The Next Wardrobe Adventure: Project 333

I'm embarking on yet another wardrobe adventure! I really enjoyed putting together my 1940s capsule wardrobe and I shared last week about my experiences with one so far but now we're kicking it up a notch. I stumbled upon Project 333 and it's blog earlier this year and I instantly fell in love.

Project 333 (pronounced three thirty-three) is a minimalist fashion challenge that has a basic premise. You pick 33 items and that becomes your wardrobe for 3 months. At the end of the 3 month period, you can go back to your full wardrobe or try another round with a new set of 33 items. The goal is to help you see that you can live a smaller wardrobe and that it has benefits for your life. It's not about rigidly following rules or suffering through something that's not for your. It's totally cool if you find you need 37 items or want to do it just for two months.

I've been wanting to do this but it was never the right time and my wardrobe was never just so. Finally, I decided that I'm just going to do it. It will never be the perfect time. So I picked my 33 items and packed up the rest of my closet on Wednesday and we'll see how this goes.

My Project 333 will run from July 7 through October 6 which, from what I've heard from Floridians, is all summer here in Florida so I can pretty much expect the same type of weather that we're having now except hotter with more rain. That helped out a lot because living in a new place with new weather can make this project difficult. I also  decided to stick with mostly 40s pieces since that's what I've been really loving this year. So let's do a run down of my 33 items.

Items 1-7: Blouses- Wearing History Norma Jean and Ruthie blouses, white button up blouse (left) blue 50s blouse, white sweater, black 50s sleeveless blouse, white Mexican peasant blouse (right)

I'm noticing a lot of blue and white here. This may be an issue but I do love all of them.

Items 8-11: Skirts-green 40s, red 40s (left), blue 40s sailor, green anchor (right)

Again, the two green skirts are sort of duplicates. That's something for me to keep in mind while sewing during this quarter. I also want to replace
 the blue skirt (since it's getting a bit old) which I may do during the project.

Items 12-17: Dresses-red roses 50s dress, orange floral 50s dress (left) green 40s dress, Melody print 40s dress (blog post coming soon!) (center) black and white maxi dress, pink 40s dress (right)

I included two light weight 50s dresses for those days when I'm in a 50s mood. I don't have a ton of 40s dresses so I included them all (including a new make that I'll be blogging about soon). I also included a modern maxi dress for events where I need to dress modern. Its crazy comfortable and easy to dress up or down.

Items 18-22: Other- red 40s suit jacket, white bolero (left) 1930s beach pjs (center) Freddies jean capris, red 50s capris (right)

And a couple other completer pieces.

Items 23-29: Shoes and Purses- I've got 5 pairs of shoes including flats and heals. I'm including my current summer purse (not pictured) and one vintage purse (not pictured) which I haven't decided on yet.

Items 30-33: UFOs- Being a seamstress, I knew that I was going to have to bend the rules of this challenge to make it work for me. I'm including 4 not finished pieces in my wardrobe. First up is a peplum blouse and skirt in yellow eyelet. Next, I have a red sleeveless blouse and hawaiian print skirt.

Once I finish these projects, I'm going to focus on fall/winter sewing instead. Having lived through a Florida winter, I know that it does still get chilly but a lot of my Ohio winter wardrobe is just too much. I've got a couple of things that I want to add for winter that I'll work on if I can keep in focus. If I want to add anything else, I'll have to retire something from my capsule wardrobe.

My other modification of the Project 333 rules was not to include any accessories other than shoes and purses. Maybe next go around I will but it was too much for me to think about this time. I did, however, make an effort to pair down the accessories that I do have out to give myself fewer choices and even put a few pieces in the donate pile.

Thoughts on Living with a Capsule Wardrobe

I shared two 1940s capsule wardrobes back in May-one spring/summer and one fall/winter- in order to show you how a small, carefully curated wardrobe can really be versatile. I've been living with in my own small 40s capsule wardrobe and I thought I'd share what it's like.

