Lately, I’ve been thinking about the whole idea of a capsule wardrobe and how successful it is long term.
While I am still fully an advocate, I came to the realization that there is a downside that, while not unique to capsule wardrobes, has the possibility of being magnified by a capsule wardrobe.
I’m talking about the unattainable pull.
Let me explain:
It’s so easy to look at other capsule wardrobes or other minimal wardrobes and to think… “My capsule would be perfect with that one piece that person has.” Or, “if only I could figure out my style like that person has, then I would have a workable wardrobe.”
Or sometimes it isn’t even an external trigger. Sometimes we simply “feel” a hole in our wardrobes that leads us to the conclusion that we would find contentment with our wardrobes if we just had that one piece. As if that one piece would provide us with a contentment so definite that we wouldn’t want anything else ever again.
Do you see the error in that way of thinking?
If we can’t be content now, with what we already have, we’re not going to be content once we have that “perfect” piece.
That way of thinking causes us to be stuck in this endless cycle of always pursuing and chasing something that we’ll never really catch hold of.
Because ultimately it’s impossible to create the perfect wardrobe.
In fact, I have become convinced that the more you have, the more elusive contentment becomes.
The more you have, the more you’re choosing to give in to that unattainable pull.
Choosing not to buy something, even though we want it, forces us to confront our discontent and to take stock of what is currently in our lives.
And the more we turn our focus to what we do have, instead of focusing on what we don’t have, the more we create an atmosphere in which we can appreciate and enjoy our lives just as they are.
If I have learned anything over this last year and a few months it’s that,
less is not less, less is more.
Leave a Reply