Spin Off of Christian thread (but not religiously oriented) - YouLookFab Forum

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Spin Off of Christian thread (but not religiously oriented)

crwilson

Veteran

On the "How should Christians dress" thread, one person mentioned a woman who decided not to think about fashion anymore and just bought seven identical dresses that were flattering and wore a different (but same) dress everyday. Am I the only one who thought: "That would be absolutely great and make life a lot easier"? I think that I might be a uniform-dresser, or something. Am I completely alone? And, if that's how I feel, why in the heck am I so addicted to YLF?

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24 replies

Latest reply was from Niki Lea

RandomThoughts (Andrea)

Veteran

It would be easy but boooooooring, IMO. I mean it would force you to be much more creative with your accessorizing (with which I need desperate help) so it might be an interesting experiment. But after a while I'd have to quit that.

Steph

Veteran

I think you must be a uniform lover! My first thought was "well, if she was going to buy seven dresses, why not buy seven *different* dresses?!"

rosee

Veteran

I don't do that exactly but I am close -- I stick to basic shapes that work well for me in different fabrics, colors and patterns. I am also in a bit of a style rut right now, so variety would be better. I do believe in buying 2 or 3 of a really great item in different colors for good basics, but 7? 7 is a lot even for me. I think it works better in theory than in practice, but that's just me.

catgirl

Veteran

That's what I understand Katherine Hepburn did with trousers and shirts. It makes life simple, and if the clothes are elegant, there's your signature. But I don't think I could handle any more than I could eat the same thing every day (even Thai curry and Reese's!).

Queen Mum

Veteran

My first reaction was that I couldn't deal with wearing the same thing every day. I agree with Steph that if you're going to buy 7 dresses, why not buy a variety. I don't see how that would solve the problem of thinking about what to wear either, because unless you live in a climate where it is a constant 72 degrees every day of the year, you have weather to think about and thus jackets, cardigans, shoes.... you're still going to be thinking about what the most visually pleasing or interesting combinations are.

Maya

Veteran

http://www.theuniformproject.com/

Personally, I would not be able to do that. It seems to work well in the context of making a point, and it certainly does make one reconsider and rethink how much they "need." But my love of fashion has never really been about what I need...

Kristine

Veteran

Yes, I read once that Einstein had a closet full of identical clothes. I don't think that's actually true, but at the time I was frustrated by fashion and it sounded wonderful. I still think it sounds kind of nice. Fashion can be fun but sometimes I wish I could just concentrate on other things without thinking about what I'm going to wear.

Steph

Veteran

You know who this reminds me of? Ben Matlock. And Smurfette. (But even Smurfette had that one pink dress that hung with all the white ones in her closet.) Yes, I was a child in the '80s.

Marley

Veteran

BOR-ING!!!!

Isabel

Veteran

Steve Jobs does this ( the CEO of Apple). I saw him interviewed and he apparently has a bunch of the same jeans and a bunch of black turtlenecks. I also knew an elderly woman who had the same dress made with long-sleeves, short sleeves and different materials for the different seasons. She always looked good. I

Personally, I don't know. Though for years ago, I lived in black for almost 10 years. Fashion for me right now is really fun. I am a MOTG and help to take care of my sister, mom, and dad. So I don't get the chance to do alot of fun stuff. And since I have found this site, I have come to love dressing.

Diana

Veteran

I know several people who do something very similar to this (none are religious, incidentally) and they all do it so that they don't have to think about what they're wearing at all and yet they know that they always look decent. I think it requires a level of aesceticism and rigidity that I certainly do not have. I am far too easily bored for that! I have a very large and disorganized wardrobe and I LOVE that. I love having choices and being able to change up my style from day to day.

It's interesting to think about though - how having a sartorial "uniform" can become very much a part of who you are and/or how you are perceived (like the examples of Steve Jobs and Katherine Hepburn above).

rae

(website)

Veteran

Eh, I like having to think about it. Clothes are one of my favorite hobbies now; I don't want that taken away. However, if one is just disinterested, then it makes sense.

