So You Want to be a Minimalist

In our consumerist driven society it's tough to keep from falling back into old habits (um... guilty) and getting so. much. stuff.
Of course, people say that being a minimalist is boring, too strict, and has no "style".
Please realize that there is a huge difference between having minimalist style and just throwing on a black shirt and pants every morning and calling it a day (more on that later).

More importantly, it is an aesthetic, but it's also a philosophy of simplicity.

I think it's an idea of paring it down to its simplest form and thinking "less is more".

So what are the benefits of minimalism?

Cash
I'm going to be completely honest right now.

I'm guilty of being a fashionrexic.

When I first discovered fashion I was like a kid in a candy store, but just didn't feasibly have the cash to pay for all of the shiny things that I saw in the magazines, or other girls wearing, or even other bloggers wearing.
So I budgeted.
And budgeted.
 I'd not go out with my friends to the movies because that was an extra $20 I could put towards shoes. I'd eat ramen and peanut butter, or just not eat, so I could buy that new jacket.

Of course now I realize that that was ridiculous. Magazines are magazines. Those other girls usually had either better paying jobs or rich parents.
Either way, paring down my wardrobe and my shopping habits has helped given me a financial security.
I still budget obvs, but walking into a grocery store and buying enough to feed me until I'm full, or being able to just go and pay for last minute social outings is a great feeling.

Simplicity

It's perfect for anyone with a busy lifestyle (aka everyone). Everything matches, everything fits great, and none of this layering and digging through piles of junk nonsense.
Just throw it on and go.
Done.

Aesthetically

My favorite room in the Met is the Japanese garden room.
I love gerber daisies for their almost cartoonishly bold lines (a close second for me is white peonies).
One of my favorite designers is Calvin Klein.
And ask any one of my past roommates and they will tell you that I'm freakishly neat.
Aesthetically I just love the look of clean, simple, strong lines.

Mobility and Peace of Mind

I feel this goes hand in hand.
My family moved a lot when I was younger.
 We're talking a 7 year migration from the West Coast to New England and we did most of it in the back of my Dad's Honda truck, in fact the one time we used a moving company the truck was robbed and we lost all of our stuff that wasn't in the Honda anyway.
I feel calmer and a sense of freedom knowing that I can pick up and go at a moment's notice with all of my stuff in the back of a car.

On the flip side, having less means appreciating what you do have, but facing the fact that it's just clothing. I love it, I enjoy it, but when it comes down to it it's just fabric and stitching.
Letting go of the attatchment lets me worry about one less thing.

Last Note

At the risk of sounding completely hypocritical, I do want to go into the fashion industry after all, I see embracing minimalism as a way of getting off the trend merry-go-round.
I am going to indulge in trends, they bring out new silhouettes that I might love and consider a classic, like my over the knee boots.
But being able to sit back and just admire as opposed to getting that rush feeling of needing to own it?
That's important to me.

I promise I'll be more practical tomorrow, today was just for ranting :)