as a space to document my own journey to dress with less. I should also note, the book itself is what prompted me to finally start this blog in the first place so it is only fitting that my first post pay tribute.

What is a minimalist fashion challenge and What is Project 333?

“ [...]it's totally ok to bend the rules during your own minimalist fashion challenge and Project 333 is one of many ways to challenge yourself if you're interested in dressing with less.”

In Courtney Carver's words, "Project 333 is an invitation to create space in your closet, time in your life, and love in your heart. It's a call for less and a change to completely redefine your relationship with stuff and shopping, especially the stuff you put on your body every day. Project 333 is an opportunity to think differently, dress differently, and learn about what you really want and need in your closet and in your life." The challenge itself was created by Carver about a decade ago when she decided to dress with 33 items for 3 months. Hence the reason why the challenge is called "Project 333."

Please note that Project 333 does have a set of "rules" that you can look up and follow if you choose to (check out https://bemorewithless.com/project-333/ for more info), but just know that these rules can be modified to fit your individual needs and personal lifestyle. In other words, it's totally ok to bend the rules during your own minimalist fashion challenge and Project 333 is one of many ways to challenge yourself if you're interested in dressing with less.

My Why

So why on earth would anybody, myself included, want to dress with less? Well, my own minimalism journey started back in 2017 when I cam across the likes of The Minimalists (https://www.theminimalists.com) and Marie Kondo (https://konmari.com) in my search to organize my things after I had downsized from a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home to a tiny studio apartment. Technically, I could say that my minimalism journey began in 2015 without me realizing when I decided to sell my 1,400 square foot home, but that is an entirely separate blog post in an of itself. At the time, I was looking for strategies to organize my countless personal items to better fit into a space that, in reality, could not possibly hold everything I owned. I browsed the web for storage boxes solutions and looked for clever ways to maximize storage space. Now, I mentioned two different influencers, The Minimalists and Marie Kondo (creator of the KonMari™ tidying method), whom I came across in my Google search. While both influencers have their own separate approaches on how to deal with ones belongings, I found that both resonated with me deeply and taught me two important concepts:

1. The best way to organize my things was to "get rid of most of it."

2. The best way to figure out what to keep was to find out what "sparked joy."

Now, I could dive deeper into how I proceeded to organize my things, but this isn't what this blog post is about. What I find more interesting is the why behind my actions and reasons for wanting to dress with less. What started out as my short-term quest to organize my things turned into a long-term journey to make space for other things in my life and it all began with my wardrobe. I wanted to simplify my life in order to have more time to explore other interests rather than spend my precious time, energy and resources organizing, cleaning and buying more things (i.e. clothes, accessories, shoes, shoes and more shoes) that I really did not need. I asked myself questions like "Why am I holding onto this item?" "Would I wear this now?" "Is this article of clothing really a reflection of me or is it a reflection of how I want others to perceive me?" and "Does this item Spark Joy?" (Thank you, Marie Kondo).

“[...]I could dive deeper into how I proceeded to organize my things, but this isn't what this blog post is about. What I find more interesting is the why behind my actions and reasons for wanting to dress with less.”

By pairing down my wardrobe along with my personal belongings, I learned about my personal style and gave myself permission to begin purchasing items that were of higher quality. I realized that I tended to wear the same few items of clothing over and over not because I did not have anything else to wear, but because I felt the most comfortable and confident in certain pieces than I did with the rest of my wardrobe. I discovered that fast fashion and the latest trends played mind tricks on the common consumer and I certainly did not want to fall into that category.

“By participating in this challenge, I am allowing myself to practice intentionality and simplicity, which will ultimately spill over into other areas of my life. As Carver suggests in her book, Project 333 will allow you to gain the following: money, time, space, clarity and freedom.”

