7 reasons why I’m downsizing.
A lot of people ask me why I’ve decided to downsize, and slow down my style. I never thought I’d feel like a vegan (when they get asked why they’ve made that conscious lifestyle choice).
Here’s the thing. It wasn’t something I just rolled out of bed one day and did – and it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. The beauty of personal style is that it’s personal. We should celebrate and enjoy seeing how everyone else navigates their style journey.
While I can get talking for hours about cool brands in the market and how neat ethical fashion is, I never want to be the person laying guilt on others for not shopping consciously. Guilt-tripping is never what it’s about. Everyone comes about doing good in the world in their own way. They may have a waste-free lifestyle, they may donate to charity, they may drive an electric car. Their choices may be smaller than that, but not less important. Every kindness leaves an impression. I chose to shop ethically. It’s a way for me to feel confident, beautiful, joyful and kind.
I realized I could streamline it into 7 reasons. Keep-a-scrolling!
7 reasons I chose to slow down my style.
- I just bought a house – which means, I can’t afford to buy clothes like I used to!
- Shopping only secondhand or ethical is even more expensive – so I need to really love a piece.
- My house is a small 90-year-old 2 1/2 storey – which means no space to cram in endless clothing.
- I was tired of the “I don’t have anything to wear” blues.
- I was sick of guiltily looking at pieces I bought and have worn only once, because of outfit repetition fear.
- I felt a shift in my style. I was no longer the colourful hippie, or the streamlined businesswoman. I felt something else happening now that I’m in my late 20’s. And I wanted to really hone in on it.
- Lee Vosburgh (Stylebee)’s 10×10 challenge opened my eyes to the fact that I don’t need a ton of clothing to have a varied, versatile, beautiful style.
I noticed that the decision to become more streamlined correlated directly to the same way I was thinking about my house. I didn’t want to be cluttered with ‘stuff’. I wanted to feel joy and care and love with every item around me. So here we are!
The best part about this process has been realizing that I went out of my way to buy clothes I thought I should buy – because people told me I should wear more colour, or this or that. Well, no more of that! When you feel confident in something, wear it. When you know it will bring out the best in you, own it.
I hope that’s what you do!
