Cora Maria

This is intended to be an aesthetic parody of haul video clickbait thumbnails. Please don't take this too seriously. Most sustainable fashion influencers and minimalists aren't too keen on hauls and unboxings, and their distain has inspired trends like the anti-hauls and haulternatives. However, as someone with one foot in the sustainable fashion community and the other in the alternative fashion community, I truly believe that haul videos have a place in the fashion community, but in their current form, they promote unhealthy spending habits, contribute to anxiety, and cheapen the relationships we have with our possessions. This week, I will go over the positive aspects of hauls/unboxings, the negatives, and what we can do to improve them. What are the pros of hauls and unboxings? There are many points one can bring up to identify why haul videos are useful and enjoyable. These include: Seeing someone talk about something they’re excited about.  Excitement is c...

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been dressing alternatively, because everyone has moments when they question their style. This can be really confusing and difficult to figure out, which could lead to remorseful purchases and/or boxing yourself into a particular set of rules. I get it, I’ve been there. Quite recently too. Learning about minimalism and sustainability made me question my own style and consumer habits. Was most of my wardrobe just made from what was convenient and affordable? How many of the pieces do I actually love? How many do I wear? What even is my style anymore? Due to a lengthy and time-consuming commitment, I had to put dealing with this style crisis on hold, but having months to think about the problem rather than rushing to solve it taught me a few tips that I think would be beneficial to anyone experiencing similar confusion. Don’t jump straight into mood boards. Most ‘How to Find Your Style’ advice begins with creating a mood board or Pinterest ...

Decluttering revealed many things for me, like how I only wore six out of 13 pairs of shoes. A good wardrobe is not a large wardrobe, but a well-edited one. Unfortunately, this stance I’ve taken seems to be in the minority. I, like many people in the alternative fashion community, obsessed over collecting clothing for the sake of having a larger wardrobe and more “options” for my outfits. Ironically enough, my collection obsession resulted in a poorly curated, mentally draining, unexpectedly restrictive wardrobe. While there are plenty of wardrobe declutter resources out there, I wanted to write this post offering unique advice that worked for me as a lover and wearer of alternative fashion, as well as an aspiring minimalist. Before you read this article, I highly recommend you read ‘8 Signs You Need to Clean Out Your Closet’ if you haven't already. Only those who fit at least one of those points will benefit from the advice in this article. Go on a shopping h...

Used to be over 70 items. Now it's 30 and shrinking. It's the new year and everyone is looking for a fresh start. For myself and many others, decluttering and discarding items from our wardrobes can make you feel mentally lighter. Cluttered and overcrowded closets can cause stress and a decline in coord quality. If you are a beginner in the alternative fashion community, it's especially easy to get wrapped up in the idea of quantity over quality, as you try to build a large wardrobe as rapidly as possible. For others, it’s more an obsession with having the next big thing, or pursuing an unattainable version of oneself. However, before anyone even considers cleaning out their wardrobe, they must understand why it needs to be done. Whether you have or like having a small, medium, or large wardrobe, if you notice any of these red flags, then it’s probably time to declutter. You always feel like you have nothing to wear. Ah… the age old dilemma; a closet stuffed ...

At the Suitcase Rummage, I have bought many pieces I either adore or ignore. We live in a world where we are surrounded by thousands of businesses competing for every dollar we have. They encourage impulse buying, excessive materialism, and blind trust. They tell you what you should want, what you should have, and they say you need it now!  With the number of questionable fashion companies trying to grab our attention these days, it’s easy to fall into the cycle of constant consumerism without taking the time to learn what it is that you really  want and enjoy. Shopping less and shopping smarter will lead to a wardrobe that better reflects you and your values, so allow me to share with you some tips I have found useful. Disclaimer: While I will be recommending a few free products, I am not sponsored or affiliated with them at all. I’m recommending them because I personally find them to be helpful. Watch fewer hauls. I know, I know, hauls are a larg...

She told me I could wear these shoes. I was a fool to believe her... Your fantasy self. You might not have heard of them, but you know their presence deep inside of you. They are everything you are not, but wish you could be. The most dangerous part about our fantasy selves is how they are shaped by the consumer culture we live in. Media and advertising wants to alter your fantasy self into someone who benefits them. They want you to believe the illusion that you can become the fantasy self with their products. They want you to think that with this new dress or hair dye or make-up product, you will finally be beautiful and happy, just like that perfect image of yourself in your head. Or if you buy these expensive comic markers, then maybe you’ll finally start drawing, or actually start being good at it, right? For someone so imaginary, the fantasy self is surprisingly demanding. What it comes down to is how much stuff you buy that goes unused, and how much guilt and shame...

This is the void possessions cannot fill. The kawaii community is known for its maximism and materialism, which is why most of you might scoff at minimalism as I once did. It’s easy to think that the minimalist philosophy would only point out our supposed “flaws”, but I believe that its teachings could enhance our kawaii lifestyles and help us foster a healthier relationship with our things. Minimalism can help us reduce stress, save up for the items we really want, be more sustainable, and learn more about ourselves. This is why I believe everyone, minimalist or not, should pay attention to the following lessons: Stuff is stressful Yes, shopping is fun, buying stuff is fun, and using stuff is fun too. But our relationship with stuff is more than just looking, buying, then using. There’s also storage, cleaning, and other stuff that may be necessary to use the original stuff in question, and then that other stuff also needs cleaning and storage and maybe more stuff. S...

Throwback to my second Harajuku Fashion Walk in 2017.   Dressing alternatively in any form takes some extra effort and often lacks guidance. While people in alternative fashion communities have tackled topics like how to dress in a particular style or where to find clothes, I’d like to share the advice and warnings I wish I had known before I started dressing alternatively. Note: These are general tips that can apply to people in a diversity of fashion subcultures, but I will primarily be using examples from the kawaii community since that is where I reside. It’s okay to start slow and small Matt Burne did a great video called The Myth of ‘I Don’t Have’ where he talks about how we often tell ourselves “I don’t have this, so I can’t do that.” “I don’t have all this kawaii clothing, so I can’t  even begin to dress cute.” If you hear yourself thinking something like this, shut up. Shut the hell up and walk to your wardrobe and think about how this thing might loo...