Good morning, Wednesday. It's so very February here in New York City. Cloudy. Gloomy. Dismal. Black snow piles. You know the drill. Nevertheless, we persist. Because we are a tough lot, with a touch of masochism thrown in for good measure. Onward.
So I posted an article about Norma Kamali the other day, she of the eternal "it" factor that is somehow transcendent and ageless all at once. Women love her. She's 100% a woman's woman. She's chic, sophisticated, and also a little bit wacky. And she recently released a skincare collection consisting of three products only to appeal to this contemporary moment we're in that is all about minimalism.
As a trend watcher, I see a natural move towards minimalism. I don't mean necessarily aesthetically, but a less is more movement coming out of years of Marie Kondo and a redefinition of consumerism/sustainability push in general. I see so many emails in my inbox about capsule collections and stripping your wardrobe down to the basics. Just the basics. And true, you can't discount the COVID effect here- where are we going, and what do we really need?
But back to Norma. I was amazed by how many of my female friends posted about their love for Norma and how they too want to embrace a less is more moment. The thing is, these were women that were not 30, they were more over 40 types, and many of them were 50ish like me. Apparently, something happens when you get older, and somehow, you don't want all the stuff anymore, or at least that's what my friend in her 60s tells me. She's always been a clotheshorse, but the switch turned off when she hit 55, and she no longer has any desire to keep consuming the way she used to when she was a bit younger. Full disclosure- I am so not there yet. I still love to try a million products, I have a multi-step skincare routine, and I have never met a jumpsuit I didn't want to buy. But I'd be lying if I said I don't fetishize the Instagram profile of minimalistas like Shira Gill, whose clean white life makes me second guess my technicolor existence.
I do think we are in a moment of less. Of focusing on what matters. And many are tired of the endless ad serves coming through their feeds and crowding their brains with notions of more "stuff." Do we really need a lash primer? Will another dress or pair of jeans or ballet flat make us happy? Arent' we tired of tying up boxes from online endeavors?
I am a unique combo of early and late adoption. I see trends before they happen but tend to adopt them later. I still have a few years before I hit my mid-50s, but I'm hoping this minimal mindset hits me as well. I'd love a little extra room in my closet and a small spare room in my life to define what matters most.
But for now, I'll keep sharing all the great finds I uncover while I wait for my minimalist mystique to take hold. Are you feeling in tune with the less is more thing, or are you still going for broke (literally)?
Deepish thoughts on a Wednesday morning. Cause that's what's up this to buy or not to buy kind of Wednesday in Brooklyn. Yours, in priority shifts and midlife musings. XO