This year, I only brought one suitcase. I admit, it was a pretty large suitcase, but it was nothing compared to the boxes on boxes of clothes I brought in previous years. I didn't want to bring too much because I knew I would be sharing storage space with Grandma and didn't want to force her to move too much of her stuff to make room for mine. I knew she would graciously move all of her clothes and sacrifice all of her closet-space for me if she thought I needed it. I didn't want that to happen. I am satisfied with the minimal space that my clothes take up. I'm using up a fourth of a closet, three drawers, an under-bed shoe organizer, and a small organizer box for my scarves, hats, and finger-less gloves. That's it.
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| How I felt while narrowing down my clothes. (image via http://pukyt.rincian.info/) |
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| I totally know the feels, Cher. (image via http://thenuminous.net/) |
I am amazed. If you are friends with me, you probably are too. You've actually probably already heard me talk about my amazement because for the first few weeks of school, I would not shut up about it. It was my second main topic of conversation. (The first was answering questions about why I was in America and not in the UK studying abroad like I had initially planned.)
If you are not friends with me, or do not know me very well or at all, you should know that I really like clothes. I have a lot of clothes. I like buying clothes, if they're at the right price (read: cheap). I get style inspiration from my friends, magazines, fashion websites, people out in the world, and plenty of fashion blogs that I frequent almost daily. I like styling outfits and giving advice on other people's wardrobe choices.
I am one of those people that will play music before going to bed while I pick out my outfit for the next day, according to the weather forecast. If it is one of those nights that my head hits the pillow before I can even think about another day existing, I at least spend a few moments in bed after my alarm goes off in the morning to plan my outfit. Even an outfit consisting of a hoodie and jeans has at least a little bit of thought behind it. The hair, makeup, accessories, shoes, and even socks are all elements that I think about. Usually.
I also have days when I really don't care at all how I look because it is just one of those days and I say a big "EFF YOU" to the world. That usually happens around that lovely time of month that every biologically female human loves to hate, period time. However, I've also found picking out a cute or bad-ass outfit can really help me feel better during that time as well. You just never know what's going to happen. Gawd, I'm just so unpredictable!
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| Just bein' crazy me. (image via http://rap.genius.com/) |
So, you get it. Style and clothes are pretty important to me. They are important to who I am and how I express who that is. I'd rather get a compliment on my outfit or makeup (another love of mine, though slightly below my love for clothes), than on my body (not that I get many and I'm not complaining - I just really don't care to exercise that often and I definitely surpass my daily caloric needs), height (people love shorties), eyelashes (I really have no control over their length and lusciousness! Sorry!), or hair length. That last one always gets me. If someone comments on my hair length or how fast it grows, I usually say, "Thanks, I grow it myself," because WHAT ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO SAY? I just never know. Anyone have any more suggestions? Or reasoning behind why this is usually worded as a compliment rather than a general observation?
Of course, all of those types of compliments are always nice to hear and I am always gracious for them, but I feel a bit guilty receiving them. I really have no control over those aspects of how I look, so I feel like the compliments are not deserved. They shouldn't be complimenting the random selection of genes pulled from my parents' DNA.
Now, style? That is something that I unapologetically put time and thought into. Having a smaller wardrobe has forced me to be more creative with styling new outfits that I've never worn before. Don't get me wrong, I am not against outfit repeating. I am probably one of the biggest outfit repeaters I know and definitely will be this semester. Kate from Lizzie McGuire would hate me.
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| Whatevs. Also, woo gif! (image via http://www.betcheslovethis.com/) |
I'm pretty proud of how well I have been able to change up my outfits with the limited amount that I have. Almost as proud as how proud I am for being able to narrow down a small enough pile of clothes to bring from the abyss of my closet at Mom and Dad's house. I've been learning the importance of simplicity and determining what the essentials are in my life. Reducing my wardrobe was definitely a great exercise in that.
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| However, I could never whittle down my closet to just this! Yikes! (image via http://agirlastyle.com/) |
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