First, a few notes. I haven't been living in just this capsule wardrobe. I've still been wearing other things, but probably 80-90% of the time, it's been the capsule wardrobe. I've also added a few pieces including a green skirt, a printed blouse and a black blouse. So now the new count is 1 dress, 1 suit, 1 extra skirt, and 4 blouses. I've not even tried to stay with in the capsule wardrobe accessories list but I have gobs of accessories so that's not really an issue.

One thing that is super awesome about having a capsule wardrobe is knowing you have an arsenal of comfortable outfits that look good on you. I don't get that "my closet is exploding but I still have nothing to wear" feeling since I know the things I do have are going to work for my life. Getting dressed in the morning is super easy.

This simplicity has caused me to simplify my hair routine as well. I've been wearing pretty much the same style everyday I wear the 1940s capsule wardrobe unless I have some place special to go. My make up routine has always been pretty simple so it fits in quite well with my new simpler style.

No one has noticed (or at least not commented) on the fact that my wardrobe has been less varied. Really, I don't think the average person would notice. I do worry about keeping enough variety for the blog, but I have to remember that you all don't see what I wear everyday so I can still keep things fresh.

Some of the downsides are that I still don't feel like I have enough pieces to really make it work. I only have two skirts and I usually spill something on one of them at least once a week. And then I'm down to one skirt. I'd also really like a day dress since my current dress is not good for day to day wear.

I'd also like to add a few more work appropriate pieces. I have things I can wear to work but I do want to make sure I can still look professional enough so that's where I'll be focusing on next.

My Current 1950s Wardrobe

After I posted about my 1950s wardrobe plan, I needed to evaluate what I already had in my closet and how those pieces fit into my plan. So here it is!

My main concerns with choosing pieces for the dress category were easy care, comfortable and cotton. Definitely thinking of summer weather! The first three are vintage- blue shirt waist, red and black sleeveless dress, orange and green shirtwaist dress. The last dress with red roses is a new make that I just finished.

Blouses are so key to a versatile wardrobe! I actually have quite a few but really only the blue one do I see working really well in my wardrobe. The blush colored one is vintage and lovely but not a good shade for my preferred neutrals of black and navy. The white sweater is nice but I'm not a huge fan of high necklines. The two printed blouses are fun but a bit loud for me. The yellow blouse is part of my patio set and I love it but it's made of some synthetic fabric and not good for super warm weather. So I have lots, but not a lot that I think will really work.

Two cardigans and two skirts. I love the teal skirt and I'll probably keep it in the mix. The kaki skirt is also nice but I have trouble deciding what colors to wear with it. It seems like all of the colors that would look good are not ones I like to wear too much. So I may make up this pattern again in a different color.

I also have two pair of capris-one vintage and one Freddies of Pinewood. I definitely want to keep the red pair in mind when adding blouses to my wardrobe.

And some possibilities for hats and gloves. These include some of my favorite hats. I threw in the yellow hat and gloves because I'm planning on adding a yellow dress or blouse/skirt combo to the mix. I have another white pair of gloves that I'm thinking of for pair number 4 but they are rather dingy and I'm trying to brighten them up. If that doesn't work, I'm thinking of dying them red. I've always wanted a pair of red gloves!

Building a Vintage Wardrobe on a Budget

Today we're talking wardrobe building again but this time we're talking budget. Whether you go all out for designer pieces or stalk thrift stores for buried treasures, we're all working on a budget. In this video, I share some of my tips and strategies to help my wardrobe dollars go farther.

My 1950s Capsule Wardrobe Plan

So earlier this week, I shared my 1940s capsule wardrobe. I really started working on it at the beginning of this year and I'm so proud of it! But now it's time to work on my 1950s capsule wardrobe. I'm planning on a larger capsule wardrobe and I won't really be focusing on Fall/Winter at all since I'm now in Florida but I'm excited for it to get started.

