Tresi had another brilliant idea about wearing what is in our closet after reading this post about the 333 project rules.
But you know Tresi & I…we like to mix things up, so we took this idea and made it our own, calling it the 3333 project.
Quote of the day: “Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.” Samuel Johnson
Limiting myself to a certain number of items from my closet is NOT my idea of fun, which is why I rarely talk about capsule wardrobes.
Yet, I totally understand why it can be helpful. It is basically your Travel wardrobe, and that’s something I’ve written about.
The truth of the matter is, I didn’t Love ALL of the outfits I created and showcased for our 3333 challenge, but it was definitely a great Exercise in having me think outside of the box.
Style tip: Your style box is good, but changing things up makes it great and much more memorable. So if it’s one thing I discuss regularly…MIX IT UP.
The idea that you only have one style (like edgy or classic) is hogwash. And comfortable is not a style.
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Traditionally, the 333 project rules are simple:
The idea is that by simplifying your choices, you reduce decision fatigue and get creative with fewer pieces.
Sounds great in theory…
But also a little unJodiefied, right?
When you Google this idea and read more about it, it’s considered Minimalism, and you will see tons of black, white, and denim in the mix.
Since Tresi and I do not subscribe to minimalism and enjoy a challenging quest, we put our own twist on this concept to see if it would work for our maximalist brains.
Instead of following the rules to a tee, Tresi and I made a couple of intentional tweaks to fit our personal style and make it more fun.
We added 3 dedicated accessories to the mix.
So there are 3 tops, 3 bottoms, 3 pairs of shoes, and 3 accessories.
If you think that accessories don’t make a difference, I beg to differ. Of course, it all depends on the accessories you choose. If you only wear a small, delicate necklace, then yes, it doesn’t stand out to make any sort of difference.
I would go so far as to say that accessories can transform the outfit.
And especially when you’re working with fewer clothes, that transformation is everything.
Listen, I understand the appeal of neutrals in a capsule wardrobe. They mix easily.
But they can also feel a little boring if you love personality in your outfits.
So instead, I asked Tresi to incorporate color while I used prints in our 333 project rules challenge.
We didn’t show every combination, and maybe the truth is every combination doesn’t work well with colors and/or prints, but if you’re anything like me, you get bored with the same clothes after a certain amount of time, so this project wasn’t going to be forever. (Tresi even has some say so about it because she did this challenge for real…not just photos).
Here’s the breakdown of my 333 project rules, along with my 3 accessories:
-Tops: Cardigan (worn in 2021, talking secondhand shopping), red polka dot wrap blouse (worn in 2015 for casual ), green striped blouse (worn in 2022 with brooch)
-Bottoms: Handknit skirt (made before 2019 ), floral denim (worn in 2020 as options of how to wear wide leg pants ), shirtdress (worn in 2022 as a dress with metallic heels)
-Shoes: Snakeskin booties, green and white mules, multi colored sneakers
-Accessories: colorful bead necklace, colorful collar necklace, green and blue rectangle scarf.
A couple of these items can easily do double duty:
Shirtdress: Worn as dress, skirt, duster, or cropped jacket
Cardigan: Worn as a cardigan, backwards, as a top, or as a skirt
Wrap or button blouse: Worn as intended, but also as a topper
Skirt: Worn as a skirt but also as a top
Let’s explore just a couple of the ways I tried these ideas.
I chose jeans because they really do go with everything. Even this 3-D flower pair.
While you may think it’s “too much” with all of my other prints, I call it fun.
Many short skirts can be worn multiple ways, as I’ve showcased years ago with a floral skirt.
This hand-knit one is a perfect example of how it can be worn as a top, also.
Once I learned that a shirtdress could be worn in multiple ways, I collected quite a few.
We first experimented with this in 2016, and I’ve been a fan ever since.
Don’t forget it was worn as a top/wrap with the jeans and as a cropped jacket in the photos above.
Your cardigan can most likely be origami-ed in many ways. If you have a longer one, I made a FB video of 3 ways to transform it.
For this shorter one, don’t forget I styled it as a top and then wore it backwards in the above photos.
Stylist tip: Notice how I transformed the long-sleeved striped blouse to make it a V-neck and short-sleeved.
