A Minimalist Fashion Challenge Update

How’s it going? What am I wearing? Have I cheated? Today, I’m sharing all the details of my minimalist fashion challenge!

I paired down my entire wardrobe to 33 pieces in December. My goal was to wear ONLY those 33 pieces until March. Yes, all the way from Christmas to Saint Patrick’s Day…you can read the very first post explaining the rules I followed here: Why I’m doing The Project 333 Minimalist Fashion Challenge

How is it going?

Truthfully, it’s been easier than I anticipated. As I’ve previously mentioned (How To Minimize Your Wardrobe in 30 Minutes or Less!) minimizing my wardrobe was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. I realized, however, that 33 pieces of clothing was a whole lot less than even my very minimized closet. December and January were a breeze. Pairing together a shirt, sweater, and jeans was my go-to for every day. I’d switch things up a bit for church with a dress and a cardigan, or a skirt and a shirt. It kept things super simple, and I could literally pull any items out of my closet and know they’d match, fit, and make me feel nice.

Then there was February. Does anyone else feel like February may be the longest month of the year despite it being the shortest? Just me? I fell into sort of a rut this month. Suddenly, the clothes that had made my life so effortless were boring and unexciting. Wearing the same things over and over and over and over and over and over…you get the idea…I actually didn’t mind this during the week, and I still don’t. The less I have to think about my clothes the better. Sundays are a different story. I felt like surely everyone noticed I was wearing the same dress, and same black skirt every week. Surely. Did they really? Who knows! I felt pretty convinced they had to though.

What am I wearing?

Believe it or not, I’m still wearing the same 33 pieces from December. They’re almost like old friends now. There have been a few pieces that I wish I would’ve added and a few I wish I wouldn’t have. This first time around was definitely a learning curve.

Have I cheated?

Yes. Yes, I have. Shamelessly I cheated. I pulled out a gray skirt, two different cardigans to spice up my church outfits, and my old faithful farming sweatshirt. You know what’s funny though? I couldn’t make myself add those pieces to my closet. I wore them, washed them, and put them with the rest of my clothes in storage. ha! Somehow it made the cheating more official if they were hanging with the original 33.

Will I do it again?

Right now, I’m just not sure. Spring is definitely coming, and I know I’ll need to update my wardrobe soon. I will most certainly choose items that can all be worn together. That makes every day SO much simpler. I don’t have to sift through stacks of shirts and skirts to find the two that match up just so. All of my clothes match. They can all be worn together, even at once if I really wanted. 😉

Did I learn anything?

Oh, yes. I learned that buying jewelry for myself is a waste of money. I don’t wear it. Honestly, I don’t even like to wear it. Necklaces in particular. I don’t like having to worry about it getting snagged or yanked or caught.

I also learned that 80% of my clothing (even though it’s been HIGHLY simplified) is completely unnecessary. (Ps. did you know that you only use about 20% of EVERYTHING in your WHOLE HOUSE?! Crazy, isn’t it?!)

I learned that shoes really aren’t that big of a deal. If I have 5 pairs that match everything I’m set. Before I started minimizing, I had 80 pairs of shoes. 80. I got that number down to about 20 pairs after I minimized. That does include all the seasons, so boots, sandals, you name it. I think I can get it down even more now. I’m excited to go back through them and weed a few more out.

Overall, it’s been a fun challenge, and really opened my eyes to how complicated I used to make things. Clothing doesn’t have to be complicated. I think I’ll go as far as saying clothing shouldn’t be complicated. Life should be lived simply.