When I came back from my trip I sold most of my dresses, and spend several months in my “new uniform,” but now I’m going back to the vintage dresses again. Wearing bright colors is simply in my blood! And it not only brightens my day but also that of many black wardrobe-obsessed New Yorkers!

I did exactly this for about 10 years (until I got married and my wife made me stop). Worked in NYC in nearly all seasons (a light v-neck sweater in my bag covered cold months) and circumstances (even the beach). I really miss the simplicity and cost-savings of a uniform.

+ high-collared cap-sleeved sleeveless/sheath top
+ pencil skirt
+ sweater (v neck or cardigan; sometimes I’ll layer a cardi over a v-neck sweater in winter, which looks adorable)

I do have a weakness for super-cute, brightly-colored, high-heeled shoes.

Of course, the easiest and least cluttersome possible outfit is always a dress: it takes 2 seconds to put on, and always looks polished and put-together.

(Of course, I have a few prettier undies in the back of the drawer for wooing my hubby, but these aren’t worn out of the house).

Anyway, I never have to worry about matching socks or finding the ‘comfortable’ undies. I don’t have to pick thru a drawer of uncomfortable ones with worn out elastic to find the ‘good’ ones. (Ladies, you know what I mean!) This used to be me, until I finally thought how silly this was, and got rid of all my undies and started over with large, black undies.

I can’t stand the idea of a ‘uniform,’ but I will attest to the sock/undies idea! Saves my tired morning self from the headache of finding these things in the darkened room.

I would add a color accent piece here and there in whatever the “it” color was that season. A few silk scarves and that was it.

I’ve noteiced that recently, though, those “accent pieces” have accumulated and the black pieces have worn out or faded, and I’ve not replaced them. This article was exactly what I need to give me that kick in the pants to sort through and re-uniform-ize! It really is easier than digging through the accumulated random clothes in my dresser.

I wore Brooks Brothers blue button down shirts on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and Brooks Brothers pink button down shirts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And a navy blue blazer.

Liberating

Cécile

Thanks so much for all the wonderful ideas, I’ll definitely be putting this into an actual process for me.

Most of the year he wears:

- 7 black tshirts
- 2 black jeans
- 3 black thing that is like a cross between an over-shirt and a jacket
- black/reddish leather shoes
- converse sneakers
- a spring and fall jacket
- winter coat and hat

And for the summer he has:

- some grey tshirts
- a few white tshirts
- khaki shorts
- cargo pants
- sandals

That’s it. And with his “most of the year” wardrobe, he always looks great. His summer wardrobe doesn’t suit him quite as well, especially white tshirts don’t suit him, but at least he keeps cool.

Meanwhile while traveling this summer I discovered that, at least for warm season weather, I also have a simple core wardrobe. It’s not full of the same pieces, but everything goes with everything else and there’s a certain beneficial monotony to the look–yet it’s still flexible. It was something like:

- several tank tops in pleasant colors (sage green, rusty orange-red, black, brown) two of which are empire waisted
- two capri length pants; one brown & made of a outdoorsy material, the other navy blue and satiny
- one pair of jeans
- one pair of semi-formal pants
- very light brown sweater
- a wraparound skirt, navy blue
- warmer sweater
- wind blocking sweatshirt
- sandals
- day hiking shoes

I’m not 100% sure if that was it. Even though I have more clothes, I realized that I could go with just these for probably six months of the year. I decluttered my closet once I got home–not completely, but substantially.

I think women wearing black pants and white tops would be too uniform and so boring. Plus why do women have to dress like men? Why wouldn’t you suggest something more femnine?

From a BBC Article: “No matter what the occasion, he wears the same outfit: blue jeans, denim work shirt and a pair of Timberland boots.”

A few green shirts and an equal number of black pants
A few black shirts and an equal number of green pants
Black socks, underwear, shoes, and jacket
Green and black pajamas

There was pretty much no trouble with overpacking or finding out towards the end of the week that my only clean clothes are khaki shirts and khaki pants. (Which happens sometimes.)

Also, it makes doing mid-trip laundry a breeze — exactly two loads and everything is clean!

I do a lot of speaking and appearances, so that’s another reason to keep my outfits changing and interesting. I don’t want to show up in every picture wearing the same thing every time.

I will say, however, that when I’m not working, my casual clothing leans toward being a uniform of jeans and a brightly colored v-neck fitted tee. Fun post Erin!

~Monica

I felt nervous about doing it, but for the entire school year I didn’t get a single comment (I’m sure people notice what I wear far less that I think they do!). In fact, one teacher didn’t notice at all because in the spring, she wanted the staff to wear their school shirts for some event (during the school day), but forgot to remind us. That day she looked at me and said, “Oh good, you remembered to wear your shirt!”

I have two pairs of khaki pants & four polo shirts, so I can go four work days without doing laundry. The only thing I don’t like is that this outfit isn’t the most flattering thing I’ve ever worn, but as I would never have the guts to just pick a regular outfit as my “uniform” to wear every day, I have to go with what the school picked out.

Fun skirt + Shirt + Cardigan or Blazer

On dressier days, I wear a dress shirt, blazer and heels. On casual days, I wear a t-shirt, cardigan, and flats. The skirts can all be dressed up or down.

I own one black blazer and one black cardigan that go with everything. Ditto for one pair of black flats and one great pair of black heels. It’s easy to get dressed in the morning, I just follow the formula.