Saturday 8 August 2015

Do you have a uniform?

I'm not talking about work uniforms here. I'm asking whether you have a favourite go-to outfit such as jeans and a t-shirt, or a black cashmere sweater with a pencil skirt. An outfit that expresses who you are and that you always feel comfortable in when you're wearing it. Something that you throw on when you are in a hurry with the confidence that you know you'll look good.

In the days when I had to wear a school uniform, I always changed into jeans and a t-shirt as soon as I got home.  Yes, I've got a very good memory! In the workplace my style was smart casual, which meant that I wore trousers or trouser suits whenever possible. Now that I've retired, I wear jeans and long-sleeved tops during the winter months. Can you see a pattern emerging? Is this my "uniform"?

Of course it's different in summer, especially living here in Spain. My jeans and long-sleeved tops have been packed away and most days I wear sleeveless or short-sleeved tops with cropped trousers or long lightweight linen trousers.



When I posted the photo shown above on the 7 Steps to Style facebook group, Carole commented "It seems that you have settled on a "uniform" that suits you well." Thanks, Carole! The one thing I need to change in this outfit is the fact that I have a watch on one wrist and my fitbit on the other one. Next time I thrown on these clothes I'll wear the watch and fitbit on the same wrist. Regular readers won't be surprised to hear that, when I went out to meet friends for coffee, I added a red bag. I do love a pop of colour and my style recipe is "colourful casual chic with a little bit quirky and a Parisian influence", so the red Longchamp bag was an essential part of my outfit.

Although I have more or less settled on my uniform, sometimes I just fancy a change. With temperatures between 30 and 34 degrees Celsius at the moment (86 to 93 Fahrenheit) wearing a dress can be a tempting proposition. Dresses are slightly out of my comfort zone, but if we're meeting friends for a birthday lunch or an evening celebration I will pull one out of my wardrobe and I'm starting to enjoy wearing them, especially on a hot day. Maybe I can have a casual uniform and a slightly more dressed up uniform?

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Again this outfit won the approval of the other members of the group, with the only suggested change being a slightly longer necklace. I'm finding it quite enlightening taking photos of my outfits and getting feedback. When I assembled this outfit I was happy with my look, but I can see how it would be improved by changing the necklace.

What I'm finding is that, although I might be developing a couple of uniforms, I can express other sides of my personality and prevent boredom by using accessories to change the look.

Over to you: do you have a uniform or, like me, maybe a couple of uniforms to suit different occasions?