Do you wear a "uniform"?

[Miss Minimalist]

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]

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]

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.

[Gina]

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.

[Spartana]

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.

[Kat]

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.

[Tradd]

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.

[kally]

whatever fits, whatever is clean.... okay cleanish.

[Yppej]

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.

[bae]

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.