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One Dress! Could You?

Deborah

Veteran

Hi Fabbers,

I came across this very stylish lady on Pinterest:) Her name is Michelle Oka Doner and she is an artist.

I noted that I seemed to be seeing her in the same dress but different colours and did some research.

Apparently she bought this dress in 1987 and has had it made in a variety of colour and fabrics. I believe she does have other things in her wardrobe, but according to what I read this dress is the key item in her wardrobe and she wears them all the time.

I was struck by the beauty of Michelle, and her dress. I was thinking I would love to take a picture to my dressmaker and see if she could could copy the dress... and then I started to wonder if I could have one item that I loved so much and felt reflected who I am, would I be happy to simply wear different versions (colours / tones) all the time. I think I might?!?

How about you?

xxx Deborah

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61 replies

Latest reply was from mrseccentric

rachylou

Veteran

My grandma did that. And I must say a lotta my dresses have the same silhouette. Btw... Love that dress of hers!

abc

Veteran

I don't think I could. I need variety in my wardrobe. It almost seems like a way of taking the thought out of dressing like a nuns uniform or something?

Sal

Veteran

Interesting. She looks stylish....and I can see that by taking the thought and energy out of what to wear you can put these creative juices into other things.

Whilst I get that I don't see myself doing it, or not long term. I enjoy mixing things up, trying new items, and whilst as I get older my perspective may change, I doubt a uniform would feel like me. However I rarely duplicate, wear a bit of an inconsistent style. I could see a couple of friends enjoying this though!

Brooklyn

Veteran

Definitely not for me. I admire her because of it though. Definitely would free up a lot of mental space for other things.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

Talk about a signature style! She looks amazing. I would love to see you adopt this dress.

But no, I could not wear just one dress. As someone who wears the same thing to work (white button down shirt, black pants, black apron) I need variety to counter the monotony of my uniform.

Bijou

Veteran

For me, variety is the spice of life and I like my clothes to reflect that. I would be terrible at picking what "the one dress" would be, and can imagine me changing my mind within the first week of starting such an endeavour. I do admire the elegance of this dress though and think it would look amazing on you Deborah.

shedev

Veteran

I don't think I could.

Summer

Veteran

Michelle is very beautiful, and she looks extremely self-assured in her signature dress style. I've noticed that some women in the public eye also adopt this strategy - Angela Merkel and the late Margaret Thatcher come to mind with their preferred jacket styles made up in numerous different colours.
I can see the benefit of this, especially if a particular garment is difficult to fit - for me that would definitely be dresses - and I do tend to stick with a few tried and tested silhouettes, but I think I would tire of wearing exactly the same style all the time

Astrid

Veteran

I'm not sure. The idea sounds tempting, but I don't think I ever had a piece of clothing so far which I loved enough to make something like this work.

ETA
It's a fantastic uniform btw. Much better than jeans and a black turtleneck or white tee. If I would need to pick I'd definitely choose a dress too.

Helen11

Veteran

It's a very elegant dress. Deborah , I think you should try it, if your dressmaker is willing to copy it.
I don't think I could wear just one style all the time, though I have a basic mock-wrap dress I love and would love to have a couple more in different colours. I haven't even enquired about a dressmaker copying the pattern, I assumed it would be too expensive.
I wore a uniform through school , so I appreciate it makes for easy decisions each day. But even the nuns ( here, at least) don't seem to dress in a uniform any more!
Be sure to show us if you do get a dress made up : )

MrsK

I definitely couldn't do it. I love variety too much and I think one item type wouldn't work for all the different activities in my life.

On a related note though, my friend from college is 2/3 through a year of wearing the exact same dress every day as a challenge to herself. She's a writer in Edmonton, Canada and has a blog about it, which is really good.

http://frockaroundtheclock.tumblr.com/

Suz

(website)

Veteran

What a beautiful, elegant dress, and what a stylish woman!

I can really see you in this dress, Deborah -- or something similar. It fits right into your aesthetic and would be useful.

