the details


When people come to our home, they often comment on how minimal we are. I hate clutter and excess, and my mind is only at ease in an organized environment. I am not very sentimental (anymore) about material things, and only keep things that are really loved or used often (preferably both). Luckily, my husband is the same way. Considering the fact that we move at lot—8 times in the last decade—and evaluate every single item each time we pack and unpack, it’s been very easy to remain minimal.

My closet is the same way. I read sometimes about people shopping their closets or buying an item that they already owned and forgot about, but there’s no way that could happen to me. I suspect that I have only a fraction of the number of clothing items that most American women my age have, and I love every thing that I own. I’ve been doing research on minimal closets and capsule wardrobes, but my entire wardrobe is not much bigger than a capsule to begin with (66 pieces, excluding lounge/exercise clothes, underwear, and shoes).



Every season I look over saved photographs for inspiration on what I want to wear. For the fall and winter of 2014, the looks that I found inspiring are the same ones I’ve been drawn to over and over for the last few years and, basically, what I already have sitting in my closet—white shirts, blazers, skinny jeans, ankle boots and ballet flats. I have my signature style pinned down, but I’m still bored of wearing my real clothes in real life and I feel like I’m wearing the same things over and over again—because I am! I looked through my pins and photos one more time asking myself what is so different about that than what I wear, and the answer was all in the details: a cuffed hem, bright nail polish, stack of bangles, fancy belt or cool hat. The little things that add your own unique voice to a simple outfit.

Coco Chanel famously said that before leaving the house a lady should look in the mirror and remove one accessory, my goal for this season is to do the opposite. Add one (or two or three) details each time I leave the house.