How To Adopt A Fashion Uniform | Creating Your Signature Look
I totally believe in the power of a fashion uniform. I honestly see it as the ultimate, minimalist capsule collection… It honestly can’t get any simpler than that! In one of my previous posts about finding your personal style, I talked about how having a uniform helps you hone in on you, who you are, and your style identity. A uniform can be fluid and change a bit according to your mood. You can go extreme with it like Mark Zuckerberg or just create several go to outfit combos like Alexa Chung. Speaking of types of uniforms, I believe there are three types: Strict, Minimalist, and Maximalist.
Types of Uniforms
A strict uniform would be one where you are wearing exactly the same thing everyday i.e. white button down and jeans; navy turtleneck and navy track pants, etc. I’m thinking someone like the aforementioned Zuckerberg or Karl Lagerfeld.
A minimalist uniform would encompass several different uniforms being put in rotation. Maybe you like wearing a LBD with flats, skirts with flouncy tops, and denim with blazers; so you typically only wear only those combos and nothing else. Anna Wintour and Emmanuelle Alt fit this description.
A maximalist uniform could be described as more of a modern day capsule collection. You have a heavy rotation of several outfit combinations with an allowance for trendy pieces. You wear certain types of clothing sets and you have them in every color, texture, or pattern. Think someone like Alexa Chung or Julia Sarr Jamois.
Should You Adopt A Uniform?
Yes! Uniform dressing is beneficial in several ways: It helps you prioritize and focus on the important things in your life; it saves you time, money, and effort; lastly, it gives you confidence! A person who knows themselves and their personal style, what works for and looks best on their body, exudes confidence. They own their personal style and there's no faking that!
How to Create Your Uniform
Don't be afraid of letting your signature look speak for you. If you're quirky, feminine or sporty, let it show. I know that for some creatives, they prefer to let their work speak for them and they let their personal look take a backseat (i.e. Alexander Wang). However, whether you prefer to adopt the former or latter attitude, your uniform is exuding your personality regardless. Embrace it! Here's how to achieve your signature look.
Edit, edit, edit! Have you tried the KonMari method yet? If not, get on it! It's time for you to go through your wardrobe and get rid of anything that doesn't spark joy. Don't get rid of anything that you wear on a consistent basis (unless it's ratty or ill-fitting). Remember we want to keep the items that exude "us."
- Gather inspiration. First, go through your phone and look at images of yourself. Find the images where you look happy and when you felt the most confident. What were you wearing? Take that into consideration when thinking about what pieces fit into your signature look. Also, go on Pinterest and create a style inspiration board. Pin all kinds of images, not just fashion. It'll help with the next point.
- Create a moodboard. Jocking (copying) someone else's personal style can only take you so far... When you're creating your moodboard you should pin any image that speaks to you. Look for colors, patterns, words, and of course fashion images. You'll start to notice a pattern in what you're pinning. Maybe you're attracted to certain colors or moods. Maybe you admire someone else's style but when you look at your personal images as well as the other images in your moodboard, you notice that you might prefer a different color, product or mood. It's important to take into consideration everything that is sparking a visual or emotional interest from your moodboard.
- Evaluate and shop. So with you knowing your personality and clothing type (quirky/girly/sporty etc.) as well as the overall look that you're going for (thanks to your moodboard), you can evaluate what pieces you want to embrace. For example, say you're more of a girly girly and you love vibrant colors, you will more than likely focus on skirts and dresses in fun colors. Also, look at your board, are you into frills or straight lines? Solid colors or patterns? Take all of this into consideration when evaluating the things you already own and things you must buy. Side note, don't go out and buy a whole new wardrobe! More than likely you already own mostly everything you need to create your signature look!
Next up in this finding your personal style series, I will be creating a video and corresponding blog post about shopping like a minimalist. Is this something you'd be interested in learning about? Also, I'm curious to know if you have a signature look... if so, give me the deets in comments section below!
xx,
Cleshawn
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Thanks for stopping by! p.s. I'm on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest (@hometohem), come say hi! 😁