Wearing the same dress in different colours would be a twist on your approach of wearing different (but aesthetically consistent) items in (mostly) one colour (in your case, black). It is a different way of embodying drama and simplicity. And it has the advantage of allowing one to play with flattering colours, which for some people can give a greater feeling of variety than switching up the silhouette.

I also see the appeal of this kind of dressing. It combines the "uniform" and the "signature item" all in one. Talk about making life simple!

I love the way it sends a very clear message about who she is and how she wants to appear.

A huge part of me is attracted by this wardrobe strategy. Not necessarily "one dress" -- but a part of me would love to head in the direction of a uniform. The trouble is, I can't settle on what that uniform might be. Maybe because my roles in life are so varied? I do think that is part of my dilemma. My varied climate also plays a role.

This dress looks exceptionally versatile. And yet I wouldn't feel comfortable in it in many of the situations I encounter. The pub literary reading, the school run, the meeting with a student (or even the university classroom -- it would come across as ostentatious in that setting). It would also feel like "too much" for my work-at-home days. It obviously wouldn't work for fitness or gardening or snow shovelling or skating with my daughter or visiting my friend who lives on a farm; perhaps it's not fair to expect any uniform to do that. But those are a big part of my life.

I think this may be why a strictly limited colour palette (vs. a strictly limited silhouette) is the way most people go when they choose a uniform. At least then you can still choose the level of formality you need. And the clothes can be functional for what you are doing.

Lyn D.

Veteran

It looks like a great dress for your style Deborah!
I will take all your beautiful jackets you will no longer need too

Deborah

Veteran

Mrs K I was reading your friends blog today!!!

Deborah

Veteran

Quick thinking LynD;)

Suz, the big question is how suitable it would be for various occasions as you say. The need to be appropriate, and in a sense assimilate to the various settings of our life. And of course she is an artist and probably moves in circles where her choice is appropriate and eccentricities are expected?

Suz

(website)

Veteran

To tell the truth, I was wondering what kind of an artist she is. Because -- well -- she can't be wearing this dress to make art! Unless she covers it with a big old smock.

I think this is more of a "self-presentation" dress. Not a "doing" dress, but a "showing" dress.

If I choose a uniform it would have to be a practical one. I care about the impression and outward presentation, but I care more about how clothes work for my life.

I enjoyed looking at Liz Withey's blog, though -- and her dress (or rather, tunic) seemed even more versatile and wearable. I certainly couldn't do as she has done -- wear (literally) one dress for a year -- but the dress she chose would have been an easier style for me to conceive of wearing every day.

Stephanie

This is such a fun way to think about fashion - to be so comfortable with one's choice is certainly admirable. As someone who is still on her style journey and not yet sure of a true uniform or signature, I certainly couldn't choose one item and wear it all the time, but that's only because I don't know my style well enough just yet. Ultimately, if you find something you feel and look fabulous in and feel it is an embodiment of your personality and style, why NOT just wear it all the time? I really enjoyed everyone's comments on this thread. And PS - I could totally see you wearing something like this.

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

There was a thread on lessons learned a month or so ago and one that came up on a few lists was not to duplicated an item in multiple colors because most people default to the favorite. I am not sure if that would apply in such an extreme version of duplicates but it was my first thought.

I do love the dress and it looks beautiful on the wearer. I can see you wearing it well Deborah and also working with your style. One question that came to mind was how this would work with the changing seasons and weather.

Staysfit

Veteran

I have read about her before. I'm not sure where? There have also been articles about people wearing the same outfit every day, etc. I love the idea of a distinct signature style. I can see something like this still allowing variety because you can change up the shoes, or wear a fabulous necklace, bangle, earrings, or just keep it simple.

I say I like variety, but the truth is I tend to wear the same silhouettes repeatedly. Finding the best personal version of a silhouette and duplicating it in several colors is appealing. Lifestyle would dictate ones ability to do this. it seems that to wear one dress you would need to review your climate and lifestyle and see if you could adapt it to all the situations you would encounter. I think you could wear this dress with a smock over it to keep it clean, with leggings and a silk shirt underneath to stay warm in the winter, etc. It looks like it could fit into most situations, although, I'm not sure I would wear it on a hot summer day to my sons soccer practice (for example).

