The End of Project 333 and the Beginning of the Capsule Wardrobe

Well today marks the end of my first round of Project 333. That's three months with only thirty-three items in my closet. I struggled with committing to this project. But I found that once I committed it made my life easier. I no longer stand in front on my closet wondering what I should wear. Minimizing my choices has maximized my time.

For my next round, I decided to mix it up a bit a do a Capsule Wardrobe that has some pretty nifty wardrobe planning worksheets. There are some minor differences between the capsule wardrobe and Project 333, but they are similar ideas. When choosing my clothes last time, I don't think I was aware of the types of things that I wore most often. Casual tops, sundresses, etc. Instead, I choose things that I liked and ended up with a few too many dressy tops and a few to few pants and functional items.  I'm excited to use the capsule wardrobe planner worksheets as I remix my closet for the next three months.

This minimalist adventure has taken me on a journey. It's allowed me to start to hone my style and think about my fashion choices from an ethical viewpoint.

I am coming around to the idea of slow fashion and conscious consumerism. Perhaps this is a normal progression as I often work with people in other countries and spend time thinking about the inequality in the world. But I never considered the fact that clothing in my closet  is an active choice, and I am promoting unethical treatment with my consumerism.

I am also a pragmatic so I know that it will be quite difficult for me to stop purchasing unsustainable items entirely. But I hope to strike a balance between ethical considerations, budget, and access as I live overseas.  I decided to make a few guidelines for myself as I make purchases this year.

• I will not purchase any more new, unsustainably made items from fast fashion stores. This week I removed all my favorite shopping apps and promotional emails. Goodbye Rue La La! Goodbye Hautelook! Goodbye Express!

• I will try to replace items I need with used items first. 

• I will repair/reuse items that I already own.

• I will pay more attention to tags and purchase more natural fabrics (cotton, silk, linen,etc.). I found that the older items in my closet were mostly natural fabrics and endured time better. I will also make efforts to purchase more U.S. made items. That's just simple patriotism.   

• If I have to buy a new item, I will purchase a sustainably made brand.

 If every American spent an extra $3.33 on U.S. made products it would create almost 10,000 new jobs. 

I truly don't know if this is a fad or a change I will carry through my lifetime. But I hope that I will continue to ask questions about the things I buy and the lives that my actions can affect. 

The Fall of Fashion and the Return of Self Satifaction

When I started exploring the idea of minimizing my closet, Dom got me this pretty little book loaded with beautiful illustrations and food for thought.

After I read it. I downloaded, “Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion” by Elizabeth L. Cline. I have been spent the last few weeks pouring over its pages and broadening my knowledge on something I knew nothing about.

I assumed by the title that I’d be reading about sweatshops and poor working conditions. But I also received a history lesson on the luxury fashion industry, the rise of American consumerism, and a behind the scenes look at how shops run their business.

In the book, the author meets Sarah Kate Beaumont who decides to start making all of her clothing and documenting her progress on a blog. This idea sent me back to my childhood. I come from a long line of women creators whose chosen medium was sewing. One of my only memories of my granny was learning to make a little-cross-stitched box. It was hunter green with a white lid and a little pink flower on the lid.  My mom patiently sat with me while I made my first dress on the sewing machine at fifteen---it was a light purple floral cotton sundress. And on one of my last trips home, my Aunt Dessie taught me to crochet.

I can remember the exact details of the items I created. I can't remember my favorite items of clothing from the last ten years. I haven’t done any sewing in years. But the lack of inspiration in my closet and the clothing in my price point could lead me to dust off the sewing machine in the back of my closet.

From 1810-1910, the Arts and Crafts movement flourished right after the industrial revolution. The Arts and Crafts style started as a search for aesthetic design and decoration and as a reaction against machine production.  Owen Wilson, one of the fathers of the movement, declared, “Ornament must be secondary to the thing decorated.” Form follows function.

I wonder whether we have an “Arts & Crafts Movement” in our future?  The quality of products continues to lesson, and the availability of cheap products broadens. How much more satisfaction would we feel if we created our style instead of wearing latest fad from H&M?

For most of my life, I’ve considered fashion a preferred form of self-expression. But when I turn a discerning eye on my closet, the items there seem to be almost identical. My self-identified expression has been taken over by cheaply made replicas of eras gone by and trends that move at the speed of light. There is very little creativity in what I see hanging there.

I am thirty-two years old and yet I vividly recall the texture of the yarn, the feel of the needle as I pushed it through the plastic squares, and the satisfaction I felt in creating something both functional and beautiful when I was just seven or eight years old. The memory alone is enough to really make really reconsider my choices.

The Holidays and the Minimalist Suitcase

Happy New Year! Dom and I just spent two weeks visiting Rome, Prague, and Barcelona. We went to Rome to see our good friends Leah and Collins get married. Since we were in Europe already, we figured we might as well squeeze in a few other places. What an amazing adventure!

During the trip planning, Dom and I realized that checking a bag on the multiple legs of the airfare would cost us 35 euros per leg per bag. Considering that the flights were pretty inexpensive, we didn't want to pay the extra cash in luggage fees. Unwittingly, we'd created the perfect storm to try out our "minimizing" in the real world. The challenge: 14 days, three countries, and winter clothing in a carry-on bag weighing no more that 10 kg (22 lbs). We were both surprised to find out that packing with limitations isn't as hard as we thought it would be. Since we didn't have bags to wait on at each stop, we had extra time for sightseeing!

My tiny suitcase! 

Here my short packing list:
6 sweaters
1 Pair of Jeans
1 Pair of Black Pants
1 Black Skirt
1 Little Black Dress
1 pair of cuddle duds (best purchase of the trip!)
5 pairs of socks
8 pairs underwear
2 bras
1 pair tall brown boots
1 pair short grey boots
1 scarf
1 pair of gloves
1 heavy jacket
Curling Iron
Straightener
Makeup
1 Quart Size bag of toiletries
Travel Meds
Jewelry
Hair Accessories

I also loved using a packing cube by Eagle Creek to minimize my sweaters and keep my suitcase tidy!

Dom was successful in his packing as well!

We stayed at different Air BnB apartments along the way and made sure that they had washing machines so we could do laundry. Having the weight constraint kept us from buying souvenirs along the way, which means we'll have less junk to minimize later on in our home.

Since our final flight didn't have a fee or weight restriction for checking in a bag, we rewarded our good behavior with a few Spanish goodies that we can't get in Rwanda. Something tells me that we will be traveling lighter in the future!

To our wine loving friends we highly recommend Spanish Rioja, Tempranillo, Cava, and Rose Cava.

I'll be sure to share more of our European adventures via video as soon as I can.  Check out Leah's blog for more on our traveling adventures!