Fashion: Suit up to legendary status

Apr 23, 2015 Denise Bennett The Spot

Uniforms. I am not talking police, fire or medical professional.

I am not even talking parochial school.

I am talking about your uniform.

Your brand.

What do you wear on a daily basis? Do you even have one?

I, for one, don’t.

A lot of buzz has been on this topic and I am compelled to discuss. Shall we?

So what is meant by the term uniform? It doesn’t mean one wears the same item time and time again, unless they desire to do so. But, it means they wear similar items to define their style so succinctly that onlookers can identify their look.

There are notable men and women in business, fashion and pop culture that define their brand or self by this uniform. But why?

The first reason I read was it takes the pressure off the day. How many mornings do you stand in your closet going “What do I feel like today?” The clock ticks as your mind scrambles to coordinate the outfit.

Another reason leads from the first, and by eliminating this stressful event of choosing a fresh outfit everyday, it mitigates the brain power being used so the mind can be taxed by other endeavors.

The final reason I already alluded to is personal branding. If you wear a variation on the same thing, people know you. They can say this piece is so Rose.

So what about you and me?

I gave this some thought and I have actually done uniform dressing myself unbeknownst to me. Upon my return to work from the birth of my daughter I wore wide leg trousers, tunics and cardigans. I think I did that until I got the fashion bug again and went deeper into plus size fashion about a year ago.

Why was this my style? It was easy, it was effortless and as every returning to work, mama knows, there are very few moments in those mornings, so make it count.

Why after that one year did I change? My daughter became more independent, and I could take some more time. Do I think I want to do this again? Perhaps. There appears to be a certain chic to this style of dressing. Can you go middle of the road and have a signature or uniform-esque item? Of course you can.

According to Frederic Fekkai, hair is it your best accessory. So start with the top down as Anna Wintour does and have your hair act as your uniform. I have done this myself for the greater part of a decade by always pinning my bangs back. When I change and let them down, I feel different. I almost have a vulnerability because my signature hairstyle is not in place. But hair is only one part of you. You can always do something similar with your makeup if you like to change hairstyles regularly. Do you always wear a bright lip? A smoky eye? Probably more times than not, you are doing something uniform on a daily basis.

As for tangible items, I can see a scarf being someone’s uniform piece to every outfit. either the same scarf or a different one each day. Look at your shoes. Do you like to wear the same shoe each day, or would you like to? I admire women who put Converse shoes (or any sneaker for that matter) with every outfit. I think it adds a masculine/comfortable contradiction. My favorite uniform accessory is the handbag. I love big bags. I switch mine out weekly, but I can tell you, I won’t be caught dead with a small bag. No matter what bag I am carrying, it is large and in charge.

So do you have a uniform? Have you gone through a uniform style dressing phase? It certainly offers peace of mind for some mornings. Personally, I am too fickle to adhere to the same garments repeatedly.

Denise Bennett maintains a fashion blog on Perfect20.co.

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Denise Bennett