View Full Version : Do you wear a "uniform"?
Miss Minimalist
3-22-11, 11:59am
I don't mean in the military or UPS or scrubs sense, but a handful of items you wear day in and day out.
I've been gravitating towards one myself. I lived in a few dresses and tights this winter, and plan to do the same as the weather warms up -- trading the knit dresses for cotton/linen ones, and the tights and boots for a pair of ballet flats.
I always envied the simplicity of men's wardrobes; both my brother and husband get by with a small collection of trousers, jeans, t-shirts, dress shirts, and sweaters. In some sense, my "uniform" is a quest to pare down to that level.
I proposed the idea of a uniform on my blog a few weeks ago, expecting a mostly negative response. I received just the opposite -- and was surprised how many people are already utilizing (and embracing) the concept.
I'm curious if this appeals to a greater population beyond my minimalist readership. Do you have (or would you like to have) your own "uniform"? Or do you find variety, and self-expression through clothing, too important to give up?
IshbelRobertson
3-22-11, 12:37pm
Not me! I like to shop for clothes and then ring the changes with various outfits. I do the sensible thing, ie buy 3 or 4 main items per season, eg a couple of suits, a couple of jackets and a full-length coat in the winter - and lots of toning/matching tops, etc.
Dharma Bum
3-22-11, 12:44pm
I prefer to think of my work wardrobe as a costume. It is what I wear to project my part in a play, but I am not really the character whose role I act.
Yes, I do wear a uniform of sorts. I no longer work so my 'uniform' is casual. It's usually tennies or sandals, longer shorts, and simple t-shirts. I love a variety of colors however. It's not very showy, but I'm quite comfortable with it.
I also almost always wear a nice bracelet, and gold hoop earrings. Because I dress so casually even when shopping, the jewelry is important because (sad to say) sales people give you a little more attention if they think you can afford to actually buy something. I call it my 'power jewelry', lol.
It's also rarely cold here, so in winter it's often the same. When it is cold, I'll wear long pants and either a long-sleeved tshirt or sweater.
Yep - I'm retired, live in a warm climate in Southern Calif, and am very physically active all day long so wear shorts, tee shirts (or tank top) and running shoes each and everyday! The tee sirts are basicly the same but in different colors. Even my socks are all the same (white peds) so when I do the wash (not very often with such "smallish" type clothes) i don't have to seperate them and try to match them up - just stick them in a drawer all together. If it's cold I'll put on a sweat shirt and warm up pants over my shorts but rarely wear anything else unless I am going out on the town. Since I usually only go out on weekend nights, I rarely change out of my "uniform". Also, I don't wear make up or jewlry unless I'm going out on the town. I shower the night before so basicly for me it's get up a bit before sunrise, wash my face, brush my teeth, put on sunscreen, hair in a pony tail, put on my "uniform" and out the door I go! I love it!!!
Editted to add: I don't particularly find any sense of self expression thru clothes. I find that more in the things I do and accomplice rather than in how I look or what I have/own. I do like to dress up pretty when I go out (and pink is my favorite color) but that's rarely and even then I have a sort of basic wardrobe.
I'd love to get to that. Right now I am overwhelmed by the number of clothes in my closet: pre-pregnancy clothes, maternity clothes, "fat" clothes, "never gonna happen again" clothes LOL But I can't really do a good purge until the baby is born and I figure out what my body is going to be like.
Yes, most definitely! All my shoes are black, same as my purse (a crocheted black The Sak bag). Aside from two sets from Travelsmith that are reversible (print to black), all my bottoms are black, too. Tops are in some shade of purple, pink or, blue, mostly bright colors. Mostly some type of twin set. The great thing is that it's SO easy to get dressed in the morning. It's usually either a colored twin set on top with black pants, or colored top with black cardian. I've got a few dresses I love. I've got white, black, and purple camis to wear under my black and purple wrap dresses (too low cut otherwise). I've got two wonderful wrap tops (one charcoal grey and one purple) that I just love that I wear over a cami and they look superb with wide-legged black pants.
whatever fits, whatever is clean.... okay cleanish.
