When looking through my old photos for the father’s day post I came across one of my brother and I on the first day of the school year in 1975. It got me thinking. Chances are high that if you schooled in the British system (or a derivative thereof), you wore a school uniform for 12 years of your life. Greg and I did and it had its ups and downs. But the more I think back to those days, the more I appreciate the fact that I had to wear one. Here’s why:

• Uniforms create… uniformity, but in a good way. They create an even playing field and eliminate the dressing competition that often arises between kids.
• Uniforms contribute to a sense of discipline, which I don’t think is a bad idea.
• Uniforms help to unify the school and give students a sense of identity and belonging. There’s also something visually and spiritually rich about seeing everyone in the same clothes at a school event.
• Uniforms make dressing for school as easy as it gets. No difficult decisions in the morning about what to wear.
• Uniforms are cost effective. Kids who wear school uniforms need fewer clothes. The uniforms themselves are generally quite affordable.
• Uniforms make dressing in normal clothes, or “civvies”, extra special. It was like a sacred ritual getting dressed after school, over the weekend, or at night. You really appreciated the clothes that you wore and took dressing very seriously. So even though I didn’t get to experiment with fashion at school, I certainly made up for it after hours.

But there was also a downside. Wearing the same thing 5 days a week for years on end gets very boring. There were absolutely times that I loathed my school uniform and wished I could put on normal cool teenage clothes in the morning. And to this day I refuse to wear woolly tights. They were part of our Winter school uniform and itched ridiculously. Bad memories of awfully itchy woolly grey and brown school tights have put me off them for life.

The uniform also removed a valuable form of self expression during school hours. On the other hand, we kids were extremely creative about creating a unique look and reflecting the trends within the constraints of our uniforms. When stovepipes were in, Greg and all his friends took in their trousers. When the mini was in style, my friends and I hemmed our dresses. When fingerless gloves were all the rage, we cut holes in our school jumpers so that out thumbs peeked through the hole. Of course, the teachers were soon on to us and these modifications were banned as fast as we could come up with them.

If you didn’t wear one when you were growing up, a school uniform probably sounds torturous and repressive, but that’s all we knew. What’s your perspective? Are they beneficial, or an unnecessary form of regimentation? Did you wear a uniform at school? Do your children?

That’s my brother (10) and me (5) in our Summer uniforms on my first day of the school year in Hong Kong (1975). On the right is Greg and his little sister in his Winter Primary School uniform at age 6 (Cape Town). Quite the naughty little dodger he was, while I was as good as gold. The third picture is Greg (extreme left) and his crew at high school in the 80’s. Look at his altered stove pipe school trousers. Such a rebel.

Two years ago I asked whether watches were a dated accessory and the responses were mixed. With more and more people omitting watches from their wardrobe because they can check the time on their mobile phone, it seems that the watch is not a timeless accessory after all (excuse the pun). I never thought it would come to this!

Well, I’m going to continue to wear a watch. No doubt about it. My watches are integral to my ensembles and I LOVE wearing them, so much so that I feel naked without one. More importantly, I much prefer to glance at the time on my wrist than haul out my cell phone.

I’d like to update my informal poll. Who still wears a watch, and who uses their cell phone to tell the time? Team Watch or, Team Phone? I am 100% Team Watch. Which are you (and no batting for both sides)?

My harem pants are never going to fly in a strictly casual outfit because they’re made of a formal, shiny fabric. That’s why they are easy to dress up for fancier occasions like you saw in this ensemble. But I can absolutely dress them down and here’s how I do it.

I like to add a button down shirt of sorts because the stiffness and strictness of the shirt contrasts well with the flow-y softness of the pants. Also, I quite like the unexpected pairing of modern classic pieces with uber on-trend items. The top half of me looks classic in an Ann Fontaine shirt with pearls, while the bottom half is fashion forward in harem pants.

I have used a black camisole because it accentuates the shirt detailing, and because it creates a unbroken line underneath the shirt. I could have tucked in the shirt, but prefer the vibe relaxed and un-tucked. I finish off the look with flat sandals or ballet fats. These happen to be the $40 sandals from Macy’s that I put into the store.

For an even more casual look, I like to throw on my denim jacket and add a cross body bag. I’m a woven blouse or button down shirt gal so that’s my preference for under the jacket. Alternatively, substituting those with a knit top or T-shirt works just as well and further dresses down the pants.

Sure, pearls are dressy no matter how you look at it. But I wear pearls with Converse sneakers and that’s “my casual”. I painted our door frame with pearls around my neck. Enough said.

First shoulder pads, then padded bras, and now bottom pads. What’s next on the list of things to boost and lift with the help of a pad? This underwear has padding to enhance the shape of your bottom so that it looks rounder and fuller in clothing. In other words, it boosts your butt.

I’m not interested in making my bottom more round, so I don’t plan to add a butt booster to my underwear drawer. But I am curious to know what it’s like to walk, stand and sit when you are wearing one. Surely it must feel odd. Then again, you might get used it. You can’t feel padded bras or shoulder padding so perhaps that holds true for bum pads too.

Would you enhance the shape of your bottom with a butt booster?