“The more you know, the less you need.” Aboriginal saying
I’m not deliberately trying to start my recent posts with a quote, but sometimes they do sum up a point quite well. When dealing with clients and they’re wardrobes, “less is more” is a phrase we use a lot! Having too much “stuff” is a modern dilemma and having to root through endless piles of clothing to find what you want can be frustrating, time consuming and stressful!
This week I stumbled upon a wardrobe concept called the 5 Piece French Wardrobe (easy to find in Google search so I won’t bore you with the details). The idea behind this is to buy less, but better quality items that you love, building up a wardrobe of well-chosen basics and update this each season with 5 classic investment pieces – this doesn’t include basics and accessories but does include shoes! I was immediately interested in this, of course, because it is very similar to our own philosophy here at The Art of Style. By shopping and building a wardrobe this way, the odds of looking effortlessly chic and stylish on a daily basis are much higher, and it usually costs less in the long run.
The chic simplicity of French style is of course not a revelation, French women are known around the world for their seemingly effortless style. We often joke ourselves that French lady’s wardrobe has a breeze blowing through it! Ex-editor of French Vogue Carine Roitfeld once said, “with French women you first see the woman and then you see the clothes.”
The beauty of this concept is in its simplicity. Having less clothes makes it quicker and easier to get dressed, you can see what you have and it gives you that lovely calm feeling of wardrobe zen! It also means that you will have something to wear for nearly every occasion. Wouldn’t it be nice not to have to buy something new for each event? Having classic but beautiful and versatile items that you can fall back on? Buying less, but buying with love is the way to do this and when you’re not wasting money on the mediocre you can afford to buy what makes you feel amazing… and then you will want to wear it, over and over…
