Project 333 – A Fall capsule wardrobe

As I alluded in a post a few weeks back, I finally decided to give Project 333 a shot to just see how I go. It seemed only fitting given that I’m currently adding less to my wardrobe, while getting more wear out of my closet essentials.

If you haven’t heard of Project 333, it’s a wardrobe challenge whereby you select 33 pieces from your wardrobe (including bags, shoes and accessories) and wear those exclusively for three. whole. months. The motivation behind it is that you can very easily live with less, wearing only the pieces that you love, while feeling well-dressed on a daily basis (because don’t we all have those ‘blah’ days?).

I’ve changed up the rules a little bit, just to ease myself in for my first attempt as to be completely honest, I’ve been a little apprehensive about whittling down my choices to a mere 33 items over a 3 month period. So, while the 33 items in my capsule will consist of pieces from my wardrobe, I’ve decided not to include jewellery, handbags, shoes or scarves in the count. Ultimately, having a few less restrictions in place lifts the ease in which I’ll be able to complete this challenge, and as I see it, there’s also less chance of failure (besides, I already have enough restrictions in place with the 5PFW challenge).

I only have the one scarf from Acne Studios that I will inevitably reach for if it does get chilly, but Sydney’s cooler months are on the mild side, and chances are that I’ll only need to wear it a couple of times, if at all. With jewellery, I don’t wear a lot. I have a few special pieces that I will switch out but I regularly leave the house in the morning having forgotten to put on a single jewel. As for bags, I’d rather keep these on regular rotation – the ones that I do own weren’t exactly on the cheap end of the scale, so the last thing I want is for these to be holed up in the back of my closet gathering dust.

When it comes to shoes, there’s no denying that these are my biggest extravagance (well, shoes and Lover lace dresses…), and while I managed to whittle it down to four pairs, in the end, I realized that I’d rather have the ability to rotate my footwear on a more regular basis to ensure that I don’t wear down just a few pairs over the course of the three month capsule.

So let’s get onto the actual capsule itself – it’s a lot of sleeveless tanks, light jerseys, blazer jackets, pencil skirts, and low-heeled shoes. I work in a corporate office so I’ve selected the majority of my items based on what would be appropriate for a professional working environment. I get the feeling this would be 100x easier if I was a freelancer working from home, but I digress.

Tops
Everlane navy silk cami
Everlane grey silk tank
Glassons black muscle tank
Acne grey linen t-shirt
Mackenzie & Country white cotton sleeveless blouse
J Crew navy polka dot tank
ASOS white pleat top
Karen Walker silk stripe ruffle blouse
Karen Walker slanting frill t-shirt
AYR chambray shirt
Dries van Noten white l/s cesar shirt
Everlane black l/s silk blouse

Jumpers/Cardigans
Karen Walker grey cashmere cardigan
Everlane rose cashmere sweater
Everlane heather grey sweatshirt
Country Road black merino jumper
Ashley Fogel white cashmere/wool jumper
Ashley Fogel grey wool relaxed cardigan

Dresses
Willow white l/s drop hem dress
Ellery white venus flare dress
Karen Walker lemon spot tea dress

Skirts/Trousers
Karen Walker beige cotton lily skirt
Willow navy pebbled leather skirt
Lover black valentine lace skirt
ASOS blush midi pleated skirt
Lover Courtney blush guipure lace skirt
Dion Lee charcoal square tweed mini skirt
Forever New black trousers
Nobody navy cult skinny jeans

Jackets/Blazers
Karen Walker apricot cropped blazer
Helmut Lang black blazer
Dress up navy long trench coat
Acne Studios ‘mape’ black leather jacket

So those are my 33 items – and considering I’ll be wearing them for the next three months, I really do hope that I’ve chosen wisely. I am going to give myself a little bit of leeway if say, I add a new piece to my A/W wardrobe, as I realize these purchases aren’t going to be dictated by the Project 333 cycle. At the end of the day, the rules are essentially guidelines, and I want to try and make this as fun as possible, rather than spending three months waiting for it to be over, or stopping the challenge halfway through.

Just like with the 30×30 challenge, I’ve put together a video on my Youtube channel (it’s not short, that’s for sure!) where you can see each of the pieces in action, and get a little more insight into why I selected each piece. Do let me know if you’ve tried Project 333 and if you were successful, I’d love to hear any tips or tricks that you used to keep things interesting over the three months!

My Capsule Wardrobe: