Uncomplicated Spaces

I cleaned out my mom’s storage room

Gillian — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 14:02:57 GMT

A metaphor for the emotions over the past few weeks?

I just got back from visiting my mom. I knew that she wanted me to clean out her storage room. What I didn’t know was how ruthless she was going to be. And it really inspired me.

For as long as I can remember, my mom has been a knitter. I don’t know how many items she’s knit in her life but I’ve been the lucky recipient of a few, and so have my kids. I don’t have my sweaters anymore (younger me didn’t appreciate those items as much as I wish she would have), but I do have a couple of hats that I love, as well as the items that she knit for the kids.

As we were going through everything, she told me to get rid of all the wool. She’d decided that she was done with knitting. She didn’t find joy in it anymore. Her certainty was inspiring. Knitting had been such a big part of her identity and after decades, she was more than ready to let go.

This got me to thinking about the things that we do, or hold onto, simply because we’ve made them a significant part of our identity.

For example:

I continued to dye my hair for years, even as it became harder and harder to keep up with the grey because a friend had given me the nickname “Pantene” and I was so afraid to lose that little piece of identity, and pride.
I wrote pretty much exclusively about my wardrobe and outfits because it’s what seemed to resonate the most, even though I didn’t find joy in it anymore.
I’ve held onto sewing patterns and fabric even though I don’t particularly enjoy the process of making my own clothes.

And that’s another thing my mom got rid of - all of her fabric. She did keep her sewing machine, thread and some supplies in case she needs to make repairs but she’s decided to not make clothes/do alterations any longer. I’m thinking about following her example.

Holding onto all of these items just because meant that she felt guilt about not using them. And I couldn’t argue with that reasoning.

And I feel so proud of her. The last few times that I’ve visited her, we’ve decluttered different parts of her apartment which I thought would be more difficult for her than it has been. It really motivates me to be more decisive and to not just hold onto things just because they once represented a part of my identity that I’m ready to let go of.

I don’t have to color my hair just because I always did or it’s what women are expected to do in our misogynistic society.
I don’t have to focus on my wardrobe and continue to add to it, holding me on a buy-declutter-buy cycle. I can finally let go of the items I’ve been holding onto for “variety”.
I don’t have to continue to sew my own clothes just because I own a sewing machine and enjoyed doing it once.

And it’s okay for me to let these expectations go. I’ve been conditioned to internalize things and expectations as a part of my personal identity. But I’m not any of those things. I’m not a brunette, or a fashionista or a sewist. I was all of those things at some point in my life but they don’t reflect who I am now and I want to honor this current version by letting go of these things.

I know that I can return to them in the future if doing so feels right. But I’m content to let them, and the guilt associated with not doing them, go.

What have you been holding onto that was a part of your identity but that you know deep down you’ve moved on from?

I built a wardrobe based on external validation. Now I’m dismantling it.

Gillian — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:19:50 GMT

When you buy clothes (or whatever it is that you feel you overspend on), what is your motivation? Are you replacing something that has worn out or no longer fits? Are you buying them for the dopamine rush of acquiring something new? Do you shop because you’re bored? Are you wanting to be on-trend? Or, perhaps you buy them for the reaction they elicit from others?

I can certainly point to every single one of these as a reason that I’ve acquired clothing (my overconsumption of choice) in the past, and much more of it than I have ever actually needed.

When I started my blog in 2018, I wanted a place to document my experience with minimalism, which I’d discovered in 2015 after becoming overwhelmed by all of our stuff. It ended up being exactly what I’d needed and I wanted to encourage others to remove unnecessary items and commitments from their lives.

Everything I’d read about starting a blog recommended starting an Instagram account to promote the blog, so I did.

A part of my minimalist journey up to this point had included capsule wardrobes (particularly Project 333, developed by Courtney Carver) and I eventually ended up on the capsule wardrobe side of IG, namely the 10x10 capsule wardrobe challenge, where people were posting about styling 10 items for 10 days (this was created by Lee Vosburgh and Caroline Joy). The community was so welcoming and I felt so creative, and I got a lot of positive feedback (aka followers and comments). But the positive validation that I received caused me to solely focus on my wardrobe, which in hindsight, was the area that I had been trying to move away from the most when I found minimalism.

And because of how I’d pigeon-holed myself, or “niched down”, posting about anything other than clothes just never really resonated, which led to me feeling defeated and going back to focusing on my wardrobe. But the thing about always focusing on my wardrobe is that I was always trying to optimize it. I was always trying to build the “perfect wardrobe”. I was constantly replacing items that had been fine before. And too many times, that wardrobe ended up being the perfect wardrobe for other people - the one that got me the most external validation.

And I don’t mean to say that I haven’t enjoyed the clothing that I’ve bought over the past 8 years. I definitely have, but I’ve decluttered the vast majority of it. And I acknowledge that my style had probably changed quite a few times over that period but I can also admit that there were a lot of items that I bought because I knew they’d get a positive reaction on IG, or I felt the need to have something new to show, especially when it felt like people were getting tired of seeing certain things (less engagement).

