I TRIED, & FAILED, AT MINIMALIST DRESSING

Last year my fashion proclivities morphed into something more minimalist. Fashion decisions became more considered, and whereas previously my ethos was to only buy what I loved; now, it was to buy only what I needed. To invest in quality over trends. It was a paring back of my stylistic impulses, in a bid to be more thoughtful in my buys and avoid waste (as much as for my bank balance as for the environment).

Having already expounded upon the virtues of the white t-shirt, black trousers and most recently, the common vest, my wonts became predicated solely by practicality. For some time I enjoyed the ease at which this enabled me to get dressed. There was no deciphering what made sense, items had an inherent synchronicity. White t-shirt, blue jeans and black jumper, or black t-shirt, black jeans and camel jumper. The only thing differentiating one day's look from another was a slight variation in colour and swapping between accessories. 

Whilst on a five day trip with nothing but my carry-on as companion, I employed this means of dressing to much self-congratulation. Due to space limitation, superfluous clothing was not possible, instead items mandated multi-purpose capabilities. For this five day trial period, staple pieces aided in quick transitions between adventures. Come in from a long day of exploring, wash, change, head out for the evening, bed, sleep, wake and do it all over again. Getting dressed was a necessity not a priority and thus the accidental minimalism began. 

Soon my fascination with minimalism spread to my instagram perusal too as I favoured more minimalist accounts (see Tar Mar, RosieHW and Matilda Djerf). Getting dressed was done with my eyes closed, which is not meant as a brag, more a consequence of complete boredom. Colour palettes were neutral, style was simplistic and cuts were classic. I was trendless, I was perfectly put together and I was stylistically stunted. There was no frantic flinging of clothing, squeezing into one thing, only to shimmy out of another. Instead, getting dressed was just a necessary mundanity. The excitement and frustration was no more. 

The act of clothing myself had been cathartic, a preparation of body and mind before interacting with the real world. It allowed me to present an image curated at the behest of however I may have felt at any given time. The definition of minimalism suggests a moderate approach to dressing and dogged commitment to essentials and in adopting this, my wears had been whittled down to that of a uniform. The unexpected inspiration that often comes from no where and everywhere, no longer affected my proclivities. The formula was set and through the motions I went...

It wasn't until I discovered Maren Schia that my monotone dressing came into focus. I was inspired by her matryoshka layers, commitment to colour and unexpected silhouettes. It was 'out there' enough to be considered aspirational, but relatable enough that one felt could be recaptured. Classic pieces were featured but they were paired unexpectedly, colours were clashed and prints were the antithesis of boring. 

I quickly realised that whilst figuring out minimalism, the purpose of staples had become obfuscated. They were pieces to be worn over and over again, they were often overlooked and they could be considered boring, but they were pertinent to a well-rounded wardrobe and were often the saviour of many a snoozed alarm. What began as an exercise in upgrading the quality of my current staples, unknowingly became a quest to reach the illusive status of chic, an aesthetic that I admire, but is not comfortably my own.

Though a whole outfit of basics is functional and some days do warrant easy, thoughtless dressing; not having that visual stimulus nurtured a feeling of bland within me. The epiphany made me realise that part of the function of staple pieces are their ability to provide a practical foundation on which can be built whatever the wearer desires: minimalist, maximalist and in between. A white t-shirt is only as exciting as the wearer and as such, only as boring. The key pieces from my time as a rookie minimalist will forever remain key pieces. However, now they will be the backdrop to offset whatever statement I intend to wear, and make. Consider it maximising your minimalist wears. 

(Photos via: Unknown, @matildadjerf, @tarmarz & @marenschia)

THE VEST: A GUIDE TO EMBRACING THE BASICS

Basics have garnered a bit of a bad rep. They are in essence basic.  

Though there was an upturn in popularity during the 2014 advent of Normcore, when fashion became overwhelmed by swathes of beige and Stan Smiths. The season was a palette cleanser and whilst 'Normcore' has phased out of the zeitgeist, the essence of minimalism has remained under the catchy moniker, 'basic bitch'. The term 'basic bitch' connotes unremarkable style and an embracement of sameness, though it must be said that the fundamentals of many a must-have wardrobe are founded upon basics. 

It was whilst ruminating over my own wardrobe that I began to reconsider the significance of basics to my own style. Having already mused over the perfect white t-shirt (FYI see M&S) and my newfound proclivity for black trousers; I turned my focus to the most basic of basics - the vest. Previously I had never considered the vest a necessity. They were undergarments to be worn for purposes of modesty (usually under blouses for work) or as an extra layer for warmth.

However, the vest has had a fashionable metamorphosis of late, from the typical attire of gym-goers and holiday-makers, to more modern variations befitting all manner of occasions. There's the classic racer-back, those that feature an almost racer front, those with square necklines, high necklines, spaghetti straps, thick straps, rhinestoned straps, asymmetric straps, multi-straps...

For many, the vest is synonymous with 90s minimalism, Calvin Klein simplicity and Kate Moss circa the Johnny Depp phase. In a slightly different vein, my first pop culture reference of the vest was that of Onslow from the British sitcom 'Keeping Up Appearances'. His character epitomised a lazy lout image, with his particular brand of vest more couch potato than couture. However, the director of Vogue Ukraine, Julie Pelipas wearing a simple tank top to the haute couture shows, shifted my perception of the common vest and informed the dramatic trajectory it would thus take. The very simplicity of her outfit ironically being the thing that stood out amongst all of the paparazzi peacocking.

And it was due to this simplicity that the outfit was both considered impossibly chic and unusually accessible, resulting in its viral appeal and mass recreation. With this in mind, plus my newfound commitment to the essentials (and in spite of the UK now being in deep winter), I continued my search for the perfect vest. I considered it an investment, to be worn whenever the temperature allowed it - which will probably be for two days of freak heatwave come mid-March (hi climate change).

I opted firstly for a ribbed, square necked version from H&M which unfortunately gaped at the underarms. Unless I committed to keeping my arms perennially by my side, (but how would I scroll instagram?) I had to keep searching. I then almost bought a vest from & Other Stories. However, my temptation was thwarted by the very off-putting shipping costs - when postage costs more then two trips to Starbucks, I'm out - sorry not sorry.

I had resigned myself to postponing my search indefinitely, when I wandered into TKmaxx and happened upon a stand designed to play upon the guilt induced by the overindulgence of Christmas; a rack of gym wear. Myself not owning a gym membership or possessing the inclination to go to a gym, almost overlooked the display. That is until I saw the rail of vests.

And these weren't your typical gym vests. There wasn't sight of spandex or a garish colour amongst them all. They were black, high necked and backed, with the slightest racer back shaping and the most tactile of fabrics that implores one to touch. As with all things TKmaxx, prices are low but so too are quantities. I thus bought the two available and skipped out of there to live happily ever after.

In spite of the weather conditions being less than optimum for vest wearing, my vest has surprisingly be worn numerous times (albeit as a foundation piece buried under layers). However, this only aids to emphasise the inherent versatility when one invests in basics. Beach or bar, bed or office and everything in between, be you more Onslow or more fashion director, the common vest is the commonality between all manner of people and places. How refreshing that the conundrum 'to be fashionable or to be practical?' has now been answered by the tiny piece of fabric that is the vest, finally making the question that had plagued us all, a redundant one.

(Phots via : thezoereport.com, manrepeller.com, teenvogue.com, harpersbazaar.com & @matildadjerf instagram)