There are lots of reasons why one would want to take on a minimalist fashion challenge like Project 333. For me, my biggest why is that I want to live more intentionally and one way to start is by focusing on my wardrobe. No, I don't mean devoting more resources to it or purchasing 33 new items for the next three months. What I do strive to do is get creative with what I already have, only wear items that I consider to be my "favorite" (if it's not my favorite then why is it in my closet and why would I put it on my body?) and challenge myself to NOT purchase any new items during the entire month of February (yes, I know it's the shortest month in a year, but it has taken me the month of January to start and complete this blog post so I figure it best to start once this goes live). By participating in this challenge, I am allowing myself to practice intentionality and simplicity, which will ultimately spill over into other areas of my life. As Carver suggests in her book, Project 333 will allow you to gain the following: money, time, space, clarity and freedom. How, you ask? Well, you'll just have to try Project 333 out for yourself. Or, at least wait for me to post an update after the end of February.

Jill's Challenge: 33 items for February 2021

“Looking at my 33 items alongside the other items of clothing I won't be wearing for the rest of the season makes me realize that while I have already sold, donated and given away a handful of my items, I still have way more than enough.”

So, now you know a little bit about Project 333 and you also know my reasons for why I want to challenge myself to dress with fewer items starting on February 1st, 2021. Of course, many of you will probably also want to know what items I will be dressing with so, here goes:

1. Purse (black)

2. Aviators

3. Fitbit watch

4. Earrings

5. Bracelet

6. Scarf (navy)

7. Rothy's flats (tri-color)

8. Converse Chucks (white)

9. Rothy's Chelsea boots (black)

10. Ankle boots (black)

11. Long boots (black)

12. Denim jeans

13. Long pants (black)

14. Leggings (black)

15. Joggers (black)

16. Pencil skirt (black)

17. Tank top (white)

18. T-shirt (white)

19. Wrap long sleeve top (white)

20. Button down shirt (white)

21. Mock turtle neck long sleeve (navy)

22. Cami (black)

23. Long sleeve (black)

24. Blouse (black)

25. Sweatshirt (gray)

26. Sweatshirt (tan)

27. Sweatshirt (navy)

28. Collared shirt dress (black and white)

29. Tank top dress (black)

30. Denim jacket

31. Plaid blazer (gray)

32. Wrap/shawl (gray and tan)

33. Coat (gray and black)

When it came to deciding what items to include in my capsule wardrobe to last me through the winter, I had to consider that I would be 3 months postpartum and breastfeeding, which meant that I would need to incorporate pieces in my wardrobe that would allow me some extra room (I'm about 10 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight) and would also need items that would allow me to breastfeed/pump with ease either while out in public or at work. While you might think that it would be more difficult to decide on my 33 items with added conditions, these specific requirements actually made it easier for me to decide which items to include. If it doesn't currently fit my needs or lifestyle then it's not making the cut.

“If it doesn't currently fit my needs or lifestyle then it's not making the cut.”

Some of you may be looking at my list and the word "restrictive" may come up for you, but I assure you that I don't feel restricted at all. Instead, I feel confident in my choices because I know that I will be be wearing my favorite items that I will look good in, hence, I will feel good in anything I choose to wear. I also feel a bit excited about my choices because the challenge will allow me to creatively put outfits together. Lastly, I feel inspired to continue pairing down my wardrobe in time. Looking at my 33 items alongside the other items of clothing I won't be wearing for the rest of the season makes me realize that while I have already sold, donated and given away a handful of my items, I still have way more than enough.

So there you have it. That's my list of 33 items that I intend to wear for the month of February and perhaps until the end of the winter season. One last thing I want to mention about this challenge is that the fear of boredom with your wardrobe may arise. Luckily, you don't have to worry because in her book on Project 333, Carver offers a list of things that you can do if you begin to feel bored with your items (see page 102). Interestingly, in an effort to tackle boredom ahead of time, I decided to start this blog (see number 4 on Carver's list). If you are interested in finding out how my minimalist fashion challenge is going, I will be posting updates throughout the month of February and will have a follow-up blog post to share more about my experience dressing with less. Project 333 here I come!