Here’s Tresi’s breakdown of her 333 project rules with the added 3 accessories
Tops: Navy linen shirt, chartreuse turtleneck, burgundy cardigan
Her input: “All the tops worked out well, both on their own and combined.”
Bottoms: Teal jeans, olive green wide trousers, mink brown wrap skirt
Her input: “The skirt was least worn.”
Shoes: Burgundy ankle boots, dark green Mary Janes, red trainers
Her input: “Here was the eye opener! The ankle boots were clear winners, where I’d expected the trainers to be more useful. The Mary Janes hardly had a look in!”
Accessories: Lime green necklace, blue/green long silk scarf, red square scarf.
Her input: “I wanted more! Although all these had their place, a few more accessories would have made this much more fun, also some bold patterns.”
I love how Tresi wore the skirt over her trousers…I think that is an underrated style option.
Tresi took advantage of the navy linen shirt being worn as a topper/jacket since it’s a button-up.
She reported: “I had sooo many compliments on the teal trousers, jumper, and trainers. Those strong colour combos are here to stay.“
I like how Tresi showed these trousers with the jumper tucked in, the shirt hanging out, and the cardigan buttoned only in the middle.
“I tried this for real, not just for photos, and I was craving a change on day five! I must admit, after that, one or two extras snuck in!
My takeaways from this experiment:
This was brilliant for making me rethink how to wear some pieces and to try new combinations.
Trying outfits this way gave me ideas for improving them by adding/substituting. Instead of wearing only these, I think it would be ideal as a basic wardrobe to embellish.
It’s worth taking time to select your pieces; this gives you the most options and is good for brain training. You need to see all your options in a pile to make sure you have enough variety and contrast.
A jumper can be a scarf, and a skirt can go over trousers. I found that limited choices stopped me from defining garments.
What I missed was outerwear, so there were no jackets or blazers to lift an outfit.
No dresses either, and I love wearing dresses.
Choosing tomorrow’s outfit is a mindfulness exercise for me, which didn’t happen with this 333 project rules challenge.
Not all of the outfit combinations are successful, so I consider the original 333 project rules of 27 outfits (nearly a month’s worth of dressing) is likely to be more like a fortnight of winners.
I was surprised at how small changes make a big difference, like my orange thermal t shirt gave one outfit zing (it wasn’t in the original 333, but I considered it underwear, so it didn’t count).
Because of the limited number of garments, rotation was higher, and I found I needed high maintenance approach to refreshing clothes; I didn’t want to lose choices due to laundry, so I steamed them more often.
Even so, by the end of five days, everything looked a bit tired.
All in all, an interesting experiment, but not one I can embrace wholeheartedly.
For me, variety is the spice of life.”
Even though I like to think I have learned to be creative with what I own, by hopping on this 333 project rules turned into a 3333 challenge, I tried some “out there” combinations.
Did I always like what I put together?
No.
But neither did Tresi.
I would argue that is the whole point.
Because style isn’t about loving every single outfit.
It’s about understanding how to make things work for YOU.
Stylist tip: If you’re constantly reaching for the same “safe” outfits, you will always look the same and never evolve. It seems safe, but I might call it stagnant.
The only constant is change in life, and that should include our clothing style.
If you try the 333 project rules and think,
“Well, that didn’t turn out how I imagined…”
GOOD.
Because, as I’ve shown, sometimes the “bad outfits” are the ones we learn from the most.
That means you’re experimenting AND growing. Adding the benefit of creating new brain pathways along the way.
All of those things are good things. Hopefully, that’s why you check out my site regularly, not for the safe and boring ideas, but for the ones that will push you in a different direction.
And thanks to Tresi for a fun challenge that pushed us both out of our normal style box.
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Jodie Filogomo is a retired cosmetic dentist and fashion blogger behind Jodie’s Touch of Style, where she has been helping women over 50 experiment with style in fun, creative ways for over 12 years.
Find out more about the crew, because I love to showcase all ages, body shapes, and women who love different styles.
The post Breaking the 333 Project Rules: Our 3333 Challenge appeared first on Jodie’s Touch of Style.
