We all have clothes we can put on in seconds and be out the door in a flash. Getting dressed is easy, but…
Putting together an outfit you love and feel great wearing…well…that’s often a different story. The fact that this process isn’t always simple is also why you might find yourself defaulting too often to workout clothes or jeans and a t-shirt day after day. Those options are both simple AND easy.
The problem is that wearing your workout clothes all day every day can get tiresome and rarely feeds your soul or makes you smile, right?
Here are some of the things I hear from women about their wardrobe frustrations:
- I try to dress to not look frumpy, but I’m not always successful.
- I feel like my wardrobe lacks personality!
- How do I make my wardrobe express my authentic self?
- I have tons of clothing and nothing to wear!
All of those concerns are important and they all figure into the one we’re going address today:
What’s an easy way to look put-together and polished every day?
If you’ve ever stared in your closet when you need to get dressed and thought, ‘There has to be a better way,’ the good news is…there IS a better way.
You can create a daily uniform!
Once you’ve done it, the payoff is great and will save you time, money and aggravation for months and months to come. And, if getting dressed quickly so you also feel good in what you’re wearing is important to you, this is a great solution.
There’s another big payoff to creating a daily uniform and that is that once you get a formula down you can add to your uniform collection whenever you want to.
Follow these two steps to create YOUR daily uniform.
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1: Analyze Your Favorite Outfit
There’s a reason you choose to wear what you wear now and the elements of an outfit that make it your current ‘go-to’ outfit are important to evaluate and include in your daily uniform.
The easiest way to do this is to keep a pad of paper on your dresser. Then, for the next 7-10 days, every time you get dressed briefly analyze your outfit:
- Take 10 seconds to look at what you’re wearing.
- Write down everything about it that you like.
That’s it!
To help inspire you, here are some things to consider. Maybe you like the outfit because:
- The color (name the color__________) is ___________ flattering/pretty/versatile/other.
- It’s comfortable and/or soft.
- It highlights (name part of body).
- You like how it fits your body and write down more about the fit.
- It hides dirt (this is a real thing!).
- The neckline, sleeves, or some other aspect of the design makes you happy.
- It’s easy to care for.
- It keeps you warm or cool or both.
- It’s appropriate for your lifestyle.
- Your favorite accessory ___________ (earrings/necklace/scarf) goes with every repetition of your daily uniform.
- The texture is interesting so the outfit doesn’t feel boring.
- Other ________________________________
Once you’ve done this for 7-10 days, go back and look at your notes. See where there is overlap. You might find that there’s a particular color theme or a specific neckline you love, etc. These are important observations.
Write those things down. It might look something like this:
- My favorite colors are: navy, white and pink
- The fabric I enjoy most often is: cotton with spandex or _________________
- My favorite outfits show off my __________ (ex: curvy legs in my favorite jeans)
- Who knew that I mostly wear ¾ sleeves and love cozy cardigans in pretty colors!
Of course, you might also notice that there are things that you’ve been wearing where you are settling for something that doesn’t make you happy. Like worn out shoes, shapeless t-shirts that have seen better days or a color that makes you feel blah. Obviously, those things won’t make it on your daily uniform go-to list, but it also gives you information about what you want to change!
If your first thought is…I don’t have a favorite outfit…don’t despair. You’ll still get valuable information as you analyze what you tend to wear every day.
Here’s a before and after possible daily uniform example from Pam.
Pam wanted an outfit that was easy to toss on and was comfortable. But she noticed that the colors made her feel blah and the cardigan was too long and droopy. When she wore jeans that fit her better and a top that was a gorgeous color, was a great length, was comfortable and looked beautiful on her curves, she realized she could repeat this look with ease. She’d feel great in it even if she didn’t feel like adding accessories.
Pam also knew that she could easily add a cardigan over the top and that this navy and white cardigan could work over many solid-colored tops making it a versatile item for her daily uniform. Even over a simple white t-shirt it would elevate the look, still be comfortable and feel fun!
