A Navy Common Wardrobe for Fall: My Project 333 Picks

In my two previous posts, I showed eight ways to expand a fall navy-based The Common Wardrobe (TCW) to 33 items, consistent with a Project 333 capsule. Today I'll show what 6 items I chose and my rationale for my picks.

As a reminder, this is what the 27-item wardrobe looks like so far:

Here's the 27-piece wardrobe by the numbers:

-4 bottoms (2 pants, 1 jeans, 1 skirt)

-5 tops [T or blouse]

-3 collared shirts

-3 pullover sweaters

-3 toppers (2 cardigans, 1 vest)

-1 shoes

-1 scarf

-2 necklaces

-3 earrings

-2 bracelets

When it came time for me to make my six picks, I ended up using a mix of the various options I posted about.

Two selections came from the Option 1: Bolster the Core Sets approach because for me, in fall, scarves are a necessity, and having only the plaid scarf (awesome as it is!) in the wardrobe wouldn't be enough. I really like having solid scarves in my major colors for a cold weather wardrobe. So I picked the solid navy scarf straight from the set of navy, white, and olive items I had shown as an example.

Option 1: Bolster the Core Sets

I also wanted a white scarf but decided that a solid white one wouldn't be as fun as this white one with small rose gold polka dots. I suppose that it's technically a print, but it's so subtle that it should be about as versatile as a solid one.

Option 1: Bolster the Core Sets

My third pick was...shocker...another scarf! I absolutely love my lightweight navy owl print scarf for wearing with any mix of navy, olive, and brown, especially in fall; it's a terrific bridge piece. It can be worn on its own as a scarf or headband, but I especially like doubling it up with the navy scarf for cold days.

Option 3: Add Bridge Pieces

Here's an OOTD example of the doubled up navy and owl scarves; I used them to tie together an ivory sweater, olive quilted vest, dark denim skirt, and navy tights + all weather mocs.

Moving on to Option 5: Add More Prints, the mint floral cardigan from the sample image was a must-have for this capsule.

Option 5: Add More Prints

It coordinates wonderfully with the color palette and is a gorgeous fall print. Since I purchased it last December, it still feels very new and exciting, so I would be happy to wear it on repeat. I like that this classic cardigan style can be worn open as a topper to layer over a top/shirt or buttoned up the front to wear like a pullover sweater.

Option 5: Add More Prints

That's four items down and I haven't yet added the second pair of shoes to the capsule. Continuing with the Option 5: Add More Prints theme, I chose my cheetah print Oxfords that I like wearing with pants. I could see this striking some people as a kind of out there choice...I only have two pairs of shoes and one of them is this attention-grabbing and distinctive?! But I LOVE these shoes, which are guaranteed to turn a set of items worn on the body at once into a Look. I love a statement shoe, and I don't wear as many of them in the cold seasons as I do in the warm ones because I spend so much of the time wearing boots. (Of course, statement boots are definitely a thing, but because nice boots are so pricey, I have a relatively small collection of more basic pairs that I wear over and over.) So I would definitely be up to having these gorgeous and fun Oxfords be a defining element of my style in a Project 333 wardrobe.

Option 5: Add More Prints

OK, only one more item to pick...and now it's time to follow the lead of Option 7/8 and bring in another accent color! My choice here was actually very easy because of an outfit I wore back in March 2019 and still think about. While the silhouette wasn't my favorite (trouser jeans with an oversized cardigan...I should have worn slimmer-cut jeans), the color scheme was *chef's kiss*: olive, dark blue denim, and leopard print with this rich magenta scarf.

I would happily revisit that color scheme again, and magenta is a good choice with all of the colors in the capsule, so I selected the magenta scarf from the new accent color image.

Option 7/8: Add a New Accent

So here are the last 6 pieces, rounding out my Project 333 wardrobe. With these additions I'm seeing the possibilities for outfits with a statement print, print mixing, and/or a pop of color.

My Additions

Let's take a look at a few of the many outfits we could create with the 33-piece wardrobe!

Outfit #1 livens up a navy column of color with a statement print cardigan and adds some lightness near the face with faux pearl earrings and white polka dot scarf...which also adds a subtle print mix to the look. (I would definitely wear navy tights with this outfit. We are completely past bare legs season in St Paul.)

