At the grand old age of 29, I am yet to fully embrace a signature style. I know, I know, it seems silly to not really know exactly what my style is but usually my off-duty look can be jeans, a tee and vans but there are the times I need to make an effort and pulling an outfit together can become quite the chore when you’re not entirely sure what suits you and what doesn’t. I crave the wardrobe of Erica Davies – the bold prints and the clashing of them, the floaty dresses and the perfectly quaffed hair make me go all *heart eye emoji* but I often wish I could pull off a more, minimalistic chic look like Lizzy or Ropes of Holland. Their style is something out of a fashion spread and I can’t help but envy how they pull it off. So, for a gal who doesn’t quite know what she wants from her wardrobe here is a non-minimalists style guide to minimalism!
Keeping your colour palette in keeping with earthy tones is a classic way to keep your wardrobe looking minimalistic chic, often with the brighter, bolder colours they can make you look a bit more “out there” and the key point of minimalism is “keeping under the radar.” It can be quite tempting to reach for bright reds, yellows, pinks and more but, put them back down and opt for beiges, creams, whites, navy’s and blacks for a more modest, sleeker look. My all-beige look really helped with the style I was going for!
Not overdoing it with accessories can be hard if you’re a natural born, flamboyant dresser. I kept this outfit simple with a plain, cross-body clutch from Maxwell Scott, these plain-style, gold chain necklaces from the Estee Lalonde Daisy Collection and a black, tortoise-shell belt to break up the “all-beigeness” look I had going on. By keeping accessories to a minimum and selecting the right style’s can be pivotal!
Just as the same as keeping away from bright colours, the motto of staying away from bold prints is exactly the same. But, if you are struggling to keep away from any form of print and you do want to add some sort of printed style, go for checks, lines and spots. Anything else can end up looking garish and completely take you away from the minimalistic look altogether!
The key to minimalistic dressing are the pieces you choose. Quality clothes and accessories that will stand the test of time will without a doubt help you on this journey. Quality doesn’t always have to mean “expensive” – a lot of the pieces I have picked up over the years have usually been reduced in the luxury stockists sales or high end/high street such as Whistles and Mint Velvet sales. Surprisingly, some of the best dresses and jackets I have picked up have been in the Debenhams sale too! The others are either investment pieces that I’ve saved for, for a long time, such as my Gucci bag, without it hitting my bank balance too hard! That being said, sometimes you can pick up cheaper items from charity shops or the high street that can surprise you!
Without a doubt, the one major factor to this type of style, is that less is definitely more! Think you have too many rings or necklaces on? Keep taking them off until you feel you are at the bare minimum, don’t layer up too heavy either as it can start to look overdone. A simple t-shirt under a long-line blazer can be all you need.
Always keep stocked up on basics such as plain white tee’s or shirt, a navy blazer, a classic pair of converse, a pair of well-fitted mom jeans, a camel coat. Those items alone can create a multitude of outfits that can be worn with other pieces!
But remember, if you’re anything like me and you want to wear the frilly, floral skirt or dress. That’s fine. Pick it up and pop it on. I’ve accepted that I will never, ever be able to uphold a full minimalistic wardrobe 24/7 (no matter how grown up it makes me feel!) so mixing it up every once in a while is absolutely fine.
Bee
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