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ef="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlcBA8s22BA&ab_channel=MattD%27Avella">man’s version</a> by Matt D’Avella).She did an extreme version of go-tos. There’s one particular t-shirt she loves, so she decided to buy seven of the same t-shirt and wear a clean one every day. To combat repetitiveness, she spices it up with accessories and different hair-dos (more on this below).Inspired by her, rather than deciding what to keep and what to chuck, I picked out my obvious go-tos, and donated ALL other items without even saying goodbye (yep, very un-Marie Kondo, but I’m not going to bow to my house and thank my bloody clothes).The Marie Kondo method is to decide whether we want something as we sort through our stuff. I’ve tried that before and failed miserably. Perhaps that I’m an indecisive Libra, but most of my stuff went into the ‘unsure’ pile, which then mysteriously found their way back to my wardrobe. This time, I didn’t debate, I went straight for stuff that I’m 100% sure.Turned out there aren’t that many. My body already knew it, that Muji 100% cotton stripe top, the Gap black skinny jeans. They always work and I’m never letting them go.<h2 id="70ae">Learn to fix things you still love.</h2>Because of fast-fashion and next-day delivery, we are now really used to replacing things when they become broken.When my chubby thighs rubbed a hole out of my go-to Gap jeans, I realised there’s no way I was throwing them out. I looked at the other jeans I got, and I was happy to announce that this pair was the one.So I bought a sewing kit and fixed the hole. I also fixed the broken seam on my favourite pink coat and changed the soles of my beloved Chelsea boots. This is the time to be Marie Kondo about it, thank your go-tos and keep them fab.My friend bought me a fabric shaver for Christmas after knowing I started taking care of my clothes. It’s honestly fabulous, keeping my items fresh and new.There’s no way I’ll bother fix anything else other than my go-tos. Those are true loves and everything else are just bad romance. This helps me to make the decision of what belongs to my must-have bucket. I can’t maintain a big wardrobe, only stuff I honestly care about.<h2 id="220a">The devil is in the details.</h2>One of the problems I had in the past when trying to become a minimalist was that I felt I needed to create the perfect capsule wardro

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be — which for me is an all-encompassing, multi-function wardrobe.As a sociable Londoner, I need clothes that can fit me among the hipsters in Hackney as well as the prepsters in Belgravia. Of course, I also need to attend funerals, weddings, business meetings and athleisure boot camps at Barry’s (LOL, just joking, I swim).Perhaps it’s Covid-19, but I made the decision to be liberated from dress codes. I don’t mean I’m wearing joggers to a wine bar, oh Jesus no. I mean my go-tos have already shown their worth naturally. They aren’t just high quality and flattering, but they are versatile.I used to create my capsule wardrobe in the order of first defining my style then picking the items. However, this is the best I can do: a ‘timeless-Audrey-Hepburn-French-romantic-but-Alexa-Chung-like-tom-boy-elegance-plus-a-hint-of-sexy-like-Jamie-Chung” look. I’m not even joking and fails miserably.So this time, after I changed the order. First I picked out my go-tos, then I see how far I can get away with combinations. Rather than defining myself like the above, I let my go-tos define me.It was a success. Let’s use the Muji stripy top as an example. Because of its fantastic material and great form, it can be worn over jeans and Chelsea boots, or it can be tucked into my fitted black skirt. Either of the combos will stretch me East to West, even cross the Channel to France.The lady with the same top is right, most of our go-tos will be pretty basic, so we can accessorize them differently for different occasions. Since I downsized, I found new joy in experimenting with hair-dos. As my Japanese hairstylist taught me, if you curl your hair inwards you will be cute/kawaii; outwards, you will be Kim K.<h2 id="c784">Conclusion</h2>How one does minimalism is really one’s own business. If you want you can have a capsule wardrobe of bright pink garments and no one should judge. If there’s one top that’s quirky and can only be used for specific occasions but you love it to bits, then by all means, keep it.That’s what sparking joy is about.Frankly, if that garment doesn’t suit you, no matter how pretty it is, it won’t spark joy. The system is impeccable.I’m tired of shopping. We don’t need new stuff to define our style, our style is already defined. What we need is a slower, fixable fashion industry and consumer culture.</article></body>

Forget Marie Kondo, Here’s How I Successfully Downsized and Became a Minimalist Finally

4 easy tips to get it started for 2021!

I’m not a shopaholic, but I am lucky to have some spare cash for luxury.

Apart from Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Boxing Day Sale, the other times I normally lost control completely is at airport duty-free. My credit card bill for the few hours before departure in Heathrow T5 generally involved shops I never normally go to.

Seriously, why did I buy that Louis Vuitton Speedy? I have no idea.

But this year, I managed to transform from an emotional shopper to a minimalist. I decluttered and survived all sale seasons, including Boxing Day yesterday.

Here’s what happened.

Separate go-tos vs crap.

As I am writing this article, my Louis Vuitton is in a box, among all my other ‘pricey things’ on a cargo ship. I am shipping them to my mum’s home.