No. I am hoping to switch to a different career so am trying to transition from a casual look to a more polished one. I do hope to have it down to a uniform some day.
Yes, I generally wear shorts in one of two colors, and a Carhartt's shirt in one of three colors. And always the same sort of socks. I buy multiples of these, and just grab whatever is on top of the pile in the morning. It's a big time saver, and I never have to worry about shopping.
yep. since i started making shifts, i wear one of them every day. since it's been cold, i've been wearing them with leggings and jeans and boots. as it warms up, my legs will make an appearance!
it is extremely easy to get dressed now. and i always feel cute and put together. yay.
whatever fits, whatever is clean.... okay cleanish.
ditto
Work - Dark blue company button down shirt, Levi's, Gap Navy Crew sox, Nikes.
Home - same as above except for a colored T-shirt.
I have (by choice) very few clothes (my dw makes up for it and dominates our
walkin closet)!
:)
Simplemind
3-22-11, 10:12pm
I actually do have a uniform for work. I love it because it saves me tons on clothing. At home I have to say that I am having a torid affair with black yoga pants and colored long sleeve T-shirts. I have always admired people with beautiful wardrobes that have a flair for accesories. I need garanimals for adults.............
I replied to your blog on Miss Minimalist too. I work as a massage therapist at a day spa and my entire wardrobe consists of 3 pairs of black pants and 5 black t-shirts. In the summer I add one pair of black capris. It's so easy to dress for work......but sooooo boring. Even my 5 pairs of socks and one pair of shoes for work are black. I'm so sick of black that the thought of simplifying my wardrobe to having one neutral (black is easiest) puts me off the idea. Other colors, such as navy or brown, are a bit tricky to match when using different fabrics.
My regular clothes are usually jeans or shorts with a simple basic top, either solid or an interesting pattern. The clothes I wear to ride my horse have gotten more coordinated; since the spa changed from brown uniform to black, all my brown Ts are now for riding. So, those shirts with my chocolate brown or beige britches and brown boots make me look pretty neat and coordinated. Even my horse, saddle and pad is brown!! And most of the dirt doesn't show!
I wish I could be happy with a simple wardrobe based on just a few colors with a neutral but I'd get bored pretty quickly. My 'going out' shirts are usually some sort of bold pattern (so I can be easily spotted in a crowd). Black purses and shoes are so easy but boring to me as well. This summer I may donate my boring beige purse and buy a bright colored one from a thrift store. Woohoo!! Hold me back! I'm a wild one!
Wildflower
3-23-11, 4:09am
Retired - so my uniform is very casual now and I love it! :D In the wintertime I wear blue jeans with colorful sweaters or sweatshirts, with tennis shoes or boots. In the summertime I wear denim or khaki shorts and capris with colorful tees and tank tops, with sandals. I always wear earrings, either my tiny diamond studs or small gold hoops. No make-up other than lip gloss. I also curl my eyelashes and always wear moisturizer everyday too. This is pretty much how I dress when we go out too unless it is someplace "fancy" then I will gussy up alot more - make-up, skirt, heels, but that is not very often....
chrisgermany
3-23-11, 9:22am
I usually wear a trouser suit for office with a t-shirt or blouse or, if cold, a thin sweater. Usually I also wear a tied scarf and pumps.
Years ago when I started working I visited the US and was so impressed by the "dress for success" thing that was going on there. So I adopted some parts of it. I always have at least one blue, grey, brown and black suit and I rotate them regularly.
Worked well for me.
At home I am a jeans and T or sweater person.
iris lily
3-23-11, 10:19am
I wear separates. My favorite shirt is: cotton knit of a heavy gauge, solid color, V neck, 3/4 sleeve.
But it's hard to find the tops I want at the thrift store since I am so specific. Lately I'm not entirely happy with Lands End, too much stretchy material in the cotton.
I'm trying Ebay to see if I can suss out heavy gauge cotton (hard to see in photos!) at a price under $10.00.
At te thrift store I pay $3 and it's hard to go above that!
I have three uniforms. One is a Henley shirt plus sweater on top. Two is longsleeve pullover under turtleneck. Three is mock turtleneck under hoodie. All with jeans and hiking boots. Similar in summer. What I have in more variety are jackets and coats.
