A Note on Minimalism

I love the idea of a minimalist wardrobe – in case you hadn’t guessed. A small edited selection of items that mix and match in interesting ways to create a range of outfits with which one never gets bored. Easier said than done. Some days I want to dress like a librarian in a mid-length skirt, big glasses and minimal makeup. And some days I feel more like a rockabilly burlesque star –this is where the leather shorts come in, as do my many varieties of gel eyeliner.


In most respects, however, despite my fondness for dressing in character, my style is quite minimal. I tend toward neutral colours like black, grey, navy, khaki and cream, choosing to ad pops of bright shades with my accessories, depending on my mood. I don’t do ruffles, frills or flounces either. Every time I see ‘romanticism’ being touted in a fashion mag I snort audibly with derision and turn the page. Skirts and dresses have started to appear only recently in my go-to wardrobe but for a long time I refused to wear them unless threatened with dismemberment on the eve of someone or other’s wedding. Perhaps it stems from being quite a large child/young teenager, but I have always preferred the sleeker, cleaner silhouette that pants provide.


While I would love to be a true minimalist, along the lines of Fleurette, right now I want to experiment a little. Especially since, for the first time since leaving school, I have the financial freedom to be able to cultivate a collection of classics that will last me until I am old and decrepit and being wheeled around a nursing home muttering obscenities at random passers-by... oh yeah, I’m going to be one of those old ladies. I guess what also attracts me is the idea of longevity. Investing in clothes that will not readily fall apart so that I can wear and love them for years on end without having to update my core wardrobe.


That said, I am totally on the same page as Miss Sophie with the love-hate luxury syndrome. Yes, I can save up and afford it and yes, I love it, but should I really have it? My own Chanel purchase (more on this later) was riddled with guilt about the approximately two million people that had just been made homeless in Pakistan by the devastating floods they had been hit with. Don’t get me wrong I adore my bag and I am forever grateful that I have been put in a position to have purchased one under my own steam at a comparatively young age, but it still bites a little.


On a lighter note, I have uni tonight, so this is what I wore for work/class:

lafillemalgardee