Elly

Veteran

I think I would be unhappy, mostly because I live a pretty varied life and I don't think that even in a great sheath or something I would be comfortable and happy in every one of my regular activities. However, I am one of those people that could wear the same 7-10 outfits every week. Honestly-- I usually end up with between 7 to 10 tops and find a jacket I like with each out of my 3-4 and end up wearing one of those combos at least 5 days a week, sometimes more. For me, ideally I like to find "perfect" outfits that just look and feel great down to the accessories and then wear the heck out of them. My only concern would be others noticing. While I realize that that is pretty rare, I once gave someone I only see once a week the impression that I never washed my jeans/clothes because I accidentally showed up to our meeting three weeks in a row in the same exact outfit because it was my go-to for the activity I had following our meeting.

elpgal

Veteran

*raises hand* I think it would be absolutely wonderful.

I did this for a year in college. I picked 7 different outfits and 2 pairs of sandals to wear to class and I wore them every week for an entire year. They were all 'salwaar-kameez' made of cotton or silk and block-printed with natural dyes. It was great! I felt self-conscious at first and it invited a lot of comments but everything was fine and dandy in a few weeks.

I had separate clothes for lounging and sleeping though.

Louise

Veteran

Nooooo I'd get so bored x

Polly (thunalata)

Veteran

Years ago I used to be so envious of men who had the option of wearing suits, shirts, ties and formal shoes. If you buy top quality of the first and last of those they can last for decades with careful use. Also the fit from makers seems to remain pretty constant so you could have the 'same' suit in different fabrications. Bliss, it seemed to me then.

Then I discovered YLF and the joys of fashion and style and I am no longer envious, so this now fills me with horror!

There was one French composer at the beginning of the twentieth century who had six identical grey velvet suits. On one occasion he was invited out at the last minute for dinner. He went home to change and came out in a marginally less shabby grey velvet suit than the one he had been wearing.

crwilson

Veteran

I thought I would be mostly alone, which only makes sense given the venue for my question.

I think that like many other things in my life, I enjoy the idea of fashion more than the actuality. I love talking about fashion; I love looking at pictures; I love looking (and feeling) good because of my wardrobe choices. At the same time, I find shopping enormously frustrating, I don't truly enjoy putting outfits together in new and different ways (or even the same way), and I find getting dressed in the morning one of the most frustrating parts of my day, even two years into YLF. If clothes could magically appear in outfits in my closet, I think I would be more than happy to wear them, as long as they were comfortable and matched my personal tastes.

It's funny - when I posted this question, I was specifically thinking about my summer casual wardrobe, when I'd be home most of the time. When I saw the link Maya posted about the uniform project, I started thinking...hey, maybe I could do this for work too.

I would want to dress up for different occasions, but the idea of having a general, everyday uniform for most of the time....it sounds like a lot less stress. I'm in a weird position, I think, insofar as I do care about how I look and present myself, but I don't have as much fun actually getting dressed or putting things together. Mostly, I like it when my closet has a number of different items that all look fine, meet my daily requirements, and can be put on quickly, easily, and with the least amount of thought. I'm like a foodie who wants the quality of carefully prepared meals at home but wants to be able to pick them up at a drive through. (Which is a funny analogy in some ways, since I despise fast food.)

lynne

Veteran

You're not alone. I enjoy fashion and the variety and self expression, but sometimes I just want to not think about it at all. Just laziness. Like you, its especially casual summer dressing. There have been times that I'll wear the same thing clothes for days and only change when they get stinky. (Don't tell anyone)

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

Can my uniform be "AWESOME"?

Cilleena

Veteran

I'm with you, CRWilson. I enjoy the "idea" of a fantastic wardrobe way more than actually shopping for it and putting it together. I don't think I could stand wearing the exact same dress every day, but I do like a "uniform" or "formula" that makes getting dressed easier. I get very frustrated standing in my closet some nights because I'm trying to put together something cute and I miss my jeans, tee and hoodie days. I need to take pictures so that I can remember some of the inspiration I get from YLF.

Heather

Veteran

I have a friend who always wishes she had a uniform for simplicity.

I would be so annoyed to wear the same thing everyday. Stale City!

Kari

Veteran

I would get bored in a hurry!

MsMary

Veteran

lyn*, I think your uniform is already "AWESOME!"

Actually, men have been wearing uniforms for years. What do you think a business suit is, if not a uniform? It allows for a moderate amount of creativity and self-expression but takes most of the angst out of getting dressed in the morning.

Niki Lea

Veteran

Oh my gosh, I would love to wear a uniform everyday! Sad, but true. I really struggle with fashion, even when I have guidelines and rules to stick to. So if I had one or two signature looks I wore all the time, I'd be in heaven. I like to look nice, but I don't enjoy trying to put it all together.