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Why I Owned 22 Coats (and why I now only own 4): maximalist turned minimalist?

My capsule wardrobe! 

Minimalism is, to many people, an extremely attractive yet lofty ideal. Own as few things as possible, only those that serve you and are functional for you and beautiful to you. For me, it was a concept I valued but I considered it entirely impossible, in practical terms, to implement in my day to day life. Maybe some you feel the same? Weighed down by possessions (literally so when moving from place to place) and unable to separate you from your stuff. Consumerism has been bred into us. 

So, I hear you ask: 1) how are you going to implement minimalist ideals and b) why are you even trying since you are most likely doomed to fail?


1) Live with as little as is comfortable for as long as is comfortable.

Ultimately, although I did a big wardrobe declutter and discarded (aka gave to charity) all the fallen apples (aka the clothes I really didn't care about all that much), I haven't abandoned the majority of my clothing though it no longer inhabits my space. It's in bags and black plastic sacks at my parents' house in my old room, available to retrieve at any time. It's a comfort to be slightly non-committal to what is a very new concept in my life. 

Clothes were my primary maximalist concern. I had twenty two coats, thirty three pairs of jeans, actually probably not enough tops because I was too busy buying jeans and coats, and countless hats and shoes. I was living in excess when it came to attire. It was time to retire the desire (gosh, aren't we getting poetic!) for stuff to fill a void within myself that I should be filling with meaningful things: family, friends, halfway-decent self esteem and positive self-talk. I was constantly chasing the next piece in hope of finding something that would make me actually feel good about myself. 

Understanding that clothes were, for me, a small plaster over a nasty wound, it made me realise that I needed to begin to heal that wound rather than keep buying and buying things I did not need. This only caused guilt, debt and generally didn't fix anything. Do you have a vice that has a deeper cause? You'll know what I mean if you do. 

So, in essence, I am practising (in both senses of the word) minimalism for these next few months. I am spending as little as I can, buying only what I truly love and need. I will see which pieces of clothing I miss and which ones I truly love. The rest, eventually, will be put in the loft for my future children to enjoy! Ever a silver lining, eh?


b) Striving for reinvention and for positive change is something I hold dear. Trying is incredible valuable! 

I am trying because I want to change. What I was doing wasn't working: I was in debt (still am), surrounded by clothes I didn't totally love and was frittering away all I had trying to fix something that couldn't be fixed with such a method.

Change in our lives is a great power we have and minimalist ideals are something I thought I could not do, but want to prove to myself are possible. It's important to challenge yourself!



We can be exactly who we want to be, no matter how far away that is from who we are now. 

Right folks, I've realised I've written a lot! What do you think of minimalism? Would you ever consider it? Let me know and follow me on instagram if you like: @jumper.dweller

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