My Lean Closet

At some point, I became conditioned to give a fuck if someone saw me in same jeans two days in a row.

Getting dressed in the morning was actually causing me anxiety. Thanks to Forever 21, it has become incredibly easy to justify a wasteful purchase. I'm not 21 anymore and all I was really doing was adding to the problem. 

When I first heard of Cuyana's Lean Closet Movement and read their philosophy of "fewer, better things," it immediately resonated with me. I had never been able to clearly articulate the anxiety I was trying to avoid and the peace I was actively seeking. I wanted to stand at the door of my closet and love everything in it. I wanted to wear the same jeans two days in a row.

As a part of my own "lean closet" project, I'm in the process of creating an ideal inventory of quality pieces that fully represent my style without sacrificing flexibility.

I defined my personal style and then I made a master directory of the pieces in my lean closet. There are holes in my wardrobe that I will not fill with cheap facsimiles to hold me over until I can get the "real thing." I will not buy trendy and cheap pieces because I am not a trendy or cheap person. I love design and beauty and I want my closet to be a representation of ME and what I love.

To touch briefly on the "better" part of "fewer, better things." I truly believe that supporting designers and craftsmen that produce quality, considered pieces brings richness and fulfillment to my life. The things I blog about will be expensive. Your mileage may vary.

While creating this "master directory," I kept hitting the number eight in my sub-categories. I'm going to illustrate these closet necessities in a series, for my own pleasure, called The Eight Essentials.

Let's begin.