2: Keep It Simple
The purpose of a uniform is to be able duplicate it with ease. There’s nothing wrong with creating more involved outfits, but if you are rushed in the morning, complicated outfits can take more time to pull together and you’re more likely to ignore them in favor of something you can put on quickly.
Let’s look at Diane’s outfit that could be a repeated daily uniform for her.
This outfit is a gorgeous color on her and it fits perfectly. She can toss on a different scarf each day and she could repeat the uniform by choosing the same style but different colors. Or she can wear jeans and just change the vest color. Simple, flattering, comfortable and easy!
That’s the beauty of a daily uniform – the simplicity allows you to wear it as-is OR play with it when you want to (or have time to) by adding a different top, accessorizing it differently or changing shoes.
By following these steps, it helps you easily select what you’ll wear each day with intention rather than by default. Once you’ve done the exercise above, here are some guidelines that will help you narrow it down.
- Solid colors are most versatile.
- While you can have an entire assortment of daily uniforms in neutral colors, those pops of color are part of what add visual interest and joy to an outfit and make you sparkle even in a super casual outfit.
- Good fit is important (refer to Pam’s photos to see the difference).
- Be sure you meet your needs for layers if you tend to run hot or cold and need to add or remove layers periodically. The last thing you want to do is create a pretty basic daily uniform and then obliterate the beauty of the outfit by haphazardly tossing something over it. Whether you prefer to wear a cardigan, blazer, denim jacket or even a kimono, plan this as part of your daily uniform if it’s something you wear often.
Your daily uniform is dictated by what you do most days. Whether you are working from home or an office, home schooling your children, running errands, or any combination of the above or something else entirely, your daily uniform needs to fit your daily personal needs.
Take the first step towards dressing with more ease:
Write down the top 2 steps you’re going to do to get started creating YOUR daily uniform:
- _______________________ By when: ______________________
- _______________________ By when: ______________________
If you’re thinking that you don’t have time to do the steps above, think about all the time you spend trying to decide what to wear or trying on multiple outfits before settling on one or the mental energy you expend feeling frustrated by your clothes. The time spent creating your perfect daily uniform will make that wasted time a thing of the past!
GINGER BURR
I’m Ginger Burr, founder of Total Image Consultants (www.totalimageconsultants.com), with a passion for empowering women to feel amazing about how they look! After more than 30 years of working with women and experiencing my own transformation prior to that (read more about this on my website (with pictures!), I’m well-acquainted both with the frustration that accompanies having a wardrobe you don’t love and the delight that comes with recognizing and embracing your own personal style.
If every morning you think, “I hope people will forget what I’m wearing,” it’s time for a change. In the beginning I couldn’t do it alone and you do not have to either. As one client said to me, “I’m tired of expending mental energy trying to figure out what to wear. It’s exhausting.” I can help you redirect that energy to create a wardrobe that makes your heart sing.
It’s a different journey for each person. That’s why I have many ways of supporting you from my book, ‘That’s So You! Create a Look You Love with Beauty, Style & Grace’ to my signature live online class, ‘Create Your Personal Style in 6 Weeks’ to working privately one-on-one with me. In each case, the basic elements are the same and you learn to dress with confidence without shedding pounds, sacrificing comfort or compromising who you are.
I am a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and a speaker and leader in the field of fashion and style. My experience and understanding of beauty trends and fashion has been celebrated by Allure Magazine, Fox TV News, The Boston Globe, MORE Magazine.com, cnn.com, Bloomberg Business Week, Forbes Magazine, and Worth Magazine and I have presented corporate seminars for some of the world’s most prestigious organizations including Harvard Business School, the U.S. Army and Unilever.
Above all, I have a heartfelt belief that whether you are 25 or 85, you deserve to feel radiant and pulled-together every time you get dressed. No matter where you live, what your lifestyle is like or how old you are, I delight in working with women who long to connect with their inner essence to create a wardrobe they love.
