Back in the early 1970s I lived in a group house in Berkeley with two roommates and one married couple. The wife in the couple, Donna, was an aspiring designer. But the pieces she created were the polar opposite of the tie-dye and bohemian hippie garb of the era. Her dresses – and they were mostly dresses and tunic-like tops – were simply draped pieces of fabric in neutral colors that skimmed the body. Her husband commented that she was way ahead of her time and that women wouldn’t embrace this look until sometime in the future.
Today, some 40 years later, “minimalism” in fashion is everywhere. The 
appeal is largely a reflection of our times. A lot of younger women are opting for simplicity in all areas of their lives: smaller living spaces, fewer clothes. (Cuyana, featured above, bears the motto “Fewer things, better things.”) For many in the 50+ demographic these styles appeal because their silhouettes are very forgiving for an aging body. And the minimalist influence pervades much of the mass merchandise market now ( J.Jill comes to mind.) The long denim coat dress to the right is the most popular of all my Pinterest images lately. You won’t find patterns or prints or boho adornment. It’s possible that all this is simply a backlash against some of the wilder outfits coming out the couture houses these past few years.
What is Minimalism?
Minimalism is a cross between the Natural, Dramatic and Classic style archetypes. It’s Natural because the pieces are loose and un-constructed. It has some Dramatic due to the sometimes exaggerated silhouettes. And its simple lines read as somewhat Classic. If you have a fair amount of Romantic, Youthful, and/or High Spirited style facets or are a mostly Lively Bright color type, you’ll have to dig around to find some of these that will work for you. With some exceptions, almost all 
the minimalist design houses work primarily with neutral colors. And with very few exceptions, they all use natural fibers: cotton, linen, silk, cashmere. Let’s look at a few of them.
The grandmother of the minimalism movement is Eileen Fisher (on the left here.) Only fairly recently has she veered from her traditional denser fabric choices, and is now showing some pieces that could possibly work for some Angelic and Romantic style types because of her new choice of fabrics. These lacy weaves and sheer tunics to the right are two examples. 
Everlane is one of my personal favorites because they offer high quality, are reasonably priced, and they treat their manufacturing plant workers very well. They often add a few seasonal colors to the collection, like this pale pink silk shirt on the left, making something available for a variety of color harmonies.
Another popular site is COS, the acronym for Collection of Style. COS is a design arm of H&M. Their pieces reflect the Scandinavian simplicity of line and design but tend to be pretty boxy and exaggerated in shape. This green silk on the right is an elegant exception.
Kit and Ace feature quality silks at affordable price points (like this peach silk sleeveless top.) And truthfully, you might say that Donna Karan started the trend decades ago with her couture designs. (And no – she wasn’t the Donna who was my roommate back in the 70’s, alas…)
The minimalism fashion field is rapidly growing and new manufacturers seem to be popping up monthly. Here are three more sites to check out: Vince Grana Stella Carakasi
So – would you wear any of these? Let me know why or why not. And if you’re not sure whether they would work for you, send me a photo or check out the style type questionnaire in Shopping for the Real You.
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