«Le freak c’est chic» was the battle cry of the end of the Seventies, when with our glittery boots we confidently advanced towards the glittering Eighties. Fifty years have passed, we have long since resold the mid-thigh boot Vintednow with the boat shoe fished out from the bottom of the wardrobe we drag ourselves towards the unknown. But even in these dark times we have a mantra: «Frugal is chic».
Sobriety is the new trend that is increasingly present on social media. In Anglo-Saxon countries it is a true cultural movement, the responsible response to a reality focused on excessive consumption. “Live luxuriously, spending consciously,” the guru preaches Mia McGrathtwenty-year-old Chinese, adopted by an English family, started from nothing and now followed above all by GenZ.
Because sobriety is the new trend
Wearing flat moccasins and a blue blazer, the philosopher of sober thought dispenses advice and imparts decalogues. Because those who want to appear frugal have to suffer a little. The strength of the message is: let’s rediscover our roots, as he sang Richie Havenslet’s get back down to earth. Courage, holy card of Saint Francis on the dashboard and like him stoics we begin to see in every “poracciata” a fashion to which we are ready to extend our little hand. This is not about deprivation, nor should it be mistaken for minimalism Carolyn Bessette. A strategy that can look ahead is needed.
Saving means being independent, having plans, knowing how to invest in something more interesting than a designer bag. Finance and lifestyle are intertwined in moderation. Ne quid nimisdo not exceed anything. Discretion, never ostentation. The style acetate headband is fine Kennedyor rather to New York they queue for miles to buy it, but the real accessory is the plastic pliers. The red housewife in leggings struggling with the mop. Never again without it.
From Korean skincare to decluttering the soul
Then we move on to hands and hair, which for McGrath they are the first stage of the ascent to frugality. Gone are the exhausting sessions with Chinese manicurists to apply and remove semi-permanent nail polish, the nails are left natural, short and well-groomed. Have you ever seen Carrie Bradshaw or Cameron Diaz with cougar gel? The same goes for the “wig”: a good cut, the color doesn’t change with every boyfriend who dumps you and the style blows in the wind. Every six months you will see the hairdresser, more for a psychotherapeutic session than to have the hateful foils installed. Even the beating on the Korean skincare it has had its day.
You wash your face with ice-cold water from the well (no, maybe that’s too much). In one of her posts, the content creator asks: «What do you need myriad shades of eyeshadow for, when two are enough?». If you don’t feel Moira Orfei Inside you need a few very good products. We buy less and better, we fight like new ones Joan of Arc bulimic consumerism, raising the quality of life. For everything else, samples are stolen from the hotel.
Frugals cook at home, they go to restaurants very little. So go ahead and roll the pasta, bake the parmigiana, cut the vegetables for the Russian salad. Only traditional food, never pre-cooked or ordered. And they buy it from the farmers, a zero km. Of course they grow it in their gardens (even tomatoes and strawberries grow on the balcony). Woe betide you if you are caught unprepared: to those who ask you what you will do this summer, immediately begin to praise the beauty of the countryside. The thin air, the cicadas at sunset, the magic of silence.
Goodbye to Bali: the new tourism is in the Apennines
Goodbye to Bali, Vietnam, Uzbekistan. Followers of moderation venture to the lesser-known elsewhere: the island of LevanzoThe Cilentothe beaches of Marateathe mystic Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, Populoniathe lagoon houses of Grade. Jewels. Other than theLast Beach to Capalbio. THE radical chicthose at Tom Wolfehave long since become extinct, like the Etruscans, together with their Friulians. Only “the high end of the starving” remained (Walter Siti) with some caftans bought in Marrakech and the tote bag by Adelphi to remember them.
And this is where the boat shoes we were talking about come into play. Classic, brown with white sole, solid and reliable. Collect them, clean them up, arm yourself and leave. The dress makes the monk. Creating your own uniform is one of the central points: «It will help you to be recognisable, to not need multitudes of items to wear, to select, discard everything that is fast fashion for the quiet luxury».
White shirts, jeans, cashmere sweaters, preferably délabré. All the icons of elegance from Audrey Hepburn to Jane Birkin until Donna Marella Agnelli they had a style that distinguished them. «Stop compulsive shopping, it cannot become your hobby, it is not entertainment. Look for other occupations, read», he thunders McGrath. “Stop following influencers who push products, get away from the constant pressure of social media and do something imaginative.”
Play around with creative mending courses, like those of Paola Pellinolearn to knit, repurpose, dye and cut old clothes. Exchange, barter, give away, in short, get rid of the useless. He explains it Hideko Yamashita in Danshari. Fewer things, more luck, than in Japan it has sold over seven million copies. «We must reorder our lives with care, love, firmness, eliminating what is not needed, making space, both external and internal».
The decluttering Japanese, the get rid of, is connected to good luck. The sober, tough and pure have a maximum number of hangers to use in the wardrobe. Woe to those who go astray, under penalty of lifelong unhappiness. And to finish in glory, you need a suitable means of transport. Who has the Pandino teal has already won. Even if the truth frugal-chic you get around on foot, other than apps Uber. He walks inexorably towards the sun of the future with his “moccasins”. Frugal and happy.