The majority of the time you will find me in a denim skirt, a pink T-shirt and slides. It is not exciting and I know a lot of people would not like it but it is comfortable and feels good and pink always cheers me up! I am mostly homebound and so about the only people that see me are DH and the UPS man.
I wear whatever I own that fits at the time. Mostly Old Navy as it's cheap and fits my body shape. No accessories. I'm bad at jewelry.
No uniform here...mostly just fairly casual mix and match separates. Knit when I can get away with it as I hate to iron. I would be lost without black pants though.
I am also gravitating towards colorful lightweight knit cardigans so I can survive the work AC/summer heat conundrum.
I sure do. Cotton causal pants with stretchy elasticized waistbands for comfort and freedom, casual short-sleeved tops (sweaters/long-sleeved tops when it's cooler), and my slippers! Good to go. :) When going out, black pants (or my favourite pair of jeans), dress jacket or coat, dressy shoes (casual).
Yes, but mostly out of laziness. Two pairs of "dress" pants; one gray, one black. Two black sweaters. Black jacket. A few long sleeved t shirts in plain colours. And lots of scarves with different colours, earrings that kind of go with the scarves. So mostly I wore gray pants and a black sweater the ENTIRE winter, with the scarves varied. Nobody has noticed enough to comment. I should say that I am in practice as a therapist so I have no co workers and clients see me, at most, weekly, so I don't have to wear different clothes for anyone else.
I do plan to actually buy some pants but I keep hoping I'll lose ten pounds (apparently "hoping" is not the means by which this happens) and I am also allergic to the expense of a decent pair of pants here in the Maritimes (so I have to go to the States to TJ Maxx or equivalent to find something that I can bear to buy). Any new clothes that I do buy will probably be, yup, black.
Oh, I did buy a turquoise "hoody" but spilled something on it and can't get the stain out. So actually I am not safe with clothes that are not black.
My daily uniform consists of boot cut jeans, some kind of button down blouse (tapered so it's flattering and it hides the little muffin top) and my brown harness boots.
Yesterday I put on dress pants, black flats and a nice blouse to go to a job fair and I felt like an imposter! I have been wearing boot cut jeans to work for the last 11 years so I am not at all used to being dressed up ~ it doesn't feel like me at all! I never want to have to have a separate wardrobe just for work again!
I've seen this a lot with wealthy/famous people --- they pick a style and a palette and then everything can mix and match.
I'm in wardrobe confusion right now, having moved from one extreme climate to an entirely different one, and transitioning between a career in a school to a work-at-home life as an artist. I also was gifted a lot of lovely, climate-appropriate, cast-off clothes by my elderly (and very rich) in-laws...essentially receiving a $3,000 wardrobe quite suited for 80+ year old ladies!
Even though I really do have a poor sense of style, I did manage to read something once about Princess Diana, who invented a kind of wardrobe for herself when she was doing so much charity work. She had a uniform of a mid-knee skirt, heels and a blazer. The skirts and blazer were always lined so they wouldn't be see-through, and the garments were constructed so they wouldn't wrinkle, or split, or do any "peekaboos" when she got in and out of cars and kneeled down to talk to children, sit at hospital bedsides, etc.
When I worked at a school, I tried to apply that formula and used the typical school administrator's uniform of pantsuit, shell, and pumps that could put up with a lot of walking through hallways and uneven terrain outdoors. Boring, but modest and "professional." I am quite sure that the two on "What Not To Wear" would throw out everything I owned then AND now...very inauthentic, not very stylish or reflective of who I "am," and so on. But since the move and the loss of my job, I'm going through a bit of an identity crisis anyway, so it's very hard for me to pick out any clothes for myself at all, not to mention not really having money to do so anyway!
I'm retired (and tired). :~)
I also have this thing about how things feel on my skin, so I'm always wearing soft. I wear blue jeans, tennis shoes, and either tee shirts in summer or sweatshirts in winter. They are always clean.......but I do wear the holey ones at home and the ones sans holes out in public. Appearances just are no longer important to me. (But clean is). .....and soft......and lots of room. :)
Cathy, I like "sfot" too and that's one reason I tend to like thrift store stuff, they've been washed many times. I don't like the sizing on brand new items.