I'm going to start with a quick list of what I'd like to have in my wardrobe and then I'll break it down to see what I have and what I still need to make. I chose to base my plan after this one from 1949. It's actually a vacation wardrobe for the woman who wants to see the world. The original plan:

• Two Suits: one tropical-weight grey worsted for travelling, with knife-pleat skirt and half-belted jacket; one fine black woollen tailor-made (the skirt can be worn with an off-the-shoulder pullover, to become an evening dress)

• Six dresses: print dinner dress; heavy crepe dress; four cotton dresses

• Undies: Petticoats, camiknickers and panties in the new nylon tricot; two brassieres; girdle; Six pairs of nylons

• Four pairs of shoes: bronze kid ankle straps; black suede ankle straps; black courts; tan walking shoes

• Two Pringle twin sets of cardigan and pullover, plus one black evening sweater

• Four hats

• Accessories: Four pairs of gloves; long woollen stole; three cotton headscarves; gold choker necklace (can be used on a belt for evening)

total: 30 pieces (not including the underwear)

My edited plan:

• Two skirts and two blouses: For me, I definitely won't get much use out of two woolen suits. So I'll be changing the two suits out for two skirts and two blouses. If I pick coordinating sweaters then I can still get that suit look without having an actual suit.
• Six dresses: I really like this category although I'll replace the heavy crepe dress for something more summer appropriate.
• Undies: I'm pretty good here though I could use a new slip.
• Four pairs of shoes: My interpretation of these shoes are metallic sandals, neutral strappy shoes, neutral pumps and neutral comfy flats. I have plenty of shoes so it shouldn't be hard to come up with four pair for my wardrobe.
• Two cardigans and two blouses + one for evening wear (?): Ok, so I'm swapping the pullover part of the cardigan for more blouses.  I also like the idea of having one top that could be worn with a skirt for evening wear but I do actually have evening wear already so that may or may not happen.
• Shorts: I'm adding in 1 pair of shorts because it's Florida.
• Four hats: Will definitely have plenty to choose from!
• Accessories: I can dig the 4 pairs of gloves but I doubt I'll need a stole or head scarves (all though it would be cool to have a few that matched some of the dresses) and I'll swap the gold choker necklace for my good old pearls.

total: 28 + I may swap in some other accessories for the hair scarves.

So it's definitely bigger than my 1940s capsule wardrobe but things were bigger in the 50s. (And it's still smaller than the Project 333 wardrobe suggestion of a 33 piece capsule wardrobe). In some categories, like dresses, I already have more than 6 50s dresses but I really want a color coordinated mix and match wardrobe. And I have other unique things, like my patio dress, that will just exist outside of the capsule wardrobe.

Blouses: 4

For blouses, I want one white, one black and the other two are sort of up for grabs. For the Florida summer, light weight natural fibers are a must. I'm currently sewing a black blouse but I still need a white blouse. The two bonus blouses I'll probably pull from ones I already have.

 Skirts: 2

I already have 2 circle skirts that could work depending on how my color palette develops. I am leaning towards black as my neutral color so a brown circle skirt may not work. I'd also like one less full skirt like maybe an a line.

Dresses: 6 (one "fancy" dinner dress, one medium fancy afternoon/tea dress, 4 cotton day dresses)

I currently have 2 light weight shirtwaist dresses and another one on my sewing table. And I do have some options for the more fancy dresses.

Cardigans: 2

I just purchased a cute white bolero and I'll probably include my go to red cardigan.

High Waisted Shorts: 1

I already planned on making a green pair of shorts. I also have a pair of jean sorts but they are a bit big now and I haven't decided if I should try to take them in (ugg topstitching) or just make a new pair.

Hats: 4

I definitely have plenty of hats. Deciding on just 4 will be the hard part!

Gloves and Shoes: 4 each

For gloves, I'm thinking black, white crochet and maybe one or two pair in a fun color. On the shoe front, I'm up for flats, flats and more flats. I also have a few pair of trusty wedges and my Remix sandals to throw in the mix!

Can't wait to get this finished so I can share it with you! And wear it, of course. I'm sure I'll change my mind on a few things but this is making some progress.

Two 1940s Capsule Wardrobes

There can be a lot of challenges to building a great vintage wardrobe but there's one in particular that I want to talk about today and it comes from our modern upbringing. We think that we need a million pieces in our closet to have a complete wardrobe! Fast fashion says more more more but that's not how ladies of the past lived!

