Photo Credit: Unfancy
Minimalism Defined
Born in the 1950’s, minimalism was used to reference sculptures and paintings of simple forms, but now we also use the term in fashion to describe a style of an outfit, or someone’s small utilitarian wardrobe.
What Is The Goal Of A Minimalist Wardrobe?
We generally have four goals when we seek out a minimalist wardrobe…
- Save time. (Minimalism = less time shopping, less time returning, less time choosing outfits, less time locating garments)
- Save Money.
- Securing human’s lease on Earth. (Less shopping = less poisoning and destruction of the Earth = Mother Nature may let us stay on this planet longer instead of squashing us) AKA Environmental Purposes.
- Aesthetically pleasing closet.
My Fav Fashion Blogs – The Minimalist & The Clothes Horse
Besides my own blog (duh), I read two fashion blogs consistently… Man Repeller by Leandra Medine, and Unfancy by Caroline Rector. These two blogs embody the opposites in consumption: the clothes horse and the minimalist. Man Repeller is a humorous orgy involving everything fashion. It gorges on designer duds, delves into every detail of living style, and, true to its name, balks at “pretty” and veers to the bizarre. Man Repeller is all about the next good time in fashion.
Unfancy is a minimalist fashion blog. It is a clean cut, clearly thought out blog that follows the creation of a 37-peice wardrobe every three months. It may not be an orgy, but such efficiency and organization is practically arousing in all it perfection.
Man Repeller does not directly affect my fashion choices for myself or my clients. It is more of a pleasure read that keeps me relevant in the “wow” department. The 37-peice wardrobe idea is more relevant to my work. I have numerous clients that desire pure efficiency in their busy no-nonsense lives. However, for myself personally, I only put the capsule wardrobe concept into affect when I travel. The rest of the time, I am considered a clothes horse.
All in all, both Leandra and Caroline speak to me equally.
Minimalist vs Active
I adore a true minimalist wardrobe. It brings me serious joy, but the goal for my own closet could not be considered minimalist. Because of my job, lifestyle and personality, a capsule wardrobe does not make sense, but I do intend to change the activity in my wardrobe. Inspired by minimalists, I do not want anything in my closet that is not joyfully active in my life. Period. My wardrobe will never be one of tiny proportions that inspires the word minimalist, but I am only a few months away from a closet of 100% pure useful joy. It is a purity project I started a year ago that is about minimal storage and anti-dormancy. Basically, if I own it, I need to be loving it and using it. If I am not using it or loving it, it needs to go. I have purged or revived almost everything dormant in my closet and new garments must pass a thorough inspection of awesomeness and usefulness before entering. If you would like to pursue this same project, here are a few posts you will find helpful…