Project 333 - The After

This was actually a pretty fun exercise to do, especially in conjunction with the new year and putting fresh eyes on my closet. I mentioned before that even with a previous closet clean out, I was still struggling with the ongoing what-to-wear dilemma.

I realized after completing this challenge that the problem was looking at all of my clothes, all of the time. I do not need to see my summer cotton dresses when I'm dressing for Seattle winter or have my (very few) cocktail dresses at the front of the line-up when it's pretty rare that I need to dig these out for something.

I followed Courtney's guidelines and realized when I counted the pared-down closet of 99 items that this was actually going to be tougher than I thought. But I persevered! I do really well when I'm in competition with myself. It's a fun game of "ok, how far can I go with this?"

My key takeaways from this project were:

  • If it's not in the capsule, it must be put AWAY (boxed up or out of sight otherwise it's tempting to grab for it)

  • I was still able to discard a few items but am still in the process of parting with items in my "outbox." I will review these again when I make my next capsule.

  • Even though I love color and print, my most versatile (and most frequently worn pieces) are lots of greys, stripes, and polka dots. Jewelry has been great for accessorizing and transforming an outfit.

  • I'm wearing everything every week and a half or so, and somehow getting MORE compliments on them.

I made two exceptions for this challenge - I had upcoming trips, one with weather about 15 degrees warmer and the other was international with a ton of walking. I allowed myself to pull a couple items that weren't in the capsule specifically for these, which of course, I packed away when I returned. I also had a Stitch Fix box coming and wanted to complete the project but allowed myself to swap out any items from SF that I wanted to keep in my current capsule. 

I'm really pleased with this little space in my closet and the fact that I CAN SEE THE FLOORS! 

 
spruce-with-rachel-closet-after.jpeg
 

Here's what made the cut for the Winter Capsule:

  1. Navy blue puffy jacket

  2. Olive puffy vest

  3. Dark grey Bar III dress

  4. 41 Hawthorne chevron striped dress

  5. Stitch Fix navy and white striped dress

  6. Nautical cardigan

  7. Navy and plaid sweater

  8. Magenta open cardigan

  9. Hot pink open cardigan

  10. Coral knit open cardigan

  11. Grey open drape/zip up cardigan

  12. Quilted floral top

  13. Black and white polka dot sheer tab sleeve

  14. Black and white herringbone tab sleeve

  15. Cream and polka dot short sleeve

  16. Black H&M v-neck tee

  17. Dark floral sleeveless top

  18. H&M blush and black sleeveless

  19. H&M black and white chevron striped sleeveless top

  20. Navy and white striped tank

  21. Old Navy black cami

  22. Old Navy white cami

  23. Oatmeal ribbed tank

  24. Black cutout sweater

  25. White and teal sweater

  26. Old Navy black skinny jeans

  27. Mossimo dark wash skinny jeans

  28. Levi's medium blue jeggings

  29. Mavi burgundy skinny pants

  30. Tom's cream Dessert Wedge booties

  31. Grey Steve Madden boots

  32. Diba black ankle booties

  33. Franco Sarto black oxfords

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Project 333