If you've ever see the closets in a vintage home, you've noticed how tiny they are compared to modern walk in closets. People didn't feel the need to have so much stuff (and couldn't afford to buy it all) especially during WWII. So today I'm going to show you two 1940s capsule wardrobes one for spring and summer and the other for fall and winter. This mode of thinking is so different from how most of us today approach our wardrobes but I hope to be able to show you that you don't need a closet bursting with vintage and reproduction dresses to have great vintage style.



After I filmed the video, I decided to take some photos and elaborate a bit more.

The Core Wardrobe

The core pieces of each wardrobe are above. You'll want a suit and coordinating cardigan. Pick a long sleeved cardigan for a suit with a short sleeved jacket or a short sleeved cardigan with a long sleeved jacket. Throw in a few coordinating blouses and a hat.

The suit can be worn by itself or with either of the two blouses. You can also wear the skirt with each of the blouses with no jacket for a more casual look. The hat can be worn with any of these outfits. I picked sort of a bold color palette with the red suit but more traditional colors like navy, black or gray would be even more versatile.

Pieces: 5
Outfits: 5

The Spring/Summer Wardrobe

For spring and summer, pick the short sleeved top for your suit. Add in a nice springy dress or two. I didn't have another coordinating summer weight skirt but that would also be nice.

Accessories are how we are going to really change up the core pieces. Add a springy hat that can be worn with any of the outfits you can build. I picked two pair of gloves-one white and one lavender- and a floral brooch with lavender flowers. Add in one neutral bag and matching shoes and you are good to go.

The dress can be worn by itself or with the suit jacket. Changing accessories like hats and gloves adds even more mixing possibilities. For example, with the white blouse and red skirt we could do a) green hat and white gloves, b) straw hat, lavender gloves and brooch c) straw hat and white gloves d) green hat, lavender gloves and brooch e) green hat and lavender gloves f) straw hat and lavender gloves g) green hat, white gloves and brooch and h) straw hat, white gloves and brooch. Each of these outfits could also be worn with the jacket or blue blouse. It goes on and on.

New Pieces: 6
New Outfits: 48 (more if you add the springy skirt)

The Fall/Winter Wardrobe

We've swapped out the spring dress for a more wintery one and added a winter weight skirt. Swap out the long sleeved top for your suit to be more winter appropriate. Another great piece you could add is a sweater that could be worn alone or over either of the blouses.

 The winter accessories include a black beret, black gloves, sparkly brooch and black bag. You'll also want a black winter coat and pair of black shoes.

Ok, even more outfits now. Accessory combinations include a) beret, black gloves and brooch b) beret and black gloves, c) beret, white gloves and brooch d) beret and white gloves e) green hat, white gloves and brooch f) green hat, black gloves and brooch g) green hat and white gloves and h) green hat and black gloves. Two blouses and two skirts plus the option of suit jacket or no jacket gives us 8 bases. With the 8 accessory combinations we're up to 64 outfits! Add in another 16 from dress combinations (8 different sets of accessories with and without the jacket) and now we are at 80! Just adding that extra skirt gave us a huge number of extra outfits.

New Pieces: 7
New Outfits: 80

So let's see where we are at:

Total pieces: 21 (includes winter coat and 2 pairs of shoes not pictured)
Outfits: 130+

Wow! You'd only have to wear each outfit 3 times to make it through the whole year. I didn't even include outfit options with no hats! Adding another dress, more accessories or another skirt or blouse would give you even more options. So you see, you really don't have to have a huge wardrobe to have lots of outfit options.

5 Investments for a Great Vintage Wardrobe

When you first discover vintage fashion, it's easy to go a bit shopping happy! You want to fill your closet with all the things so every piece of vintage that fits you, every vintage bangle and brooch found thrifting, and every hat and pair of gloves found at yard sales ended up coming home with you. Now don't get me wrong, this is a great way to get started, but at some point in time, you need to start investing in more expensive quality pieces that will last you years.

1. Underpinnings

If you are not wearing the correct underwear, you'll never achieve that perfect period look. Plus, there's nothing that makes a girl feel more fabulous than pretty underthings. Whether it's a bullet bra, seamed stockings, a girdle or a luxurious slip, these little things really go a long way. Plus you'll wear them loads, so the cost per wear of even a more expensive piece is much less than that evening gown you wear once a year.

