I’m with @Tulle in admiring those women who have a very consistent look and don’t dither around trying on (and buying!) clothes that are perfectly suited to someone else.

You seem like somebody who has found what works. The consistency of what you wear showcases it. There is nothing boring about what you wear: it is bold and has a lot of colour variety. But yes, I noticed that you are always wearing a scarf, always a jacket, and always trousers. But this combination of items itself stands out: most people, at least where I live, don’t wear such a dressy combination. So your uniform is very unique. So it is not an “anonymous” uniform of jeans and a tshirt. It looks considered.

Katerina- first I have to apologize- every time I post to your site I have to catch myself on the spelling of your name. One of my daughter’s friends growing up was Katrina so frequently having a kid at your house -the name sticks in the brain. I obviously did not catch myself on this post. You have a lovely name and I promise to try better at catching myself......I wish I could be optimistic on this point-lol

Thank you for this post. This has been a terrific thread and folks have really responded to that article in insightful ways. It really opens my eyes as to how people can read the same article and yet take away something different. It gets me to think and grow as a person and prevents me from becoming too rigid in my thinking and opinions.
I think SarahD8’s post was very interesting and insightful as to us posters so wanted to give her a shout out too. We all see the same pictures but we all have our own takes on them. And that’s not even getting to the point of how we perceive ourselves.Fascinating.
Thanks again K

My take on the article - one should not try to be chic by only wearing a uniform of classic pieces. Find your own style and not limit oneself by rules. I for one, try the opposite. I found that I had a wardrobe of just lovely pieces without style or direction. I am tempted by too many things. So, I studied uniform way of dressing. My winter uniform consists of straight pants and high neck/crue neck sweaters, one white shirt. These are my essential items. I do feel bored with it sometimes. I added a few cardigans and a fitted blazer. I don’t wear them often but they give a bit of the variety. I now feel more in control, I know how to manage my capsule and not to feel overwhelmed when shopping. The problem with uniform dressing is not that it is boring for a wearer. It is about fear of being persived as a boring person by others who might judge us. I think it takes a strong sense of style to find what works for you and stick to it, not be tempted by constant offering of new “must haves” and not be afraid of being judged. For me, experimenting is fine, updating my wardrobe is great but the hardest part is finding myself and staying true. Hence, I strive to find and stick to my “uniform “ and greatly admire those who do, like you

@Irina—I do wear a uniform a lot of the time, and I do not feel judged by others...mostly I feel my outfit is invisible when the repetition goes on for too long—so the opposite of being judged.

@smittie May be judged is too strong of the word? I have a friend who has a very definitive style and wears a uniform with a limited color palette. Sometimes she wonders if people assume she wears the same outfit over and over. And the subtle differences in textures and details are only visible to her. I reassure her that it is her style and she should not worry.

Off to work with a client so I'll be brief, Katerina:

• YES, you have extremely successful "uniforms" that you wear with panache and verve.

• If it's not broken - don't fix it.

• These types of uniforms form part of a signature style.

• Signature styles are NOT style ruts. No need to change up a "uniform" unless YOU are bored with it.

To me you have more of a "formula" than "uniform". In my mind a uniform is the same outfit every day, but you have similar combinations but they are in no way the same every day. I'll echo a lot of others here and say it's working for you, you like it, why change it.

To me, a "uniform dresser" implies someone who doesn't want to be bothered with fashion. Either through disinterest or they feel too busy to have to make any more decisions (the article's author sites Obama as an example of this). There is an exception to this and that is fashion designers. Some designers have the same black jeans and black turtleneck outfit, every day. That's intentional because they want all of their creativity to go towards designing rather than creating their own outfits.

I think none of us at YLF fit this category. We are all interested in fashion and enjoy spending time on it. Rather than fashion being a stressor, style energizes us.

I agree with the other commenter who describes you as having a signature style rather than a uniform.

Smittie, thank you for the looking and for the comments. You have really boosted my confidence.

Efbgen, don’t worry about it! Besides, it is basically the same name. Thank you for all the insightful comments, it is a pleasure to have met you here!

Irina, thank you for the interesting post. I know what you mean. Unfortunately, we are often too concerned about what other people might think of us - I think it’s common. I am getting better at not doing it, but it takes training for me still.

Angie, thank you very much for the explanation and for your advice. I am grateful for your help!

Robin F, thank you for looking and for the wise comment.

CocoLion, thank you for the interesting analysis! You are right, if we define “uniform dressing” in this way, none of us on YLF would actually fit the concept.

SarahDB, thank you for posting the article. I read it much the way you did. She pokes at uniform dressing but I don't think her real complaint is with individuals who choose to dress in a fairly consistent set of items. Her real complaint is with those who assume that fashion maximalists are necessarily more frivolous and less virtuous.

I tend more toward the "signature" style camp myself but I can sympathize with her frustration at being viewed as silly just because she cares about her outfit.

That is a very interesting point about the comments on your outfits. I will have to go back to them to see if I can identify any patterns about that.

I just read the article. My take on it is similar to what Suz has said. I thought it was interesting what she said about criticizing interest in fashion but not football. I have actually used a similar argument with someone who said something to me about my interest in fashion.

I agree. I too dislike when people critisize interest in fashion. I too use that kind of argument - but compare also to gardening, cooking, wines and other interests which IMO are generelly more accepted. IMO, however, the article is unnuanced in its critique of uniform dressing and mainly in describing the motives why people choose to dress in ”uniforms”. There are many reasons to do it. Many uniform dressers love fashion, style, and their uniforms are a result of careful consideration and choices. I admire great style in whichever form it may take - maximal, minimal, uniform... That is the beauty of fashion. Why, when making the point against the intolerance towards fashions maximalists dismiss the signature style of people (as she mentioned quite a few)? I don’t understand that.