My daily uniform consists of boot cut jeans, some kind of button down blouse (tapered so it's flattering and it hides the little muffin top) and my brown harness boots.
This my "casual" going out uniform too. If I'm not in shorts I'm in your exact same outfit!
I wear boot cut jeans, some kind of feminine top, and sandals would be nice but living in northern Illinois not possible most of the time so gym shoes. I like to be comfortable.
Great topic. I've heard of the concept of a uniform before, and always thought it was brilliant. I have always wanted to work at a place where they would insist on it - like at Target where you wear beige pants and a red shirt. Or one of those restaurants where the waitstaff is all in black. Just makes work life so much easier.
I work in radio and nobody sees me other than the people I work with, so I could do whatever I want. I did overhear a criticism of another employee that supposedly came from one of our managers - apparently they objected to her colorful, funky style of dress and thought that it meant she had no ambition to rise in the company. It kind of disturbed me.
Workplaces are so strange about clothes. I used to temp for a benefits company where they were very rigid about what you wore. I had an officey wardrobe at the time and not a lot of casual clothes - I had no life, basically, and not much money for attire that wasn't work-related. So when casual Friday came around, I was still in my skirt, blouse and heels. The criticism and pressure I received over that was unbelievable. I always thought that was ironic. It was like they were saying, "You WILL relax, gawdammit!" I finally caved in and dressed how they wanted me to. Left that job as soon as I was able.
I've always gravitated to black - former theater major here - and I still wear it maybe too much. I have tried things at different times - like white pants, a deep pink peacoat, or a turquoise track jacket. I always feel like I'm wearing a neon sign in those colors though. Navy is my other favorite color for dress, and I feel like I'm conciliating my inner mother - look ma, leave me alone, I've got some color next to my face today! I guess my fave outfit would be a navy or black top, something pretty, classic and shaped, not boxy - I NEED to have a waistline - and jeans, or black or gray pants.
I sometimes have thought my dark wardrobe isn't flattering to me as a pale blonde. All black can be stark with this kind of coloring. I suppose I could keep to neutrals if I switched to something pale, like grays or shades in the beige/gold/camel family. So I might be revamping the clothes again, but I hope to settle on something and just stick with it!
Now that the seasons are changing, I definitely need to lighten up. So it'll be the same neutral colors, but a sleeveless top with lighter-weight pants, and black or gray sandals. (I love flats, they're so cute! But I can't wear them! My feet are shaped like ping pong paddles - super wide in front, super narrow at the back. I have never found a pair of flats that will stay on my feet - I walk right out of them. A tragedy!)
I'm still far from a minimalist where my wardrobe is concerned. I lost a lot of weight a couple of years ago, and at the same time landed a job where I had disposable income for the first time ever. So I kind of went crazy with clothes. I just removed about a third of my wardrobe to storage (the hot pink coat is in there, lol), and if I haven't worn that stuff within a year, I'll give it away!
Thanks for the fun thread!
Definitely for work I wear a "uniform" (in the YMOYL sense of the word), business attire. It's true about men's wardrobe, being simple. It's what fits in my current environment, the place before that was jeans and a t-shirt, the place before that was business attire again. I guess I'm glad somebody cares one way or the other, I wouldn't know what to put on in the morning. On weekends I dress primarily to avoid nudity.
Btw. First post on these forums since they moved over to the new site. Cool to see so many of the same people here. I used to go by "Sawney Beane", never liked that handle much. Come to think of it I'm not to crazy about Santa either.
fidgiegirl
4-7-11, 10:13pm
I read the post of yours about the 10 piece wardrobe, Miss Minimalist, and have thought of it often since reading it. Is that the one you are talking about? I would love to get to that point.
Right now I kind of hang on to clothes for too long because they are still serviceable. Like PJs, for example. The idea is that who cares what clothes I sleep in but me, so who cares if they are stained, ripped, too short, etc. But it really does make a difference.
I was wondering, though, how often do you replace your garments? Do you end up buying them all every year? Twice a year? Every other year?
