the suitcase strategy

between living out of one for past 9 months and the possibility of needing to pick up and move at the drop of hat for the summer, i have a new found appreciation for my duffel bag. when PKS went off to grad school and we moved out of our old place, everything went into storage. pictures, plates, pots, pans, books, chairs, tables. the whole lot.

it was the fastest way to prioritize stuff. and so mine, all of it, has been pared down to the bare necessities.

there’s my “beauty routine” that is essentially unchanged from day to night: concealer, bronzer, black eyeliner, lash curler, mascara, chapstick. wide tooth comb, hair always air dried save for a night out here and there.

there are the other life accoutrements: crane’s stationary, mac book pro, iphone, camera, kindle.

and, finally, the closet. or more importantly for this idea, what comes out and gets worn vs. the stuff that never sees the light of day. i addressed a good portion of it last year. but with that exercise came this:

you can always do with less

(disclaimer: doing with less needs to be thought of in the context of my being a privileged white women. it would be disingenuous to not acknowledge that my version of “less” is a relative study - we’re talking material stuff here.)

so the challenge to myself is this:

fit everything into my medium sized duffel bag

gone is the stuff that doesn’t fit (and never will). the stuff that doesn’t get worn (and never will). the 3 or 4 really, really precious things (like the carolina herrera dress from our high school graduation dinner) will be stored away for my future daughter(s).

what stays? anything well made. nothing trendy, nothing cheap. parts of the “uniform” - white tees, blazers, wedge booties, simple dresses, jeans, cashmere sweaters.

it all has to fit into the bag.

this isn’t a new concept. remember this great article in vogue? liberation from the excess. the clutter. keeping room for only the best things. the few things.

knowing it’s never been the stuff that brings fulfillment - it’s been the lack of it.

i’ll report back on progress and share some thoughts as i marshal the madness in the next few days.

i mean, how hard can it be? i already own just one purse.

(picture before last night’s dinner at ada street w/ megan and natalie - so good, both the company and the food!)

(for those who asked: you can find me on instagram @erehwyna)