Today, I’m going to tell you the story of a skirt–in particular, the gray tulle number in the photo above. It doesn’t look like it has any business being in a minimalist wardrobe, does it? I didn’t think so, either.
So why do I own it? Well, when I recently had new author photos taken, my photographer suggested we do some fun, ballet-style shots to convey the idea of living lightly and gracefully (as per my new book). I loved the idea, but had nothing of the sort in my wardrobe–so I dutifully found an appropriate skirt with two-day shipping, and received it just in time for the shoot. As it turned out, we ran out of time and never even got around to it.
The next day, I was packing up the untouched skirt to return, when my daughter came into the room. When she saw what I was doing, she nearly burst into tears: “You can’t send that back, Mommy, that’s the prettiest thing you have!” She then ran to her room and put on one of her own ballet skirts, insisted I put on mine, and then led me through an impromptu “dance class” where we pirouetted, sashayed, and arabesqued through the house. 🙂
So to justify keeping it in my wardrobe, I resolved to wear it at Every. Possible. Opportunity. I wore it for Thanksgiving dinner, to Christmas parties, and appropriately enough, to see the Nutcracker ballet. Perhaps less appropriately, I’ve worn it grocery shopping and to the post office. I’ve worn it while cooking, doing the laundry, and sitting at my kitchen table writing. And, of course, to do more dancing with my daughter (much to her delight and mine).
I’m writing about this because many people think minimalism is too sober, too serious, too austere. But really, it doesn’t have to be. It can be graceful and pretty and fun and whimsical. You can make minimalism fit your personality, rather than conform to some strict or idealistic standard. You can own items that may on the surface seem impractical, but make life a little more magical or otherwise bring you joy.
Do you have a “not-so-minimalist” item in your wardrobe or household, that you keep for joy alone? I’d love to hear your stories!
By the way, I’ve been sharing these peeks into my minimalist life (home, wardrobe, etc.) over on Instagram, so follow me there to see more.
{My new book, Lightly, comes out this Tuesday, February 26! Available for preorder now from: Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, Hudson, Indiebound, Target, Walmart, 800-CEO-Read, or HMH.}