Contemplating the uniform

I’m going to preface this with a warning that this post might not be very coherent, as its basically a brain dump of some things I’ve been thinking about for a while now.

I’m inexplicably drawn to the idea of a uniform; consistency is definitely something I aspire to in my personal style. It’s certainly something that I admire in other people, as it suggests confidence and self knowledge to me. Imagine being so satisfied with your look that you’re happy to repeat it every day? I also admire the ability to reject the superfluous, we are constantly bombarded with images, trends, new looks, latest must haves etc and I think it must take great willpower and discipline to be able to remain true to your look.

Here’s where I struggle with the concept, I’m a multi faceted person with lots of different aspects to my life, so it stands to reason that my clothes will reflect this. I can’t imagine one outfit that could work for every situation I find myself in, that would be appropriate for both the office and weekends. So for me I think the idea of a uniform is not about a mythical ‘perfect’ outfit that will work for every situation because in reality it won’t work for me, there has to be some flexibility there. Not many people can have a 100% focused, consistent and singular style because different situations and occasions require different types of outfits.

However, I think what’s important is to have some sort of common theme echoed in each outfit, so that there is a feeling of overall consistency, cohesiveness and uniformity. The common themes that I’m attracted to are clean lines, understatement, classics done in a modern way, a neutral, muted colour palette (grey/blue/white), masculinity with a hint of gamine, and a slouchy/sleek contrast. These themes can be reflected and interpreted in a number of different ways, and can be adapted for both casual and formal situations.

What I want to achieve is a uniformity of style, a feeling of consistency and cohesiveness.