My Evolving Thoughts on Style, Simplicity + Shopping, Headed into FW21

Lately, I’ve had this overwhelming desire to simplify. Mostly in my wardrobe – how many clothes I have, buy, and also even in the type of outfits I wear. But also around the house too. (This month I am trying to declutter one space per day!)

I think it stems from decision fatigue when getting dressed each day (too many choices due to over-shopping). And I think it’s also in part because life is feeling busy again, and I love having simple outfits that I can lean on without too much thought. (My Utah trip really enforced this!)

I did a lot of pandemic purchasing to deal with my feelings, many of which were sad. And I feel like I am just now sort of untangling the residual effects of them. Living through a pandemic and facing a year-plus of being at home (plus catastrophic state-wide wildfires) is a lot to deal with. I am sure you felt it too. I could write a whole separate blog post about this. But, in a nutshell, I definitely shopped to deal with my feelings, which is not usually the wisest route to take. Now I have to figure out how to deal with that.

I’ve realized shopping is so darn tempting for me because when I shop, I’m often shopping for a feeling or future life, life/experience. For example, if I’m shopping for summer items I’m dreaming about a fun vacation or day trip to the beach I might take. Or if I’m shopping for a cool bag, I am subconsciously thinking of the cool life I might have because I have that cool bag. This of course is the ultimate goal of advertisers. And as a person who tends toward day-dreaming and future-dreaming, I fall for it way too easily.

I’ve been brainstorming on what simplifying looks like and how it might play out in real-time. One approach is buying less. This seems obvious, but it’s complicated when you’re in my shoes. When you make a living off selling clothes, there is an underlying pressure to keep buying. This is perhaps the hardest part about this job. I love repeat outfits and restyling items, but at the end of the day, it’s the new items that generate sales and engagement. This leaves me with tough questions for myself.

Styling simpler, chicer looks is another approach. I love well-executed simple outfits. They are harder to pull off than you might think and take a lot of discretion when putting them together. It’s an exercise in creativity, restraint, and sartorial savviness.

---

What Does This All Mean Moving Forward?

---

RE: Shopping

Unfortunately, I don’t have any neat and tidy takeaways to wrap up this post. I wish I had three bullet points to give you to help you simplify. I truly believe it’s a whole mindset shift. Being in a headspace where I stop looking and seeking and shopping and buying. That is where I am at right now, and I am going to try and carry that through the fall as best I can. I will still shop and I will still make purchases, but I will try to make them as strategic as possible – in other words buying what best serves my needs stylistically and practically. So maybe one strategically chosen sweater instead of five or one pair of boots instead of three. I’ll stop chasing the endless options.

RE: Content Creation

I’ll continue to share my daily outfits here on the blog, doing that brings me so much joy, and I hope you like them too! I’ll write when I’m inspired and have the occasional brand partnerships when the connection is right. A big change for me is pursuing a YouTube audience. On that platform content creators can earn income from audience views rather than sales. There is the potential to earn income from videos that teach styling, share outfit ideas, and review items, without always needing new items. This greatly appeals to me, and I hope to continue building on this. (Find me on YouTube here! And subscribe here!)

Closing Thoughts:

Throughout my blogging career (6 years and counting!) I’ve had a variety of mindsets around consumption. I’ve gone from buying very little to buying quite a bit. There is no right or wrong, and I am not inviting anyone’s judgment with this post (goodness knows I’ve been subject to it many times over the years!). And this is not meant to judge anyone else’s choices. I’m simply sharing my thoughts on my journey as I’ve done many times over the years. If something resonated with you, let me know below!

Thank you so much for reading.