2. Coat

Another thing you'll wear loads is your winter coat. Unless you live some place where it doesn't get that chilly! A well made coat will cost you but the reward of cozy glamor all winter is worth it!

3. Footwear

Feet are one of the more overlooked aspects of a vintage look (perhaps because there are so many cute modern shoes). But shoe shapes have really changed since the midcentury and those little details really add or detract from that perfect vintage look. Invest in repro footwear or search out modern shoes with great details like tiny peep toes.

4. Basic Separates

Sometimes I go shopping for separ- Oh, looky, pretty dress! It is so easy to get distracted by pretty dress that we forget about separates. But since I've focused on adding more separates to my wardrobe, I've really discovered how amazing they are! If you are on a limited budget, start with items you can't make yourself or are hard to find vintage, such as pants or suits. Choosing solid colors over prints will make your wardrobe budget go further.

5. A Great Statement Piece

On the opposite end of the spectrum, every girl deserves at least one great statement pieces that says "Hey look at me! I'm fabulous!" Because, guess what- you are fabulous! This piece could be a hat, a novelty print skirt or that perfect little black dress. It just needs to make you feel as amazing as you are!

Wardrobe: Here's My Closet!

Oona asked on yesterday's post which closet was mine. Since I cheated yesterday and just grabbed some things off of the internet, I thought I'd share my actual closet (especially since I just rotated and organized it yesterday).

My side of the walk in closet. From front to back it's shoe racks, things to be mended, sweaters, blouses, skirts, dresses and then costumes + off season things in the way back corner by the shelf.

I have two hanging shoe racks plus my boots which sit out on the floor back under my clothes plus several pair that live by the front door. I also have a white crate of purses on the floor and one box of off season clothes that gets packed away. My one sweater success lives in a cubby in my shoe rack for now.

My hubby's side of the closet (minus the few things in the front which I guess I left there after rotating yesterday....) He also has a dresser for his clothes.

I don't have a dresser because I loath folding clothes but I do have one drawer for socks, tights, undies, slips, leggings etc. I leave my nondress pants and shorts on top of the drawer. I also tend to throw my clothes that are clean enough to wear again but I didn't feel like hanging up yet.

We also have a nice coat closet. I have a hanging rack for my scarves, gloves, etc on the inside of the door. All of my coats and jackets live in the closet as well as some more of my costumes.

Wardrobe: How Much is Too Much

I've been thinking about wardrobe a lot lately, partially because mine needs a some work. And, you know, I watch a lot of What Not to Wear. On the newer episodes of What Not to Wear, they actually show you everything the person gets. And I'm always surprised at how little they have. Usually, it's only about 30 outfits. My brain goes "How can they possibly live on 30 outfits?!?"....oh, wait, that's only one wear per outfit per month.....

Wardrobe explosion!

 Organized, efficient versatile wardrobe.

So that got me thinking about how much is too much? I've commonly heard quoted that most people wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time and while 83% of statistics are made up on the spot ( ;) ), I think that's probably pretty close to the truth. I've been working over the last year or so, to get myself to the point where I can let go some of my 80% that is worn only 20% of the time (although I usually fail on that when it comes to shoes.....) but now I'm lacking in lots of basics.

80% of this probably never gets worn...

Earlier this year, Tasia of Sewaholic posted about sewing cake vs. frosting where cake pieces are the versatile, basic pieces and frosting are the over the top just for fun type projects. My wardrobe is a giant pile of frosting on top of a little tiny piece of cake. Obviously, I need more cake but how many of those frosting type pieces do I really need? They just don't work for every day life. I've come to realize that I have a lot of pieces that I wear once or twice but then they get shoved behind my latest and greatest sewing project and don't see the light of day again. Sunni of A Fashionable Stitch has also recently decided that she needs a more life appropriate sewing plan/wardrobe.

 
I have a large walk in closet (especially considering that I'm in a small apartment!) but I'd love to be able to have a wardrobe like this:

Maybe if I live in a loft apartment one day!

