I love shopping – which should not surprise you, when you follow this blog regularly. It’s not about the happy feeling that you have when buying something (which mostly vanishes pretty quickly, anyways), but more the joy of having all those pieces in my closet and being able to create different styles with them. For the biggest part of the past years, I thought, the best way of combining outfits was to own a lot of stuff. Oh, was I wrong.
Lesson Learned: Less is More
I went shopping regularly and bought so much stuff – it didn’t seem to be so much at that point, and this sounds worse than it was anyways. Most of the stuff I bought was chosen because I liked the looks of it. But I also bought items to join a trend or because I saw other people or influencers wearing them. I thought having a big wardrobe would help me not only to develop a diverse style, but also to be cool and fashionable, something that I really hoped to be. I have to admit that there were quite some items that found their way into my closet and got forgotten in there. Worn once or twice, I either forgot about them or realised, that I just don’t really enjoy them when wearing them. But I still had the mindset of thinking that, if I own this or this and that, I might finally have enough options to combine everything. Even those items in the very back of my closet. Instead of thinking about if a new item matches what I already own, I rather thought of additional pieces I would buy to match the one I just got. I guess, compared to some people, my closet wasn’t even that full – but it felt overwhelming. The lesson learned about less is more this time – surprisingly – did not only come from a semester abroad with a limited amount of closing to be taken, but rather from my studies and job experience.
Working in marketing and constantly working on creating images for brands has changed my look on fashion. To me, clothes are not only something you have to wear to fit in, but more something to express yourself and create your very own “brand” – the person you are. Fashion can express your current mood, it can help you to feel better on a bad day, it can help you express different aspects of your character. Finding your very own style is kinda the same as creating an image for a brand. You need to find out what fits and what doesn’t. Obviously, a style can be broader and more diverse than a brand usually is. But one thing is exactly the same: you do not need to join every trend. Like many brands decided not to join the unicorn trend a few years ago, you do not need to join everything just because somebody else is wearing it. If you don’t feel 100% comfortable in it, leave it for somebody else.
When realising this, I also realised: I don’t need that much stuff. Decluttering actually feels good. Owning less clothes gives you more room to be creative yourself, combining outfits, finding new looks with what you already have. Instead of just buying something, I try to imagine the item in question combined with different pieces I already have in my closet. It’s way more fun! And by decluttering regularly and getting rid of what you did not wear, you can learn what is just not your cup of tea. Positive side effect: I spend way less money on trend items now than I did a few years ago. Money that I now can invest in something I had played my eyes on for longer, high quality pieces that are the perfect addition for my wardrobe and my style. And these pieces make me way happier than a very full and somehow not very worn closet.
