Issue 42. What I'm wearing this winter

Including a few new-in pieces, and how I decide what to buy

Sometime between wrapping up my Fall 2024 Project 333 capsule and starting my Winter 2025 capsule, I got a bit neurotic.

My initial approach for Project 333 last October was loosely held. My goal was to identify the appropriate number of pieces that I have in a category at a time (i.e. four pants, six tees), with the understanding that the exact pieces would be refined over time. This time, I got in my head that I needed to be “more strict” and have fewer pieces coming in and out of the capsule over the next three months. Essentially, anything I wanted to wear in the next three months I needed to decide RIGHT NOW.

In the name of VaRiEtY, I also felt it was important to put away a few “summery” pieces - namely, my light-wash denim jeans and a white cotton polo sweater. Removing these from my wardrobe had a disastrous effect. By reducing the number of options I had without replacements, I went from having two sweaters and two jeans to one of each. As a result, my desire to shop became increasingly urgent.

Yes, there are specific gaps I would like to address in my wardrobe this winter, based on my experience getting dressed in December. And no, I don’t need to rush - if I do, I’m much more likely to keep mistake purchases.

That being said, what can I learn from what I’ve been wearing, or not wearing?

What I’ve been wearing on repeat:

• One pair of dark wash denim and two pairs of flared leggings

• Fitted short-sleeve tees (five total)

• Fitted cotton long-sleeve base-layers (one everyday, one athletic)

• One button-down white linen shirt (not the right season, but lacking long-sleeve tops, I pulled this out and wore it multiple times on short trip over the holiday)

• One oversized merino wool crew-neck sweater

• All my cardigans and outerwear

• All my short boots and my sneakers

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New-in:

A second-hand taupe cotton jacket with embroidered flower. I wasn’t looking for anything, but walked by a secondhand shop near where I live and just knew I needed this. I owned and loved something similar back in Seattle, but ultimately wasn’t able to wear it anymore after it stopped fitting. I’m so happy to have one of these again!

secondhand jacket from brand Folk (100% cotton) Flower was added by the reseller

An heirloom-quality alpaca/wool coat I found on holiday last week. I wasn’t even looking to buy a new coat this season, was truly doing “reconnaissance” to see what I might want in the future. But I tried this on and got a feeling similar to finding my wedding dress: “I want to feel this good everyday.” In addition to being super comfortable, warm and breathable, this coat provides a level of elegance that my other outerwear doesn’t.

Overland coat, still available in XS and S (Alpaca / Merino blend)

Pleated maxi skirt, I broke my ‘wear it weekly’ rule for this piece. This time of year, everyone’s out here wearing slip skirts with sweaters or sweater-dresses looking so pretty. I know from experience that I prefer to wear an A-line silhouette over a fitted skirt. So when I saw this skirt at Aritzia, I immediately went to Poshmark and ordered one in my size (full-price for polyester - no way!) I haven’t worn it out of the house yet, but tried it on with all my cardigans this weekend and thought each combination was fun and different.

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Items I ‘reached for’ but didn’t have:

These days, my shopping wish list is based on what I’m repeatedly “reaching for” when I get dressed in the morning. The following are the pieces I’ve noticed that I wished I had over the last month, and what I’ve ordered to address each gap. I will ruthlessly return anything that doesn’t work. In that case, I’ll just keep wearing what I have now!

• A thicker pair of light-wash denim - Every time I’ve reached for my summer denim, I’ve ultimately opted for something else instead. I ordered these from Good American ($168)

• One or two long-sleeve base layers in white or navy - A few of my favorites from last winter wore out or didn’t fit anymore, and I didn’t get around to replacing them. I ordered a navy base layer from J. Crew ($60)

• One oversized knit sweater - I’ve been wearing taupe merino knit non-stop, would appreciate something to rotate with. I ordered this sweater from J. Crew ($150)

• A sleek ballet flat - For days when I don’t feel like wearing sneakers or heeled boots. I ordered these from Everlane ($200)

• One cotton button-down shirt - For a few days, all I wanted to wear was my linen button-down. I thought a cotton version would be more seasonally appropriate. I ordered this from Everlane ($88)

My budget for Q1 is $1,400. I’d love to stay well under if possible!

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I’ve also talked about and tried to create a visual representation of my daily uniforms for each season. Essentially, this has been difficult because I wear most of my clothing (tops, pants) both dressed up and dressed down by swapping out shoes, outerwear and accessories to change the overall look. I also generally dress on the side of “slightly elevated, never very formal” so I find my outerwear does most of the heavy-lifting. I created this little chart to demonstrate the roles of each of my outerwear pieces, just for fun:

That’s all for today. I hope your 2025 is off to a great start.

Best,
Maureen