Could you live with only 33 pieces of clothing? How about just 10?

By Alina Dizik

Joshua Becker's clothing philosophy: Just 33 items, worn for three months at a time.

The best part of Joshua Becker’s morning routine: he doesn’t need to spend time thinking about what to wear. After all, he’s got very few options.

Becker, author of The More of Less, is part of Project 333, a movement where participants wear only 33 items of clothing for three months at a time.

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“This is the perfect amount of clothing for me,” said Becker who lives in Peoria, Arizona in the US and now permanently stocks only about 30 items in his closet. “It’s one less decision I make each day.”

Consumers – inspired in part by authors and bloggers – are eager to simplify their lives by throwing out what they don’t truly need. And many, including Becker, start with their closets, eschewing fast fashion trends for small high-quality so-called capsule wardrobes where key pieces can be easily counted without any rummaging.

Some of the world’s most successful executives already have a capsule-like wardrobe. In the 1980s, Donna Karan introduced her seven easy pieces of wardrobe basics to target the busy modern woman. Today, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld wear a similar outfit every day. US President Barack Obama commits to either a blue or grey suit, and Steve Jobs’ black turtleneck was ubiquitous.

While some focus on curating 10 core pieces with additional seasonal items, others are strict about maintaining the prescribed 33 pieces of clothing, including accessories.

Ultimately, the number is just a starting point for maintaining a clutter-free closet, something that seems difficult with the rise of disposable fashion, said Courtney Carver, a former advertising sales executive who started Project 333 as an experiment about six years ago.