Outfit #1

Outfit #2 is a reprise of the March 2019 OOTD I shared above...this time with a less baggy cardigan, slimmer and lighter wash jeans, and cheetah instead of leopard print shoes. I just love the extra dimension that magenta scarf brings.

Outfit #2

There is nothing flashy about Outfit #3 with its emphasis on the navy neutral, but I think the small touches keep things interesting...and I do enjoy how the blue tassels on the loafers tie in with the blue accent in the blouse.

Outfit #3

I wasn't sure how the cheetah Oxfords would work with the taupe-beige knit pants, so I tried them in Outfit #4. I like the result! I've actually been pleasantly surprised by how useful these knit pants I bought toward the beginning of the pandemic (May 2020) turned out to be (they are the Starfish Slim Leg pants). A pair of tight-fitting light-colored pants (on me, they are almost leggings) are out of my comfort zone, but they truly are very comfortable for wearing at home, and I've been enjoying the variety that the light color brings.

Outfit #4

Outfit #5 is an example of the many "naturally this would look great with the navy loafers but for something a little more fun and unexpected, let's go with the cheetah print shoes instead" outfit possibilities in this capsule. Sometimes only a small tweak can really change up the vibe of an outfit.

Outfit #5

Outfit #6 uses the blue + navy tasseled loafers as a jumping off point for an outfit built on a variety of blue shades and textures, accessorized with circular silver-tone jewelry for a look that is cohesive but interesting.

Outfit #6

In Outfit #7, I wanted to see how well the magenta scarf would work in an all-navy outfit, and I love how the pop of color jazzes things up.

Outfit #7

Outfit #8 is a casual ensemble in which the owl scarf can be worn as a headband or ponytail accessory for one of those days that the hair just is not cooperating. (I mean, I certainly wouldn't be familiar with such a thing from personal experience but I hear tell that it can happen.)

Outfit #8

For Outfit #9, I took a fairly typical white top + navy "suit" combination and subbed out the navy pants for the taupe-beige knit ones for a more casual WFH day...and threw on the magenta scarf because even with an outfit of varied neutrals, I do like my color.

Outfit #9

Outfit #10 is a test of the fall foliage print blouse + polka dot scarf combination, and I am a fan.

Outfit #10

I was tempted to do the math of how many different outfit combinations are possible from this 33-piece capsule because even though I think most of us understand on some level that there are more combinations in our closets than we see, it can be extremely surprising just how many more. But instead, I will let you peruse this article in which a software architect worked out that his mom's Project 333 wardrobe created 25,176 unique outfits! Even if many of those outfits looked similar to each other, you could select your favorite <1% of those outfits and have 251 outfits to cover 3 months (about 91 days).

Let me be clear, I am not going to dress this fall from a 33-piece capsule. Minimalism really isn't my thing. But I am a big proponent of shopping our closets and looking for all the many wonderful outfits we already have available to us. I find building capsules to be a great way to stretch my style muscles and try things I wouldn't otherwise have thought of. And someday, we will *knock wood* be traveling freely again, when even the maximalists among us generally need to pack a relatively small wardrobe.

Have you ever tried a capsule wardrobe?

I link up with:

Nike at Life as a LEO Wife (Sundays)

Shelbee at Shelbee on the Edge (Mondays; 3rd Thursday)

Michelle at My Bijou Life (Mondays, Fridays)

Mica at Away from the Blue (Mondays)

Debbie at My Random Musings (Mondays)

Roxanne at Glass of Glam (Mondays)

Claire at Claire Justine (Mon, Wed, Fri)

Laura at I Do deClaire (Tuesdays)

Emma at Style Splash (Tuesdays)

Jess at Elegantly Dressed & Stylish (Tuesdays)

Gail at Is This Mutton? (Wednesdays)

Shelly at The Queen in Between (Wednesdays)

Jodie at Jodie's Touch of Style (3rd Thursday)

Carrie at Curly Crafty Mom (Thursdays)

Ada at Elegance and Mommyhood (Thursdays)

Jacqui at Mummabstylish (Thursdays)

Nicole at High Latitude Style (Thursdays)

Suzy at The Grey Brunette (Fridays)

Nancy at Nancy's Fashion Style (Fridays)

Erika at A Little Bit of Everything (Fridays)

Lucy at Lucy Bertoldi (Fridays)

Kimberly at Being a Wordsmith (Fridays)

Rena at Fine Whatever (Saturdays)