Since I live in a state where the things you wear during the winter are NOT appropriate to wear during the summer and vice versa, I think I could use two 30 outfit wardrobes-one winter and one summer-and overlap them during spring and fall. And since the week is about 2/3 work days and 1/3 weekend days, that'll give me about 40 work outfits and 20 weekend outfits. Ok, so I'm good on the weekend outfits but sooooo far behind on the work outfits, especially the winter ones.

I see lots of frosting!

So how do am I supposed to get my wardrobe from an explosion of frosting to a reasonable of cake?

1. Separates

Separates are so much more versatile than pretty dresses so separates make a wardrobe go further. And cute tops will be able to work both in my work and nonwork wardrobes. I'm sure I'll get distracted and sew more dresses but I'm really going to try to work sewing up more separates.

2. Layering

I have quite a few cute cardigans and jackets but I don't wear them too much. I've gotten myself down to just two hoodies so hopefully I'll be reaching for sweaters more often this fall/winter. Summer shirt + cardigan or jacket = winter appropriate top!

3. Accessories

Accessories make things go so much further! I have a rather nice collection but it's sadly under used.  I really want to challenge myself with respect to accessories. I want to conquer scarves, bracelets and get back to wearing earrings every day!

Is your wardrobe more frosting or cake? How big of a wardrobe is too big? Do you rotate your wardrobe? Do you like What Not to Wear?

Costume College

I really want to go to Costume College this year. Not only have I started becoming more interested in Renaissance and Edwardian fashions, but also the bonus track of extra classes this year is The Golden Age of Hollywood: 1930-1955. How perfect is that for all of us vintage lovers! Now, I'm usually a learn it on my own kind of a gal but that's mostly because most of the sewing that goes on in my corner of the country is quilting and the occasional Halloween costume. It would be so awesome to be able to learn some new things  and learn them the right way, not to mention getting to meet loads of people including the lovely Lauren.

Now, the downside of Costume College is that it's in California. So I'd have to fly cross country by myself which is a bit terrifying. I've only flown by myself once and it was from the tiny airport in my home town to the tiny airport by my grandparents. Yay for LAX (not). And, well, it's going to be expensive. Not unreasonably so but definitely a dent. Plus I'd want to make some lovelies to wear so I don't feel too shabby next to all of the people who have been going for years. (On the upside, it shouldn't be hard to get off work.)

While I'm still deciding to go or not to go, I'll share the fun part of trip planning with you-wardrobe.

American Duchess is getting ready to start presale of these lovelies this month. I really want a pair and Costume College would actually give myself somewhere to wear them. She's hoping to get enough presales to be able to offer both black and ivory and I'd love to snag a black pair.

Photo of prototype from American Duchess' Facebook page.

So, with these lovelies in mind as well as wanting a not too expensive yet versatile wardrobe to take with me here are some pieces I'd like to make.

Mary's garden party and flower show dress. I already have material for it so it will be getting sewn California or no California.

I love this purple dress Cora wears in season 1. I'd like this to be my kind of fancy outfit. Doesn't look too difficult minus all of the lovely beading.

I'm totally in love with these pjs Cora wore in last night's episode. Wouldn't be at the top of my to sew list but would definitely be fun to have.

 I've also got fabric for this blouse from season 1 that also made an appearance last night. I did pick a purple print to stick with the same color scheme.

Edith's black floral blouse (duh) plus a black skirt.

This lovely mauve blouse Mary wears plus a grey skirt for mixing and matching. I already have a lace cami to go with it.

I don't plan on going to the gala, because I really don't have anything to wear nor do I think I can really afford anything fabulous enough to stand up with some of the photos I've seen online, but if I do get a chance to make something, I'd love to have this pink dress from season 1.

Or this red and black layered one from season 2.

And here are vintage outfits I already have that I'd like to take.

1930s style scalloped collar blouse

1940s sailor playsuit + matching skirt

Embroidered circle skirt and teal sweater.

1930s beach pjs

I don't think I'd take my Renaissance dress as it's huge (how does one transport hoops on a plane!), I can't get into it by myself, and, well, it's my first effort and I'm not really that confident in how it looks. It still needs a lot of trim etc to make it look really good.

So that's my kind of vintage and Edwardian Costume College dream wardrobe.