PERSONAL UNIFORMS

I have certain fascination with women who embody a personal uniform. The intentional and measured approach of dressing that exudes self-confidence and mastery or knowing what looks best on your personage. Be it the timeless quality of a Californian breeze as depicted by Jessica de Ruiter or the urban-luxe practicality championed by Le Philo, what these women all have in common is an edited and almost painfully paired down simplicity. A well-honed look played out on repeat through crisp shirts, tailored classics and simple basics curated with such ease and nuanced expertise, making fashion trends seem garishly overhyped in comparison.

It takes a certain rigor, a clear unflinching point of view and conviction in one’s personal style mantra to don uniform dressing, and truly make it one’s own. Because let’s face it, wearing a variation of the same ensemble could potentially get tired, and equally tiring. Resisting the temptation of trends (print sensations! grandma chic! nerds on steroids!!) is no small feat. For fashion is nothing if not fickle, feeding on our incessant need for self-invention to an upgraded glossier A/W version of ourselves.

Discipline. Restraint. Self-assuredness trumps self-consciousness when it comes to defining a personal uniform. The added practicality that a uniform lends to getting ready for a hectic Monday or nondescript Wednesday certainly has its merit, relieving wearers from fashion fatigue and the dilemma of deliberating on the outfit of the day.

Ultimately, finding your personal uniform is not so much dressing for the person you want to be, but rather celebrating the person you are. And looking damn cool and collected in the process.