Could you stick to 33 items of clothing for the next three months? 
I thought I’d write a bit today about Project 333.
Project 333 is a minimalist clothing concept developed by blogger Courtney Carver. Basically, you commit to wearing only 33 items of clothing for the next three months. Anything you didn’t wear by the end of that time, you donate or sell. Then for the next three months, you do the same again. There exists a website where people can log on and commit to the idea and post how they’re getting on, along with daily photo diaries of all the different combinations that can be achieved with just 33 garments.
I thought 33 items (including footwear and accessories but not including undies) was a bit tight, but actually it’s quite do-able. However, many of the participants don’t seem to need very different winter and summer clothing the way we do here, so I know that my four three-month tranches would vary quite widely.
As anyone who follows this blog will know, I live in a big old draughty house in rural Normandy. This morning, it was minus-6 outside and 11 degrees in the kitchen. Right now, in front of the woodburner in the living room, it’s more like 18 degrees. Sitting here in my ‘nightie’ (a knee-length merino wool dress plus fleece pjs and Uggs) I feel quite warm. But in summer, it could easily reach 28 degrees in our bedroom and I’d be in my thinnest silk or bamboo nighties.
On a daily basis in winter, I wear thermals, fleece pants and a fleece polo plus big socks from Corrymoor and trainers indoors. Outdoors I wear black jeans and either a waterproof coat for walking the dogs, with wellies, or a nice wool coat for going into town, with boots. Add a grey felt toque and some hats and scarves, and that’s about it. I have zero requirement to look ‘smart’.
Now that Christmas is over, my 33 items for the next three months might look something like this:
9 merino tees
Black Eddy tee x 3
Grey Eddy tee x 2
Linen Eddy tee x 2
Grey Fiske sweat
Grey Fiske hoody
5 bottoms
Black jeans x 2
Grey fleece pants
Black fleece pants
Black fleece Starfish pants from Lands’ End
4 knits/warm tops
Grey Oxford collar lambswool cardi from Woolovers
Grey Bezant cardi from Finisterre
Black fleece polo from Lands’ End
Charcoal Aran Crafts long cardi with hood
4 coats
Taupe Pipistral coat from Finisterre
Black Squall Stadium coat from Lands’ End
Pink mohair vintage coat
Lemon mohair vintage coat
11 other
Grey fleece gilet from Lands’ End
Grey pashmina (gift from my sister)
Grey toque hat
Waterproof hat bought in Finistère
Shivling gloves from Rohan
Pearl necklace
Gold and pearl earrings
Uggs
Brown trainers
Walking boots
Wellies
Sticking to a colour palette based on neutrals simplifies things a great deal but let’s see if this lot gets me through till the end of March.