Uniform

Hi humans,

thank you for coming back!

I have written about this before, but since lockdown is slowly coming to an end and people are slowly going back to their offices, I’ve decide to share my thoughts again about having a work uniform.

When I refer to a work uniform, I am not referring to a mandatory work uniform as if you work in retail or in a warehouse. I am referring to people who choose to wear the same type of clothes to work everyday, for your reference think Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs.

The main reason why people do this is mainly to save previous brain energy to make more important decisions throughout the day. You have a certain amount of “brain energy” to make decisions, you need to be smart on how you spend it.

On todays post I want to show that, if you “wear a uniform”:

• you don’t have to be boring and only wear black/dark colours.
• you can wear different types of flat shoes, not just tennis.
• you can wear denim to work.
• you can save money, since you know exaclty the pieces you need to rotate throughout the week.

When I left University and was looking for a job, I was petrified that that meant I had to stop being me, and conform to the blob of “grey people working in offices” type of person. With time, with help of my sister and new friends I’ve made, I quickly catched up and discovered that I could still look professional and mature but keep my identity.

For this blog post I wore:

• 2 blazers, both bought on sale.
• 3 pairs of trousers. The violet jeans and the floral pants, bought on sale. The black pair, I can’ remember when/where I bought them, I have them for many years now.
• 3 pair of different shoes. Tennis shoes, bought 2nd hand on Ebay. The black heels were bought on sale, and the Melissas shoes I have them for more than 10 years. I’ve asked my friend to buy some pairs in Brazil, when he went to visit family.

Another objective about uniforms is to be super confortable, hence me wearing jeans or wearing different type of flat shoes.

People of the world, hear me out! You dont’ have to wear all black, you don’t have to wear black boring ballerinas or tennis shoes, every day of your lives either.

If your job allows you to wear denim, go for it. Personally, I draw the line with ripped jeans. Keep ripped jeans for your personal life and social events. For work if you have casual fridays for example, you can go for denim.

For confortable shoes, increase your scope. You can wear confortable shoes, without having to be black brogues or tennis shoes. Your shoes will have a huge impact on your look, you can elevate a look if you wear heels. As you can see on my photos I chose block heels as they give me more support.

If you wear the same clothes, but you wear tennis shoes, it will make you look younger (which for women sometimes it is not beneficial in the work place). The cool option in between is some nice ballerina flats or even kitten heels. Still low heel shoes, but elevates the look.

I would suggest you start with a simple base, ideally with no print or pattern. Easier option is white/beige, but you can try any other colours. I want to suggest people to keep it light at the top, as it will bring attention to your face, it will make you look younger, it will make you look modern and refreshed.

For trousers, and if you feel confortable, try different colours or even different patterns. If you find a model you like, I would suggest you buy 3 pairs all in different colours or patterns, so you can rotate them.

If you also keep your trouses game quiet, then you can risk it on the blazers. Again, avoid black. Think what colours you like or that match your skin colour. I have replaced my blazers last year and I bought 3 in one go. I have a red one, a navy blue and a beige. These are colours I like and since the blazers have no pattern they won’t overpower the looks. If you are more sassy, adventure yourself in choosing blazers with patterns. Currently I only have a fourth one, a leopard print blazer that was a hand-me-down I got 7 years ago.

And eventually when you start feeling more confident, you can add more creativity or glam to your look, by adding a nice scarf, a necklace, some earrings.

There are 2 additions I would suggest which are:

• buy a couple of jumpers for winter,
• buy a nice pair of neutral boots, that won’t clash with any of the looks so you can wear them everyday, for rainy days.

If you have this amount of pieces of clothing in your closet:

• 2/3 blazers,
• 2/3 shirts,
• 2/3 pairs of trousers,
• 2/3 jumpers,
• 1 pair of boots,
• 1 pair of heels,
• 1 pair of ballerinas
• and 1 pair of tennis shoes,

You will save money, since you know exactly the piecs of clothing uyou have and need for work.

You will save time in the morning getting ready. After a few days, getting dressed will be an automated task you will be able to accomplish in minutes.

You will look professional with no effort.

You will be confortable throughout your day.

I hope you like my suggestions. My name is Franca and this is personal!