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As Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s ’90s outfits trend once again thanks to Netflix’s new ‘Love Story’ show, we look at minimalism: the core of her style and the secret to shopping and dressing more sustainably. Minimalist fashion limits consumption to timeless, well-made items that all work together. It’s about simplicity and staying within certain colour and texture parameters.
Keep reading to discover how to start your minimalist wardrobe, as well as our favourite brands if you are looking for minimalist staples.
Minimalism: rejecting the chaos of fast fashion
The perils of fast fashion are well known. Mountains of textile waste, the ubiquitous use of fossil fuel-based materials such as polyester, the pressure on garment workers to work long hours under exploitative conditions to make as many clothes as possible… the list goes on. The ills of fast fashion mirror the global thirst for more stuff at cheaper and cheaper prices, something that’s accelerating as platforms like Temu, SHEIN, and Alibaba offer rockbottom prices and swift delivery on almost any item you can imagine. It’s also fuelled by advertisers pushing consumerism at every opportunity, which research suggests can increase levels of anxiety.
Minimalism, on the other hand, rejects much of this. It’s about embracing simplicity and slowness, not keeping up with trends, exhausting resources—and one’s wallet—to keep up with what’s of momentary interest.
What is minimalist fashion?
Heard of Marie Kondo? Admired the style of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy? Then you’re already familiar with minimalism, even if you don’t realise it. The latter is often cited as the modern day minimalist style icon, and while much of the media around Bessette Kennedy today attempts to help readers “steal her look”, ultimately, minimalism is deeply anti-trend and consumerism, so we’d advise looking at what you already own first.
Minimalism is about stripping back the unnecessary, leaving only the things that provide you with real value and joy. It can mean having fewer clothes in your wardrobe, buying less, choosing well, and making it last. This involves opting for clothing made from better quality materials and that is designed to last a lifetime. When done right—and when done with intention—it can create a wardobe that transcends trends and lasts for decades.
Minimalism is the antithesis of the modern consumerist narrative—and for good reason. In a global marketplace that wants you to consume more and more, minimalism says, “Hey! Have you ever thought about intentionally having less?” Less debt, less clutter, less stress, less stuff. The upshot? Less debt and stress for you, and less valuable resources being extracted for stuff you don’t really need. How to get involved, you ask? Start with your clothes.
How to do minimalist fashion
Minimalist fashion is often defined by the absence of busy detailing on clothes, high quality fabrics, sharp cuts, and a colour palette of neutrals that all work together. But there are no strict rules, and you can interpret colours or shapes however you wish. The key is ensuring items all work together so you’ve got a wardrobe full of clothes and accessories that easily mix and match, and are made well. Check out these tips as well:
- There is no magic number of clothing items (or any items for that matter) to achieve a minimalist wardrobe
- Minimalism is about fine-tuning your own personal style, and the key is to avoid excess
- If you do decide to get rid of some items you own in pursuit of a smaller, more curated selection, be sure to do so carefully: either donate it, recycle it, or pass it to a loved one
- Minimalism doesn’t have to be monotone. Consider a base of neutral-toned essentials, like white, beige, grey, and black T-shirts and trousers, then mix in pops of your favourite colour through accessories
- Figure out what materials—and textures—you’ll prioritise. Take a look at our lower-impact fabrics guide for a starting point
- Shop your wardrobe before buying new things—pull out items and assess them outside the context of your usual wardrobe to decide whether they’d work in a minimalist collection
- Secondhand is a great place to find minimalist styles since so much of the 1990s was dominated by the aesthetic
- If you do need to buy new, identify the “gaps” in your wardrobe ahead of time, then outline what you’re going to look for before hitting the shops. That way, you’ll be shopping with intention
Some staple minimalist fashion brands
Great personal style isn’t created on one shopping trip or in a day, it takes years of honing and finding the right items of clothing to suit you. Just like the concept of minimalism on the whole, it is about slowness and intention. If you are looking for the odd minimalist staple to round out your existing pieces and thrifted pieces, then these brands implement fair practices for their environmental, worker, and animal impacts, and are great starting points.