I am thinking of getting rid of the browns in my wardrobe and sticking to all greys and blacks, which I prefer anyway. My browns don't get used as much because fewer articles go well together, whereas my browns and greys seem to go better with so many other pieces.
Kelli,
I remember Fawn saying once that one of the good things about having very few clothes is that she got to replace them fairly often. I keep thinking about that. I used to go out and buy something new just because, or because it was on sale. But now I aspire to buy replacements...for my black sweaters, three t shirts, etc.
I also have decided that wearing things a lot until they wear out is okay. I have a black cashmere sweater, t shirt style, and I have just been wearing it all the time. It meets Cathy's requirement of soft, loose and comfortable and I have decided that I don't have to "keep it for best" but can wear it all I want. (I have no idea whose voice it is in my head telling me how and when I can wear my clothes....) I only paid thirty bucks for it anyway. And even though summer will come sometime, it is still cold here in April.
I have nearly escaped the tyranny of fashion and it feels good to be free (or at least more free than I was as a younger woman).
Leslie
Thanks everybody for all this food for thought.
I don't think of myself as paying much attention to my clothes, but I can see that if I did focus in a little more on what things are multifunctional & can mix & match better, I wouldn't have to have as many clothes. A little bit of effort for less thought later on. Very economical, fun, & focused.
As I mentioned on another post, I just learned about the 333 clothing project which involves wearing 33 items of clothing for 3 months (& packing up all the rest of the clothing that didn't make "the cut" and storing it out of the way for those 3 months). This too is a means for distilling thoughts.
I had a really classy acting teacher years ago (c.1973) who always wore a "uniform"--a turtleneck sweater, slacks, and a belt over the sweater which was not tucked in. That's what she always wore.
These days, I'm wearing a turtleneck sweater and these awesome Old Navy yoga pants that are thick enough to look like slacks, but comfortable enough to feel like sweats. I love turtlenecks, especially now that I'm the age where MY neck looks like a turtle neck.
Gardenarian
4-13-11, 6:53pm
Yep. Yoga-type pants, T-shirt, and sweater or jacket, comfy shoes (sneakers at home, clogs for work.) My workplace is pretty casual (and I probably wouldn't work anywhere that wasn't.) I have some scarves and necklaces to fancy myself up, but I wear pretty much the same thing all the time. We don't have real seasons here, so I wear the same thing year round, plus or minus a coat.
I wish I could wear jeans (because they go with everything and are kind of cool) but I find them horribly uncomfortable.
I wear things until they start to fade or look grubby, and then they become my gardening/painting/sloppy clothes - or even pajamas.
I finally gave my husband a uniform, so to speak. He is colour blind and has put some terrible, terrible outfits together when I was not home. He looks terrific in black, and now all his pants, socks and shoes are black, and all his shirts go with black. We will probably add some khaki pants or shorts for the summer. It only took twenty plus years of marriage to come up with this plan! :)
Black yoga pants, charcoal grey, navy and light grey sweat pants, shorts in navy, black, grey, khaki and red (late spring - early fall), t-shirts in a variety of colors, navy and grey heather sweatshirts, fleece hoodies in navy, light blue, grey, ivory, charcoal grey, olive green and tan, Polo chambray shirts, Woolrich flannel shirt w/ quilted lining, turtlenecks, crew neck sweaters and v-neck sweaters, a few pairs of jeans, boxer shorts, heavy winter coat, dress socks, hemp socks, tennis (ankle) socks, thermal merino wool socks in navy, black, grey and tan and topsiders, Birkenstocks, Crocs and 1 pair of insulated work boots complete my wardrobe.
I have endless combinations of clothes and with very few exceptions, everything pretty much matches everything else.
I love the idea of having a "uniform", so going forward, as I replace clothes, I may limit pants/shorts/sweats/socks colors to just a few colors, such as black, navy and grey and have just shirts in a variety of colors that match everything to further simplify.
fidgiegirl
4-17-11, 9:56am
Great topic. I've heard of the concept of a uniform before, and always thought it was brilliant. I have always wanted to work at a place where they would insist on it - like at Target where you wear beige pants and a red shirt.
