Do You Have a Uniform?

Steve Jobs had his black turtleneck and blue jeans. Sofia Coppola likes button-down blouses and ballet flats. Michael Kors prefers black T-shirts and white jeans.

A few years ago, I decided to adopt somewhat of a uniform so I could wake up in the morning and focus on what I had to get done for the day without ever having to think about what I was going to wear. My uniform: a white Oxford button-down, dark Levi’s jeans, and Jack Purcell sneakers.

I own eight of the same white Oxford shirts, five pairs of the same Levi’s jeans, and always have two pairs of Jack Purcells in my closet. Shopping is easy, because I wear pretty much the same thing every day, and ever since I decided to slowly adopt a uniform, I’ve been noticing that the amount of money I spend on clothes has dropped significantly (the Oxford shirts are $30 each, and they don’t need to be replaced too often).

Sometimes, when I’m wearing this adopted uniform, people will still compliment me. “You look nice!” they’ll say. “Oh, thank you,” I’ll respond, relieved that I chose the right things to wear consistently.

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