I think this particular dress looks like your style. I would love to see how it looks on you. It is simple, sophisticated and beautiful.

Word Lily

Veteran

It's a beautiful dress!

I've worn the same silhouette each day for years. I'm branching out a little bit right now, but I don't think it's necessarily a reach. Maybe she wears it when she goes out, but has other clothes for when she's working around the house or making art, for instance.

I'm guessing you could have the dress made in different fabrics to assist with a changing climate?

Anonymous

It's an interesting dress - looks better in some colours/ photos than others though. (the ivory version looks a little "homemade" to me ) I am sure her lifestyle supports this type of uniform and it definitely has an artist vibe to it. I can picture her wafting around big old high -ceilinged European art galleries in it and looking incredibly chic:) I could very easily imagine adopting this philosophy of dress if my life style supported it.

SarahTheWhite

Veteran

Wow, I love how she looks in this dress SO much! This is a very interesting question. I couldn't see wearing the same item this consistently across a span of years, but if I did find something so perfectly iconic to my style, I could see duplicating it to keep and use sparingly over the course of my life. I can definitely imagine falling in love with something that was perfectly "me" and wanting to incorporate the look in some manner forever. I think it would just come down to frequency of wear.

retailgirl

Veteran

That dress is amazing and looks good on her. I could do the dress but I'd need variety! I was never pregnant but I always thought that if I were, I'd have dresses in black, navy, red, ivory, gray and maybe one other color ( all the same style) and use accessories to change them up. Ina Garten wears the same shirt, I read somewhere she has them made. The collar frames her face and is flattering to her.

shiny

Veteran

YES, I absolutely could do this!!! Maybe not that dress, but I have one or two dresses I consider "power" dresses, because I always feel fantastic in them, and they are simple enough I can dress up / down / make them different with accessories so that I look different each time. I have duplicated these dresses already, in different colors. Honestly if the house caught on fire, these would be the items from my closet I'd grab... or would immediately turn around and replace.

Hoping my new MM LaFluer dresses fall into this category -- but I haven't been able to test drive them yet.

Carole

Veteran

Simple and elegant. A uniform that would cover every event in life would seem impossible, but evidently not. It seems this would free up so much time and energy for creativity...it makes sense! I'm curious about her..where she lives, what she does...very intrigued.

Peri

Veteran

I think I would love to find a dress that worked for me, and that if I did I would love to just copy it in different colors and fabrics and be done. Dresses are the worst for me.

But I couldn't do that one...or anything as distinctive. No matter what color it is, it does still look like the same dress. It is obvious in pictures, so imagine what the people in her life who see her all the time think about it. Im sure it is accepted in part because it is gorgeous and she is gorgeous, but also in huge part because artists are allowed and expected to be eccentric. Her dress is a piece of art. I don't think it would be as easy for the rest of us.

Another eccentric artist (musician) example...Satie had 12 identical gray suits made. He would wear each one until it wore out and then toss it start with a new one. I guess he didn't like to shop!

kkards

Veteran

i couldn't do this, but i do understand….after all i eat the same thing for breakfast almost everyday, and a variation of the same thing for lunch, Monday-Friday….it's just not that important to me that i want to have to think about/make a decision about….

Anonymous

I honestly could. I love the idea of a signature silhouette. In fact, if I review my wardrobe through time, I often wore the same silhouette because it was flattering, comfortable, and suited my personality.

For example, I wear sheath dresses. The sheath might have short sleeves, long sleeves, or no sleeves, but the length and fit are always the same. I usually try to buy them in silk because I love the way the fabric moves against my skin. Sheath dresses are a signature.

I could veer away from that signature, but I am never as happy or as comfortable. I don't understand spending a lot of money on something that is just not me. Sure it adds variety, but at the expense of an inner serenity.

Thistle

Veteran

Not a dress, no, not in my climate. Straight leg trousers and v-neck sweater/tee? Yup.

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