Who is Courtney Carver, and what is her Project 333?

Introduction

I have written about minimalist wardrobes on my blog several times. After books, discarding clothing is one of the areas where many people struggle. People, especially women, believe that they need dozens of different outfits to make an impact.

But over the last few years, the concept of a capsule wardrobe has gained traction. A Capsule wardrobe is less restrictive than a personal uniform, where someone wears the same clothing daily. Instead, it prevents unnecessary clutter in your wardrobe by keeping it small and high-quality, with staples that can be mixed and matched.

The point of a capsule wardrobe is to simplify your closet, reduce clutter, and actually use what you have. If an item is just sitting in your closet, gathering dust, it’s going to waste. 

Creating a capsule wardrobe will help you home in on what clothes truly work for you and won’t leave you as stressed or anxiety ridden about assembling an outfit.

(Kathryn Kellogg – Capsule Wardrobe: What Is It?)

The term capsule wardrobe originated in 1940s America and denotes a small collection of garments that harmonise in colour and line and are designed to be worn together.

Susie Faux, the owner of the London boutique wardrobe, revived the term in the 1970s. She stated that a capsule wardrobe consists of several timeless wardrobe staples supplemented by a few fashionable pieces.

The capsule wardrobe really took off in 1985 when American designer Donna Karan released an influential capsule collection of seven interchangeable work-wear pieces.

American-born Courtney Carver has taken the concept of a capsule wardrobe in a playful direction by creating Project 333. In the article below, I want to introduce readers to Courtney Carver and her Project 333.

Who is Courtney Carver?

‘Simplify your life. Declutter your mind. Connect with your heart.’ (Be More with Less, Courtney Carver)

American-born Courtney Carver had a family and a thriving career in the advertising industry when, in 2006, she was diagnosed with MS. Read more on her MS diagnosis here. This devastating medical diagnosis led her on a journey to figure out ways of living the best life despite battling MS.

Her MS diagnosis led her to focus on simplicity, re-evaluate her lifestyle and prioritise health, peace, and meaningful living over material accumulation.

After Courtney left her corporate job, she turned her focus to writing, blogging, speaking, and advocating for minimalism and simplicity. She is best known for her work on intentional living, reducing stress and simplifying life.

In 2010, Courtney Caver created Be More with Less and the minimalist fashion challenge Project 333.

On her website, Be More with Less, she states:

‘If you’ve been searching for a place to help you simplify your life, declutter your mind, and connect with your heart, welcome home.’

A few paragraphs down, she goes on to say:

Be more with less means: Be more you. Give yourself all the space, time and love to remember who you are. Living with less clutter, busyness, stress and simplifying your life will help you make the room to do what you need to do. Simplifying my life gave me the space, time, and love to be more me, and the following practices led me back.

She calls Be More with Less a thriving community of people who crave simplicity in life and work.

Carver has written several books, most notably Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More.

What is Project 333?

In addition to the above, Courtney further created the minimalist fashion challenge Project 333. The project has been featured inwidely read magazines such as Real Simple, Vogue, and O, The Oprah Magazine.

Almost eleven years later and I’m still thrilled to recommend the Project 333 Challenge.

Dressing with 33 items or less started as a personal challenge in 2010 and has become something personal and rewarding for tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of people around the world. It started with my closet and then took on a life of it’s own. Now, it’s a book too (with pretty much an answer to every question you may have) and still a part of my closet and my life. (Courtney Carver)

At its core, Project 333 is very simple.Here, participants simplify their wardrobe by choosing just 33 items to wear over three months. Rotating to another 33 with the changing season.

Items that count towards your 33 include clothing, accessories, jewellery, outerwear, and shoes. Underwear, pyjamas, loungewear and exercise clothing don’t count.

What are the benefits of trying out Project 333?

Project 333 isn’t about deprivation, strict rules or wearing an identical T-shirt every day—it’s about:

• Reducing decision fatigue
• Saving time and money
• Becoming more intentional about what you own
• Shifting focus from “more clothes” to “enough”

Well-known minimalist Joshua Becker, who runs the Becoming Minimalist blog, also experimented with Project 333 and had the following to say:

For me, Project 333 became something far greater than wearing fewer articles of clothing. It became about recognising the value of boundaries. And the value of boundaries reaches far beyond our closets. It begins to spill into how we decorate our homes, the toys we buy for our children, our yarn supplies, and even how we choose to spend our time, money, and energy.

Conclusion

In an interview, Courtney Caver gave on the Experience Life website, she sums up her reason for creating Project 333 nicely:

EL | How and why did you create Project 333?

CC | Even though I had been simplifying my life for many years, I had put my closet on the back-burner. I didn’t want to go there! I finally decided that my slow and steady approach to change wouldn’t work with my clothes so I decided to create a three-month challenge. I committed to (and invited blog readers) to join me in dressing with 33 items — or less­— including clothing, accessories, jewellery and shoes for three months. I learned so much about what I really wanted and needed in my closet. Seven years later, I still dress with 33 items or less, and tens of thousands of people from around the world have tried the challenge. It makes me really happy to see what an impact this has had on closets and hearts from so many different walks of life.

Let me know in the comments below whether you have tried Project 333, what your thoughts are, and whether you plan to try it.