Apologize for my English, I would be able to express it better in my mother tongue. Hope it’s ok.

I think the piece was meant as a counterargument to the near-universal love of uniform dressing. There are countless articles touting the benefits (both moral and practical) of a uniform-based wardrobe, and I think the author just didn’t bother to spell them out again.

Good discussion, everyone. I agree with you, Katerina - why ridicule an interest in fashion? Where does that get us?

I think that paying attention to the way one presents themself to the world is important - non-verbal cues matter.

I think it’s the intentionality that makes a difference. Intentionality - or not - is a clue to the person. Can a uniform carry that part of the conversation? Of course. Can a personal style reinforce that? Yep.

Am I silly to recognize the role that fashion plays in that? Why is admiring the art and beauty and role of fashion in culture less of a valid interest?

(BTW, am super impressed with the number of people on this site who are not posting in their first language. So glad that we have the opportunity to “meet” so many different people!!)

This has been a super interesting post to read. Sadly I don’t have time to read the article before commenting because I need to attend to my business, and it’s a holiday weekend. My first thought was why is “uniform” a pejorative? If we just look at how we work socially, we strive to fit it, be accepted, and make connections with others while maintaining our unique sense of self. A signature or uniform style is a sophisticated way to deal with the many complexities of this social web. Whether it’s a signature or uniform however, to me is simply a matter of semantics and degree. It’s all on a continuum and how does someone decide where to place the divide between signature style and uniform? Katerina, from everything I have seen you post, you have exquisite taste, and you certainly fall somewhere on this continuum. If you are happy with it than I would leave it at that.

I would echo the comment someone made about comments on the forum. The comments definitely can skew in a certain direction, because people want to be helpful, and your role is to use the comments based on your own judgment. Craft any questions you post to the forum carefully so the responses you get will be most useful to you, and meet your needs in making a decision.

@Staysfit: Yes it is semantics. Uniform, “a look” and “signature style” are the same thing. It’s just that “signature style” and “a look” have more positive connotations.

I actually have positive associations with the word “uniform” but for some, it does seem to imply a sameness in a bad way. It implies a lack of creativity, and something that is imposed upon you (by a corporation, or a state!) thus hindering your individualism and individual liberties.

“Signature style” implies choice or “intentionality” (as @ChrisM points out) and creativity.

I do in fact know why the word uniform carries the pejorative. IMO it’s not just it’s implocation of lack of creativity. We have seen a post on this forum of an article about woman who wore a uniform of the same very avante garde dress every single day. However, she had a tailor make multiple versions of this dress for her, so she had it in several colors, fabrics, and it therefore worked across seasons, etc. Maybe someone can find this article or post? She certainly had a uniform, and was creative, and I believe worked in the arts. However, to get back to my understanding of why uniform carries the pejorative. I bring up teenagers, especially those with sensory issues. Some of them will wear the same clothes every day. It’s a default uniform, but no one thinks of it as such. Their parents become distressed, their teachers often become worried, and their peers start to make negative comments. Their choice of uniform is not done in the same deliberate way as someone like Steve Jobs, or the woman described above, both of whom wore the same thing daily, but had a closet filled with the same items. These teens have only one version of their one outfit. I think this must be where the pejorative comes into play in our society where clothing has become so easy to obtain. Having variety, and wearing certain items confers status, and denotes class and rank. When someone dons a strict unchanging uniform, they remove our access to understand more about their place in society. That may be uncomfortable and even threatening to some people, thus revealing several layered reasons for the word uniform to be seen as pejorative.

This is a great discussion. I do think it's important to distinguish between "uniform dressing" and signature style. You can have a very consistent signature style without wearing a uniform, which I think is the case for many of us here on YLF.

I also think it's important to note that when people are talking about uniform dressing they're talking about a self-imposed uniform -- it's a choice. So, very different from soldiers/service workers/etc who are required to wear uniforms. I think part of what makes uniform dressing appealing to some (and unappealing to others) is that is a mark of a certain type of privilege -- the privilege of choice -- and may also communicate a high degree of self-discipline, a sense of being one's own boss. Depending on your upbringing and background, it may be very hard to understand why someone would choose to eliminate choice and variety from his or her wardrobe, or from life in general.

Katerina- You are both insightful on the subject matter as well as style savve in the implementation. Your written English is better than that of some Americans I know-LOL. I am mediocre in Spanish and considering my mother was French Canadian (refused to teach us French why I do not know) I know only basic words and phrases. I could not even attempt to post on a fashion website in either language but you do it well. (One of the short comings of education, I feel). My daughter on the other hand is fluent in many- a gift! And certainly fun to travel with.
This continues to be an awesome thread and such a fun read!Thank you!

Let's not forget that the author of the article was also going for humor. Although a sharp-tongued variety.

I appreciated her comments about sports vs. fashion as a hobby. Sports is venerated and a way males bond. When a male leader (political or business or otherwise) uses sports analogies it is seen as a strength. Imagine if we women went around talking about book ending or "pop of color" as metaphors for life. Such as "this ad campaign needs more life -- where is the pop of color?"

What a great discussion! I must admit I have previously not been reading much about uniform dressing and all the praise which it apparently got in various articles. This is why I was surprised by the tone of this one. It all makes more sense now....

CocoLion - that is a really good point! And so funny

Efbgen, thank you, you are very kind.