Hey guys i wrote this piece around 2 and a half years back when I was working as a designer for a buying agency and had to produce endless research for a bunch of european brands.
This post is a part of my first attempt at blogging. I was not at all regular at it but when I wrote, I tried to write with soul. I am gonna share another one soon. This one is specially quite close to my heart.
I am sharing a pic of my mother to just give a glimpse of my inspiration for this post.
” Simplicity is the state or quality of being simple. It usually relates to the burden which a thing puts on someone trying to explain or understand it. Something which is easy to understand or explain is simple, in contrast to something complicated. Alternatively, as Herbert A. Simon suggested, something is simple or complex depending on the way we choose to describe it…[1] In some uses, simplicity can be used to imply beauty, purity, or clarity. Simplicity may also be used in a negative connotation to denote a deficit or insufficiency of nuance or complexity of a thing, relative to what is supposed to be required.”
Ahem! Taking you off the complex definition of simplicity, in my early teen years, I remember my mom telling me “simplicity is the latest fashion”. She not only said it but lived it as well. Always managed to look stunning even without a lipstick on. Completely oblivious to the complexities and nuances of projected female beauty, I remember her sense of style with no jewellery(she despises it), no bling, her classic colours and patterns in intricately woven silks for winters and fluent chiffons, georgettes and ‘taant‘ for summers and how she is perfection with the drape. Inspite of her classic taste in fabrics, it was her confidence, evident in her kind eyes and the million dollar smile that made her a presence one could not miss. She found her beauty in simplicity and it set her apart from the rest. Love you Mom!
Today I sit in a buying house, rigorously researching trends. Trying to live up to the expectation of developing the most updated styles. It can really get to you at times. To try and point an important(commercially viable) trend is more like a hit and trial method. With so much diversity and ever evolving trans-culture diffusion and faster breaking social boundaries, I have learnt to take refuge into simplicity. All you have to do is simplify someone’s great effort of creativity to something which fits into the current lifestyle and clothing culture. So I realise my mom’s early teaching was pretty universal and timeless. When you think about it you see how ageless and peaceful simplicity is. How liberating it is, how effortless it is and if I may say so, how right it is … always.
I have written in my previous post that today I/we see a big change in how people are learning to express themselves through what they wear and learn to stand out then to blend in. Yes, this could look like an odd hour to be bragging about simplicity with loud and in-your-face creativity(commerce commanding arts, as we all know it) in the popular music and entertainment culture. Yet, ultimately there is always graduation to a peaceful, zen like, monotonous state in everything. Be it from teens to adulthood, art deco to minimalism, Friday night to Monday morning.
Looking at this pattern one could say that If you are being simple with what you wear(or do), you are always ahead of time/trend. Please do not get me wrong! I am not suggesting anyone to reject all current trends but what I am implying is that a day of authentic denims and white shirt is never a bad day. The little black dress is a must have for girls for a reason and Apple products look class apart for a “simple” reason. Could there be more to come up with? Yes, endless ones.
Come up with your own one as simplicity is the beginning and end of a full circle.
If there is a learning to take from this ,then it is to enjoy and appreciate simplicity. It only helps you better at whatever you do.
I thought it would be great to share one of the old pictures to end this post. This is probably not even a week after she got married to my father. The summer of 1980. The lady next to her is my Tai ji (aunt). How simply beautiful are both of them in this photograph.