This is because I have finally answered the age-old question: Why do women always feel they have no clothes to wear when there’s a wardrobe full of crap?

The answer is: suitability is hard to find.

Women and men alike, we always have a bunch of “go-to” garments. Whether it is the black v-neck that complements our collar bones, or that pair of skinny jeans that are the perfect fit and perfect stretch. Those are the good stuff.

Sadly, we sometimes get bored wearing the same go-tos and idiotically tried to “spice up our wardrobe”. Those crap never leave the house as we don’t feel good in them, nor comfortable.

In the end, we have a mountain of clothes that we never wore and will never wear. The thought and the reality of this suffocated me when I did a decluttering, like everybody else, during the lockdown.

Do the opposite of Marie Kondo.

Then I saw this video about a woman who wears the same t-shirt for three goddamn years (and here’s a man’s version by Matt D’Avella).

She did an extreme version of go-tos. There’s one particular t-shirt she loves, so she decided to buy seven of the same t-shirt and wear a clean one every day. To combat repetitiveness, she spices it up with accessories and different hair-dos (more on this below).

Inspired by her, rather than deciding what to keep and what to chuck, I picked out my obvious go-tos, and donated ALL other items without even saying goodbye (yep, very un-Marie Kondo, but I’m not going to bow to my house and thank my bloody clothes).

The Marie Kondo method is to decide whether we want something as we sort through our stuff. I’ve tried that before and failed miserably. Perhaps that I’m an indecisive Libra, but most of my stuff went into the ‘unsure’ pile, which then mysteriously found their way back to my wardrobe. This time, I didn’t debate, I went straight for stuff that I’m 100% sure.

Turned out there aren’t that many. My body already knew it, that Muji 100% cotton stripe top, the Gap black skinny jeans. They always work and I’m never letting them go.

Learn to fix things you still love.

Because of fast-fashion and next-day delivery, we are now really used to replacing things when they become broken.

When my chubby thighs rubbed a hole out of my go-to Gap jeans, I realised there’s no way I was throwing them out. I looked at the other jeans I got, and I was happy to announce that this pair was the one.

So I bought a sewing kit and fixed the hole. I also fixed the broken seam on my favourite pink coat and changed the soles of my beloved Chelsea boots. This is the time to be Marie Kondo about it, thank your go-tos and keep them fab.

My friend bought me a fabric shaver for Christmas after knowing I started taking care of my clothes. It’s honestly fabulous, keeping my items fresh and new.

There’s no way I’ll bother fix anything else other than my go-tos. Those are true loves and everything else are just bad romance. This helps me to make the decision of what belongs to my must-have bucket. I can’t maintain a big wardrobe, only stuff I honestly care about.

The devil is in the details.

One of the problems I had in the past when trying to become a minimalist was that I felt I needed to create the perfect capsule wardrobe — which for me is an all-encompassing, multi-function wardrobe.

As a sociable Londoner, I need clothes that can fit me among the hipsters in Hackney as well as the prepsters in Belgravia. Of course, I also need to attend funerals, weddings, business meetings and athleisure boot camps at Barry’s (LOL, just joking, I swim).

Perhaps it’s Covid-19, but I made the decision to be liberated from dress codes. I don’t mean I’m wearing joggers to a wine bar, oh Jesus no. I mean my go-tos have already shown their worth naturally. They aren’t just high quality and flattering, but they are versatile.

I used to create my capsule wardrobe in the order of first defining my style then picking the items. However, this is the best I can do: a ‘timeless-Audrey-Hepburn-French-romantic-but-Alexa-Chung-like-tom-boy-elegance-plus-a-hint-of-sexy-like-Jamie-Chung” look. I’m not even joking and fails miserably.

So this time, after I changed the order. First I picked out my go-tos, then I see how far I can get away with combinations. Rather than defining myself like the above, I let my go-tos define me.

It was a success. Let’s use the Muji stripy top as an example. Because of its fantastic material and great form, it can be worn over jeans and Chelsea boots, or it can be tucked into my fitted black skirt. Either of the combos will stretch me East to West, even cross the Channel to France.

The lady with the same top is right, most of our go-tos will be pretty basic, so we can accessorize them differently for different occasions. Since I downsized, I found new joy in experimenting with hair-dos. As my Japanese hairstylist taught me, if you curl your hair inwards you will be cute/kawaii; outwards, you will be Kim K.

Conclusion

How one does minimalism is really one’s own business. If you want you can have a capsule wardrobe of bright pink garments and no one should judge. If there’s one top that’s quirky and can only be used for specific occasions but you love it to bits, then by all means, keep it.

That’s what sparking joy is about.

Frankly, if that garment doesn’t suit you, no matter how pretty it is, it won’t spark joy. The system is impeccable.

I’m tired of shopping. We don’t need new stuff to define our style, our style is already defined. What we need is a slower, fixable fashion industry and consumer culture.