Autumn Season gone wild

The eve of my Autumn Capsule will soon be here. I've been a part of the Project 333 for two seasons now, and in 9 days time it'll be time to make a swap for the Autumn Wardrobe.

I've gone through my out-of-season box and found all my lovely autumny clothes just waiting to be worn. In fact, for the first time, it was a little difficult to choose the 33 that will make it to the final wardrobe, for I've got SUCH lovely stuff just waiting to be worn and I love them all. A dream wardrobe.

Which led me thinking...
Pretty much all of my clothing is very sentimental. It's either a birthday present, a gift from a friend, a memory of a good time or a souvenir from some place. It all reminds me of so much, it's no longer clothing at all. It's a bunch of memories, and it's very, very hard to let go of it, even if it's falling apart or fluffy or completely and utterly worn. Which it pretty much all is too.

I've been reading some other P333 people's stories of their wardrobes, and it's led me thinking about my relationship with my clothes. There are people who are very stylish and who are always ready to tweak the garments they have just to make their selection that bit more perfect and likeable, there are people who are very conscious of their own set of colours, there are a few shopaholics with jam packed wardrobes, and what they all seem to have in common, is that their relationship with clothes is their relationship with CLOTHES. Not sentimental memories, but garments. And I'm finding that a little hard to understand, and also a little intriguing.

So I played around with the thought of having a wardrobe, where I'd have NO previous relationship with the clothes in it. How it would give a refreshing viewpoint, how I could learn a lot from it, and how it might teach me to look at clothes as just what they are. I'm by no means rich, and I can't possibly have a brand new set of clothes to play around with - so no wardrobe makeover for me. Unless - unless it were all from the cheapest possible anonymous places on earth - thrift stores and charity shops, in which case I just might be able to pull it off.

I slept a good few nights letting the thought seep in, and the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the perfect idea. To choose one season of P333 clothes and accessories, all 33 of them if at all possible, from thrift stores and charity shops. That would mean a LOT of things.

1. It would mean all garments I would have in the capsule would be brand new to me, with no sentimental strings attached to them.

2. It would mean I could try out pieces I have never tried on before because I don't shop around and spend my days trying on clothes.

3. It would mean I could try to incorporate some new ideas and colours into my wardrobe without making a big fuss about it beforehand and without it costing me a fortune.

4. It would mean I could try to build a wardrobe from scratch - which I've never, ever done before. How would the capsule be different in terms of things fitting me properly, in terms of mixing and matching different outfits from it?

5. It would mean I could do research on HOW MUCH a capsule might be worth in pure cash. Could I do it with minimum budget? And is it at all possible to find everything one needs in charity shops?

I first thought I was going to go through this Autumn season with the lovely autumn stuff I have stuck at the not-in-season-box, and to take my time finding stuff from the flea markets of the area to do the special season in winter, but then happened to have about an hour time at the local Ekocenter - a thrift shop where all of the clothing costs the same, 5€/kilogram. On my first visit a few days back I already found a cardigan and a tank top which were beautiful and they cost 2,75€ (about three dollars) together, and there seemed to be plenty more where they came from. Since that day I've visited the same place again once, and today another flea market, and all in all I seem to have already gathered exactly a third of all things needed. And I still have 9 days before swap of seasons.

I'll be putting all my previously owned stuff that's still worth saving to the not-in-season-box and have a look at it again when it's time for the winter season.

For now, I've been following the home made rules when finding flea market finds:

1. I'll stick to my tried and true way of deciding how many items of each kind to choose for my 33 to be. For example - two teeshirts is just good. There will be only one completely long sleeved top for I prefer 3/4-sleeves to long ones, and I NEED cardigans, for it's cold where I work. Three bags is in order - one small purse, one bigger purse/bag and one work bag.

2. I shall NOT even try on any top that's all black, and refuse to buy one even if it screams my name, for my face and black are not a very good combination.

3. I'll try to find clothes that are nicely my own style and that I feel comfortable in, but I'll try not to choose garments I have a ton of already. I'll try to choose something a wee bit out of the box, something I still like, but that I've not had before.

4. I'll try to find garments that are in good condition and of quality materials, which fit me well.

So these are what I've found so far:

These nine are two skirts, two teeshirts, one cardigan, a pair of leggings, a long sleeved top, a tunic and a bag. All in all these nine cost 17€.

The tank top and the carrot cardigan - my first founds. These cost a total of 2,75€.

So there. I'll need to fill in the blanks and I have 9 days time to do it. And I'm contemplating on shoes - of whether to just have my own pairs because finding proper shoes from the flea market is quite a challenge. But I'm getting there - and I'll keep y'all posted.

Anjusha