Minimalism bored me…

“True Minimal” didn’t work for me - and how I edged it up

For a WHOLE MONTH, I tried to commit fully to true minimalism. Clean lines. Neutral palettes. No excess. No decoration. On paper, it made perfect sense. In practice? It bored the tits off me. I didn’t even write a Substack for 3 weeks because I was bored, bored bored of the same thing.

Not because minimalism is wrong — but because pure minimalism requires a type of emotional neutrality to style and fashion that I just don’t have - that’s not how I dress, live, or want to feel.

For me fashion is creative escapism, a type of armor, and gives me a certain excitement. It’s escapism at its purest. The power of a good outfit to transform sings in my soul. The rush of finding an outfit that just clicks, of someone complimenting how you look or asking where you got something from (weeee! Validation!), the thrill of finding that perfect vintage piece or grabbing a pair of perfect jeans at half the price on Poshmark. Getting in a friends closet and making them joyful about clothes again. Writing this Substack is a creative outlet I don’t have in my everyday life and at the heart of it is fashion and sharing what I’m good at - distilling signals into wearable and practical tips. I’m emotionally connected to fashion in the way I’m not emotionally connected to art, or music, or theater (although fashion has threads running through all of these) - although I enjoy all of these things, you don’t see me passionate enough about them to write a Substack every week on it.

So trying to practice minimalism in something that I’m maximalist about feels wrong. True minimal feels flat to me because it strips clothing down to shape, proportion, and colour — but it also removes: contrast, friction and my personality. I wanted to exercise control over my choices, but I don’t want to remove the fun or the personality from my style. When everything is correct, nothing feels expressive. Visual restraint feels emotionally neutral for me, and that’s not the point. I wanted to exercise the perfect tailoring, the immaculate fabrics, and the easy polish - but I want it with a bit of EDGE.

Actually what I wanted to do was get more specific about my core look, and strip down the noise of constant fashion cycles and micro-trends.

Minimalism With Tension

I prefer to think of MY brand of minimalism as edited glamour. Maintaining my promise to edit, edit edit (and stay away as far as my acquisitive little self can from micro trends and fast fashion) I can still operate within a monochromatic palette. I can (I CAN!!) maintain clean, defined silhouettes and focus on rotating high-quality foundational basics, but the key for me to feel excited again is by introducing an edge through contrast.

Here’s how:

I can Use Proportion to Create Interest

I rarely wear anything “neat.” My silhouettes tend to be long, and slightly oversized and I love to create drama in the shoulder, waist or leg. Even when the palette is neutral, proportions introduce edge which keeps minimalism from becoming polite (boring). One of the standout pieces in my wardrobe of the past 3 years (I have worn it 50X per year - from red carpet events to dive bars - people think it’s YSL) is a vintage men’s XL tux jacket which was $20 from a thrift store in Ojai. I have about 15 other blazers of various types, brands and expense in my wardrobe but hands down this is the one I reach for every time. The proportions are clean and understated (a simple satin shawl collar is the only embellishment), but the shoulders are overstated and THAT proportion adds drama that just translates with my wardrobe.

Similarly, belting a blazer (another vintage haul was an XL YSL men’s blazer) which has a defined shoulder shape creates proportion and looks intentional without trying too hard (and makes your waist look tiny).

Finally, I’m a huge fan of Zara, Mango and Massimmo Dutti suiting. There are a ton of options now by means of trickle down from the focus on menswear shapes for women on recent catwalks, and they’re a great addition for your wardrobe. For sub $200 you can acquire what is effectively a ‘posh tracksuit’ which has structured shoulders and easy fluidity, and requires zero thought in the morning - instant style for none of the effort and all of the compliments.

Here are some lovely options:

Brown double breasted check suit (Mango, $250) | Herringbone double breasted suit (Mango, $449) | Red Suit with Wrap Tie (Mango, $230) | Fitted Black Suit with cross button Blazer (Zara, $169) | High neck button up blazer (Zara, $169) | White lapel free suit (Zara, $99) | Black Wool-Blend Blazer (loose cut) (Zara, $200) | Ecru Satin flowing shirt and trousers (not a suit, but Very Row Coded) (Zara, $150)

2. Add Edge Through Fabric, Color or Contrast

True minimal removes texture. I like a bit of fluff, or leather, some skin or sheer fabric to mix things up. Think a plain pair of fluid black trousers with fluffy cashmere (not a teddy bear ladies, but something like this COS brushed cashmere brown rugby sweater).

Equally, while the bulk of my wardrobe represents a neutral palate (including the hottest new girl to the Love Island house - brown!) I crave a pop of color and this is a fun way to keep things interesting and a nice way of nodding to seasonal trends without looking overdone. The other way to play with color is keep the palate neutral but play with depth, saturation and tonal contrast.

Finally, introduce something which shouldn’t really work. Bare skin under a (carefully safety pinned) blazer, a masculine blazer over a minimal slip or a severe shoe grounding something soft.

Lace dress with slit (Mango, $219) | with Crocodile effect Coat (Mango, $699) | Dress with Fringe Hem (Mango, $550) | Long dress with Asymmetrical sleeves (Mango, $159) | Oversized Funnel neck Trench (Mango, $349) | Oversized Leather Bomber Jacket (Mango, $649)