When I first visited a small town in the mountains of Guatemala, I was told that most women there only had two outfits. I watched as they washed one set of clothing while wearing the other, and I tried to imagine paring down my closet to just two shirts and two skirts. (Or two pairs of jeans, because try as I might I just can’t get in the habit of wearing skirts and dresses in my everyday life.)
I went home and tried to clean out my closet. I didn’t get down to two changes of clothes, but I did end up with a generous pile of clothes to give to Goodwill. I was pretty good about keeping my wardrobe minimal. And then I moved to San Diego, a city that is ridiculously obsessed with image. And I started dancing tango. As you might have guessed, I ended up with a lot more clothing, most of it warm-weather casual wear and pretty skirts and dresses.
It was a bit of a shock to move to Germany and remember that the whole world isn’t as image-conscious as Southern California. I suddenly felt very fashionable in much more basic outfits. I feel much the same here in Wales (although the occasional trip to places like London remind me that it’s good to have at least a couple nice things to wear, too). It helps that I also work from home and can throw on random t-shirts every morning.
So after a good hard look at my closet, and a realistic look at the more moderate climate here in Wales, I’m ready to pare down again. Enter Project 333. The idea behind this project is to find 33 pieces of clothing to wear for the next 3 months. Everything else is boxed up and put away. The basic rules for Project 333 include clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear, and shoes in those 33 items, but I think for my first time around I will be a bit more lax on that and focus just on clothing. My plan is to start the project in May, so I’m going to spend the next week picking clothes and preparing my closet. I’ll try to remember to share my pared-down wardrobe once I decide on the pieces!
Expat Linguist 
Interesting concept! If you’re successful, will you be getting rid of the clothing outside of your 33 items?
I won’t be that drastic, but even if I’m not entirely successful at using just 33 items I will probably get rid of some of my less-worn clothing. I try to do that once a year or so, and I think this will help make that process easier so maybe I can give away more than I usually do. 🙂 Would you ever try a project like this?
I did a closet edit before moving back to Australia from Germany and I got rid of quite a bit of stuff. I know I don’t need so many items of clothing, but I find it difficult to part with them if I do still wear them. I like fashion, but am not crazy about it like some people that need to buy new clothes every season to change up their wardrobe. I have clothes that I bought in high school still!