Yesterday was the last day of my initial #Project333 attempt, and I’m happy to report that I stuck with the challenge for the full three months! I did cheat in two small ways: I borrowed a pair of gloves when I was visiting my mom because it was really cold, and I borrowed a hoodie from a friend when we spontaneously decided to spend sometime outside after brunch and I hadn’t prepared for the chilly weather. Otherwise, I limited myself to the initial list I posted three months ago. I replaced my black pantsuit mid-challenge, which is something I had contemplated doing before I started this because the old one was getting pretty worn (I had bought it in 2011 and worn it heavily). Since I just replaced one black pantsuit with another that looked pretty similar, I didn’t consider that to be going outside my 33 items.
So how did it go? Well, dressing for essentially three seasons with 33 items was tough. When I started the challenge, it was hot here, and I wished I had included a pair of shorts. When I finished, it was cold and snowy, and there were days when my fleece-lined trench coat wasn’t quite warm enough for the winter weather. I managed okay, but it would have been nice to have some gloves and a heavier coat. The temperatures during the past three months have ranged from the 20s to the 80s, which is a big spread. I could probably control for some of that variation by timing the three-month seasons differently, but I live in a place with a variable, unpredictable climate, so big swings in the weather are probably unavoidable here. It may have been smarter for me to swap out some unnecessary accessories (a second pair of earrings, a thin scarf) for some more seasonally-practical items.
Read more