Is Less More?
“Don’t mock the clothes.”
The fact that Carrie Bradshaw had to defend her wardrobe choices to a man who only seemed to own a pair of jeans and shirts leftover from a rodeo should have clued her in that this engagement was not meant to last. However, her attempted wardrobe purge represents an immortal battle still playing out in closets across America, as people rifle through hangers and wonder, “will I ever wear this?”
The adage “Less is More” could be the mantra of the moment. Trends fluctuate, but minimalism has become a movement. It can be seen in the monochromatic colors of streetwear, in the popularity of Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, in the clean lines and white surfaces that fill Instagram. A minimalist style is supposed to represent a life philosophy, a life not weighed down by material goods but instead focused on connections and experiences. Even the fight between Carrie and Aiden is not truly about her ridiculous amount of clothes, but her inability to let him into her life — and, spoiler, she cannot.
The uniform trend in fashion is built around this idea. Wear something simple, and focus your energy on the more important parts of life. A man like Steve Jobs (in)famously wore the same outfit every single day in order to focus on his work at Apple. This is another important aspect of minimalism — sacrifice, as giving up material goods became a means to purge and purify oneself. Although now very few of us enter monastic orders, the same moral language is implied. Something should spark joy, or else it deserves to be discarded. Live in a smaller house, and become a better, more focused, more conscientious person. Waste less, want less.
It is little wonder the idea of needing less appeals to many, as Americans make more money than almost any other group of people in the world, live in bigger houses, and consume more. However, minimalism as it relates to style is not always about sustainable fashion. Minimalism also signals wealth and prestige — think of the sleek lines of an iPhone, the Kardashians all decked out in white on their Christmas card. Minimalism says that someone could have more, but chooses not to — there is an important difference between minimalism and paucity, and it is fair to say that minimalism is framed as something aspirational, something tied to class and income and lifestyle.
After all, someone with no choice but to own less is rarely framed as a minimalist.
The excess Carrie’s room full of clothes represents is clear. My own closet is packed with cheap blouses, peasant skirts, shoes that pinch my toes, purses I only bring out once or twice a year, so many pieces that I think I will wear this someday. Excess represents the same privileges that minimalism does, so why am I drawn to one so much more than the other? To me, more is more — at least in terms of style — because of the possibilities it offers. I want a wardrobe that gives me the ability to become anything. But with many clothes come many responsibilities, the least of which is to wear them all, and not be wasteful. More is more, less is more, clearly the answer is to stop wanting more. But until then — don’t mock the clothes.