
Every now and then I just like to sit down and jot down some thoughts. Thoughts that slowly but certainly turn into a story that sometimes I share on this blog and on many occasions I don’t (true story, my phone is filled with stories/thoughts that will never see the light of day. Same for pictures, as you can tell, because these pics were from our trip to Portugal back in September. I still think it’s nice to use them, but feel free to let me know if this bothers you!). This time I’d like to share, because especially around this time – talking about you, Black Friday and Cyber Monday! – I’m more determined to not let my urges take over. To not fall for all the screaming discount e-mails I receive on a daily basis. I have to admit that I’m not totally against them. Au contraire, I’m all for finding good deals and made quite a substantial amount of them myself (I anxiously started scrolling through that Shopbop sale section, especially now that their MORE17 promo kicked in). What I am talking about is the fact that I try to avoid buying – or cluttering, as you wish – stuff for the sake of buying it. ‘Because it’s cheaper now’, ‘because it looked so good on person X’, or ‘because I think I need this, now that I see it’. My solution: choose wisely! :)
I’ve read a LOT about minimalism lately and even though I’m not by any means trying to become a minimalist (what is the true definition of that anyway, I’d ask myself), I do think it’s very inspiring to look at our own (shopping) behaviour and ask ourselves the question: ‘Does this item (whether it’s clothes or not) add value to my life?’. Most of the things we buy on a whim, don’t really add value. Real value, I’m talking about. Not the type of value that I used as an excuse for years: ‘But I like it, so it adds value!’. And of course, I’m not saying I’ll never indulge in a pair of shoes that I don’t need, or change the pillows on our couch for the 2nd time since we moved in, but I just want to remain conscious about that fact that I do it. Deliberate. Thoughtful.
Something that helps to stay on track is that I don’t give a damn about trends. I don’t necessarily avoid them, but I just don’t feel the urge to follow every single one of them, and looking ‘trendy’ almost feels like an insult instead of a compliment, to be very honest. I’ve never been one to search for anything like outside impulses or the approval of others to make me happy. Style wise that means: I love my classics and came to realise a looong time ago that this is something that I’ll always be drawn to and will never stop leaning towards. Boring? To some, perhaps. I’d rather call it non-conform. I guess non-conformity has become my ‘thing’, and I’m totally fine with that. I can still just add a fun element every now and then if I feel like it, but always try to rethink that little outburst a couple of times. If there’s one important lesson I learned from all the minimalism articles/books I read, it’s that minimalism isn’t necessarily about deprivation; it’s about aligning your short-term actions with your long-term values. My long term value? I’d rather not become the sum of my urges. Looking forward to see where this mindset will lead to.
Skirt & tee – H&M / Boots – Chloe / Bag – A.P.C. (sale applies on this one too!) / Sunglasses – Ray Ban