I’ve even done that on here. Maybe to a lesser extent, but I did it all the same. I don’t think I was fully aware of it for a long time but it become very apparent to me recently and I think it’s the reason I’ve been so quiet on here for the past couple of months.

Favorite Outfits Lately - Spring

Gillian — Sun, 24 May 2026 13:02:46 GMT

As I scroll back through outfit photos from the past few months, there are a few that stand out to me as ones that I really enjoyed wearing and would wear again and again.

The following 5 outfits sho…

Anatomy of an Outfit

Gillian — Sun, 17 May 2026 13:03:21 GMT

I’ve been doing quite a bit of outfit repeating lately and while there’s definitely days when I need that, sometimes what I need is to put together an outfit that I’ve never tried before, so I though…

Spring Ins/Outs {74-Item Capsule Wardrobe Q2 Update}

Gillian — Wed, 13 May 2026 13:01:27 GMT

This update is coming a little early but after making a few purchases for my warm weather wardrobe, I needed to take stock and do a check-in with this year’s experiment. I hope you enjoy it :)

Keep It Rule: At Least 5 Outfits

Gillian — Tue, 05 May 2026 13:03:06 GMT

We have a local outdoor clothing store that I frequent on a pretty regular basis. I mostly just browse, but sometimes, something special catches my eye. I’m much more apt to buy local preloved items …

Craving Color (and a little Whimsy)

Gillian — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:01:59 GMT

A few days ago, as I was getting dressed for the day (which happened to be very sunny and warm), I decided to wear something that’s been neglected in my wardrobe for quite a while. It’s one of those …

Copenhagen Trip Summary - Packing Results/Outfits I Actually Wore/What We Did

Gillian — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:04:00 GMT

I just got back from a trip to Copenhagen, where I travelled for a week with a carryon only (plus a personal item). Before I get into my packing results, I just want to say that Copenhagen was AMAZIN…

Copenhagen 10-Item Travel Capsule Wardrobe

Gillian — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 13:03:07 GMT

It’s been years since we’ve gone anywhere for spring break, but this year we’re heading to Copenhagen! The last time that I visited was in 2007 and the kids have never been there, so we’re all pretty…

Favorite Outfits Lately

Gillian — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 13:03:03 GMT

After realizing that I’d unintentionally developed a sort of uniform, and liking how it made me feel, I really leaned into it this winter. And as a result, I actually enjoyed winter dressing, which i…

74-Item Capsule Wardrobe {Q1 Update}

Gillian — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 13:02:30 GMT

At the beginning of January, I decided to reduce my wardrobe down to 74 items which, according to the Hot or Cool Institute, is the minimum number of garments in active use that is sufficient for a t…

It might come with a smell, but the thrift gods do eventually deliver.

Gillian — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 13:01:45 GMT

A long time ago, I bought a tan trench coat from Banana Republic. I was very into fashion magazines and blogs at the time and a trench coat kept popping up on all of must-have closet essentials. And …

1 Base Outfit, 6 Outfits

Gillian — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 17:40:57 GMT

In my previous newsletter, I shared my style uniform, which consists of some type of top, bottom, shoes and, currently, a jacket. A handbag is optional depending of the jacket that I wear. Discoverin…

A Style Uniform has Changed My Life

Gillian — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 14:02:06 GMT

One of the best things that came out of the past year, as well as this year’s experiment of living with a 4-season 74-item capsule wardrobe (so far) is that I’ve developed a style uniform. I touched …

5 Clothing Items on My No Buy List

Gillian — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 13:02:55 GMT

How many items do we have in our wardrobes that we hang onto because we love them, but we also never wear them?

What if we decided to remove those items and make a vow to stop buying clothes that dee…

Everything I Bought in January

Gillian — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 14:01:30 GMT

I hadn’t planned on doing monthly updates of the items that I bought each month. After all, this year isn’t as much about the items I buy as it is about the items that I already own. But I think that…

Is this the last big closet declutter?

Gillian — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 18:41:17 GMT

We hold onto clothing that we don’t wear for any number of reasons, but the 2 that seem to be the most prevalent are:

(1) not being able to let go of a past version of ourselves, and;

(2) holding onto …

Building a 74-Item Capsule Wardrobe

Gillian — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:52:57 GMT

Two newsletters ago, I declared that I would be reducing my wardrobe by 44% this year, from 131 clothing items (including shoes and handbags, but not including jewelry and accessories) down to 74 ite…

Thoughts on Overconsumption c/o A Greasy Toaster

Gillian — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:58:58 GMT

A few things happened this week that got me questioning some things that I own and whether I really need to keep them/replace them. I know a lot of you subscribe to this newsletter for wardrobe conte…

Reducing My Wardrobe by 44%

Gillian — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 15:01:57 GMT

I used to make a lot of capsule wardrobes. It was my way of creating calm out of chaos when I had a wardrobe full of items that I never wore, but that I wasn’t ready to let go of either.

That was 201…