Life gets cluttered – it’s all around us. Cities become denser. Hip restaurants become crowded. Our rooms become a sea of clothes. I think it might speak to a human’s natural instinct to acquire and preserve. It’s a little greedy sounding, but we always want more than what we have.
I watched a documentary with Dave a couple weeks back about children in Calcutta born into brothels and it really put things into perspective for me. It made me think: huh maybe there is some strong ethical merit in the “minimalism” trend. Sadly, I don’t think the idea of minimalism (especially in fashion) was born from the push back on fast-fashion; but nevertheless, it’s a nice thought.
And yet, despite our 1st world lust for everything and anything new, minimalism has become an increasingly strong trend in Western fashion. Regardless of whether it really is because of the battle against fast-fashion or not, I’m on board! Something about the clean lines and negative space of “minimalism” gives me a sense of freshness, organization, and weirdly enough, strength.
Not to mention, I’ve kind of gotten back into the “9-5” workspace; and minimalistic dressing works well in office environments (woot! two birds with one stone 
)
My learn towards the minimalism trend recently, has made me begin to appreciate delicate touches to outfits: the perfect rip in a jean, the clean strap of a strappy sandal, or a geometric pendant that sits just right. Less is more. I think that’s the lesson to be learnt right?
I think that’s why I was so immediately drawn the Bloomin’ Brilliant’s recent Solaris collection (that’s now finally available online). The jewelry line is founded by designer Rhea Jacinto, a fellow Torontonian (woot woot 
). But I love the line, not just because her and her line are local, but because they illustrate a story in their minimalism, Whether it’s geometry, texture, sculpture, architecture, or the skies above us… the inspiration behind Bloomin’ Brilliant is almost magical.
Every batch is made small and everything is made my hand in Rhea’s studio. I love this. It connects back to the fact that fast fashion is not always the best – that with minimalism we can actually help the world (yes, yes, here comes the #cheese).
The inspiration behind the Solaris collection touched me immediately. I knew I had to have the these pieces when I learn their meaning. Rhea designed the Solaris collection as an interpretation of the shadows of the universe – the cosmos, the stars, earth. They express the desire for simplicity and sophistication in simplicity.
I absolutely LOVE this and connected with it immediately. Everyone knows I spend half my time with my head in the clouds, thinking about existential questions that will never be answered (I guess that’s what I get for taking philosophy in university 
).
I wanted to keep the complete ensemble strong but extremely simple (almost on the border of boring): jeans, a collared white button up, a black coat, strappy sandals, a touch of sass with reflective sunnies (a new favourite pair of mine from Zero UV), and my Solaris set from Bloomin’ Brilliant (I have the Nova necklace, Heeze bracelent, and Ain earrings). Most of you who know me and my style know that I rarely wear gold (I generally think it looks tacky), but in these pieces I love it. It reminds of sunlight – beaming, strong, and overlooked.
At the end of the day, you know my philosophy about style is whatever you feel like expressing yourself as. I guess I’m going through a phase of wanting to declutter and cleanse my life. It’s been a lot of changes for me in the past couple months and I just need ‘simple’.
But whatever your style (minimalism, eccentric, bold), your current phase, or trend that you love – if it speaks to you, that’s all that matters. Never let anyone tell you who you are, what you should be, or how to express yourself (more on this story later) 
What are your thoughts on the minimalism trend? Here to stay or fleeting?
