DOWNSIZING AND INTENTIONAL MATERIALISM, PERSONAL STYLE

During my teens, I became enamored by the concepts and intentions of minimalism, slow living, and intentional materialism. While I, unfortunately, have struggled with slow living (I believe I am too impatient), I have gotten better at practicing minimalism and intentional materialism in my everyday life, to the point of borderline-obsession. 

This January marks the first of 3 move-out sessions occurring between now and March. As I undergo the process of packing items to bring back to my parent's house, I have been torn between packing 80% of my apartment now or packing the auxiliary, items that I know I will not be using within the next two months. This is a rumination I have, especially with clothing. The amount of garments I have in my apartment is 10% of the garments I have back home. Within that 10%, I have already packed away 75%, further demonstrating how I really do not need that much to survive fall/winter! The apparel staying with me are versatile and high-quality, and as such, I take their upkeep very seriously. If you are interested in knowing what they are and why they're staying around for the remainder of winter, read my post on "Cracking the Code on Keeping Warm."

I believe I can label my attachment to these clothing items as intentional materialism. These pieces mean more to me because of the time I spend in their upkeep, and as such, I may have grown a closer attachment to them compared to the others. Also, I have learned different ways of styling the pieces together, maximizing the amount of outfits I can wear!

A few winners of the garment cull, styled as layers: white cotton button-down, grey quarter-button knit sweater with a collar, black vintage Helmut Lang cotton and silk jean jacket, black vintage Helmut Lang nylon skirt, black Theory wool trousers (Treeca's), G.H. Bass loafers, Coach wool blanket scarf, black Barbour waxed hat.

Being able to downsize comes with a lot of privilege. I do not think I would be comfortable rewearing the same piece throughout the week if they were not of high-quality, e.g. I can rewear a cashmere sweater so long as I wear a layer underneath and I air it out overnight. Moreover, sorting through the 10% was a breeze because I already defined my personal style: I know which fit, silhouette, color, and fabrics I like to wear and flatters my body the best, and therefore, the items staying with me are the items that do that the best. I typically stay away from trends and think very hard about my clothing purchases, unless it is vintage Helmut Lang that is my size being sold for under $50.

A series of photos demonstrating experimentations of wearing my silk shirt and blue cashmere sweater.

All in all, I have downsized the winners of the garment cull into two carry-on bags. In fact, I am thinking of downsizing even more. Perhaps by the end of my move-out, I will be living with only a backpack-sized amount of apparel, excluding toiletries. I might as well start a one-bagger Youtube channel...

The remainder of the hanging items in my closet, most being outerwear.

My sweaters, tanks, undergarments, accessories, and other pieces fit within these two bags.