This reminds me of the time I jokingly commented to a somewhat looks-oriented co-worker that he looked like a Target employee in his outfit - never saw that outfit again!
I was just commenting on a different thread yesterday that this one even has me thinking about sheets and towels! How few can we use yet have a comfortable amount? We think 6 towels. I think one set of sheets but as I ask DH he says we aren't getting rid of any until they go bad. We have so many that at the rate we go they will never go bad.
When I was working in the corporate world, my uniform consisted of suits. Black ones, blue ones, gray ones, brown ones, green ones and checked ones along with 15 or 20 matching shirts and 50 or so ties. When I made the jump to a more relaxed work environment, my "out in the world" uniform changed to slacks and button down shirts. The one constant has been in standardizing my socks. Black "gold toe" socks ensure that I never look down at lunch and find that I'm wearing one black and one blue sock. (That's happened to me more times than I really want to admit to.)
My winter months "at home" uniform is jeans, pullover long sleeve shirts and hiking boots. My summertime look is cargo shorts, tee shirts and gym shoes, unless I'm out on the motorcycle when it switches back to my winter uniform.
I'm finally at the point where it's easy being me.
madgeylou
4-17-11, 11:03am
as stated upthread, i have a uniform of ridiculously cute dresses paired with layers based on the weather. it's easy, and i feel like i want to feel -- colorful/unique/entertaining (to me if no one else!).
i just picked up a part-time job, and the hardest part of it is that i have to wear boring clothes -- a black top and jeans and black shoes! i hate it!
i'm trying to bring a little color in through jewelry and makeup but still ... zzzzzzz are not what i'm looking for when i get dressed ...
This reminds me of the time I jokingly commented to a somewhat looks-oriented co-worker that he looked like a Target employee in his outfit - never saw that outfit again!
I was just commenting on a different thread yesterday that this one even has me thinking about sheets and towels! How few can we use yet have a comfortable amount? We think 6 towels. I think one set of sheets but as I ask DH he says we aren't getting rid of any until they go bad. We have so many that at the rate we go they will never go bad.
Funny! I shy away from wearing bright red near my face, as I'm a pale blonde and it is too harsh w/ my complexion and makes me look blotchy.
I have olive green towels in my bathrooms currently. I have 8 towels, 4 hand towels and 8 washcloths. They look great in my bathroom, but I think I want to get away from colored towels. When I replace them, I plan to do so with the thickest white towels, hand towels and wash cloths I can find.
I currently have several sets of bed linens, but when I replace them, I will likely replace them with white or light colored non-patterned linens. The older I get, the more I crave simplicity -- even in bed linens.
Ha ha! Some people are sensitive...I have a co-worker who criticizes everything I wear, or don't wear. It reeeeeeally bothers her that I don't wear socks. I have no idea why she thinks I care about her running commentary on my appearance. The way she dresses (like a hotel receptionist on a British sit-com circa 1983) is not something I'd ever emulate!
I sort of envy my husband's workplace. They tease each other all the time -- food choices, clothes, everything, and nobody gets ruffled. It's a topping game, where whoever deals the best insult wins. If he wears his purple shirt one day and somebody says, "That's a bright shirt," he'll point at them and say, "Tom Jones called, he wants his turtleneck back," or whatever. They have so much fun over there! (sigh)
This reminds me of the time I jokingly commented to a somewhat looks-oriented co-worker that he looked like a Target employee in his outfit - never saw that outfit again!
I was just commenting on a different thread yesterday that this one even has me thinking about sheets and towels! How few can we use yet have a comfortable amount? We think 6 towels. I think one set of sheets but as I ask DH he says we aren't getting rid of any until they go bad. We have so many that at the rate we go they will never go bad.
I'm retired and got rid of my accountant clothes. Only have one blazer left and never wear it.
I wear black pants most of the time and a little khaki in summer. Mostly black and gray and white tops with an occasional lime green or turquoise when I want a colorful day.
Black shoes and sandals. My glasses are black and white.
Very easy. I got rid of brown and navy blue shoes and clothing items. Complicated things too much. I have silver hair so the black and gray works well.
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