Minimalism is back for Fall 2010 and I for one couldn’t be happier. The last time we saw clean, minimalist lines on the runway — or in the stores — was in the 90s, as a reaction to the over-the-top 80s. These days, minimalism has more to do with the recession and a sense that less is — well, less, and thus morally superior to more.

Calvin Klein, Fall 2010

But minimalism isn’t just about having — or wearing — less; it’s about choosing carefully, or engaging in what the New York Times recently referred to as “calculated consumption.” In a provocative piece titled “But Will it Make You Happy?” writer Stephanie Rosenbloom dissected the connection between money and happiness, with particular attention to consumer culture.

In other words, she asked if shopping made people happy. The answer? No, not really.

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