Midimalist

Midimalist

Building Friction in Outfits

Plus week two of my NO SPEND

Kelly Williams's avatar
Kelly Williams
Dec 08, 2023
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If you were to look in my closet you would see a WHOLE LOT of black and white. I love to color coordinate my clothes and the sections of black and white make up the large proportion of my closet. Anyone else?

I see people online who have more colorful wardrobes and I am a little envious (as I’ve written about previously) BUT I continue to be attracted to black and other neutrals. Tibi’s founder, Amy Smilovic, talks about the One. Ton. None rule which breaks down, simply, to;

One pop of color gives focus where two pops can distract. Ironically, a full flood of colors creates calm. And conversely, the absence of color- through neutrals- is a color story worth trying.

So clearly I am a NONE gal and I could perhaps make my way to ONE. But then I also heard this TikTok advice, which says;

If your outfit’s not interesting through color, then it has to be interesting through shape. And if it’s not interesting by shape then it has to be interesting through texture. If it’s not interesting by texture, then it has to be interesting by color.

This advice is gold for someone like me who’s outfits are not typically interesting by color. I think what this advice is getting at is that you have to create some friction in your outfit. Friction in sizing/shape or in texture. It’s like Allison Bornstein’s Wrong Shoe Theory.

I was able to find countless examples on my saved Pins of great monochromatic outfits that build friction in texture (and often shape as well). So I am no longer going to worry myself over building a wardrobe full of color that I don’t actually want to wear. But when I get dressed in the morning, I’ll build visual interest within my NONE colors.

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