Choosing a signature style and creating a more minimalist capsule wardrobe can simplify your life. In this article I explore reasons why wearing a personal daily uniform can make your life easier and some tips on how you can define and create your own personal daily uniform too (plus a free checklist too!).
WHAT IS A PERSONAL DAILY UNIFORM
A personal daily uniform is a set of clothes that you enjoy wearing, feel comfortable in and represents your unique style.
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy although it could be if you want it to be! It’s just a set of clothes, usually in a theme of style and colour, that you go to every day.
For example, my personal daily uniform consists of a t-shirt or top, jeans, boots and a sweater or sweatshirt over the top. I might not win any fashion prizes but this combination makes me feel confident, happy and ready for anything.
It’s a combination of pieces that I love to wear and feel good in, every day.
I love my clothes, enjoy adding to my minimalist wardrobe and can easily add to or subtract from depending on the weather, the occasion and my changing mood and taste.
“I wear my sort of clothes to save me the trouble of deciding which clothes to wear.”
Katharine Hepburn
I’m not alone either in having a signature style. Many famous and successful people choose to wear variations on a theme every day. It allows them to be productive, efficient and get on with life, without depleting energy or time by deciding what to wear each and every day.
No matter whether you’re a fashionista or clothes just fulfil the basic necessities of life, a curated wardrobe reflecting your personal daily uniform is a great way to enjoy clothes and feeling good, without stress and hassle.
In this article we look at some of the benefits of creating your signature style and some tips on how you can get started for yourself. There’s a free Wardrobe Declutter Checklist you can get too!
REASONS WHY A PERSONAL DAILY UNIFORM CAN SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE
Let’s begin by looking at some of the reasons why a personal daily uniform can simplify your life.
1. Saves time
Defining your signature style and building a capsule wardrobe around it means that you’ll often have a smaller, more streamlined and clutter-free closet. As I’m not sifting through so many clothes and I know everything I do have in my wardrobe or drawers are pieces that I like to wear, it takes less time to choose what to wear.
A personal daily uniform saves time getting dressed each morning which means I have more time for other things. This is especially useful for my own morning routine when I’m juggling kids, work and myself before heading out of the door for the day!
2. Fewer decisions
With fewer clothes and outfit options, I have less decisions to make. Some sources suggest that the average person makes about 35,000 choices per day and one of those first decisions is deciding what to wear each morning.
With so many decisions draining our energy and using brain power, decision fatigue can be a real problem. Wearing a personal daily uniform helps me as I have less decisions to make and frees up my mind for other things.
3. Saves money
When I had a larger, more cluttered wardrobe it was easy to add to it if my budget allowed. Just like clutter attracts clutter, I also found that clothes attracted more clothes. I wasn’t in the habit of making do or shopping my existing closet if I needed something for a special occasion. If I had the money, I’d just go out and buy something new. On occasions, I’d even buy something new even if I didn’t have the money.
Wearing a personal daily uniform helps me save money as I’m focused on intentionally curating a smaller wardrobe and keeping it small and manageable. No more mindless shopping trips and wasting money to clutter my wardrobes on a bored weekend.
4. Makes shopping easier
Not only did I find myself saving money and shopping more intentionally, but it was easier to shop too. Minimalism and a simplified life isn’t about never going shopping or spending money, but it is about shopping and spending with focus, intention and clarity.
Knowing my go-to style, colour and shape meant that I could focus on looking for these items. I’m much more able to block out and disregard anything that doesn’t fit my signature style and I don’t get tempted by seasonal trends or the bargain racks!
5. Increases versatility
When I had a larger wardrobe there were still quite a few times that I felt I had nothing to wear. Maybe I didn’t have the right outfit for the right occasion, or a pair of trousers that would match a top I’d just bought. Despite having plenty of clothes to wear, my wardrobe didn’t give me flexibility for different types of outfits or pieces that would co-ordinate well with each other.
In truth, I didn’t have a plan for what clothes I had in my wardrobe, let alone how they could all come together in a range of easy-to-wear, feel-good-to-wear outfits. A personal daily uniform changed all that because, armed with a clear idea of what colours, styles, shapes and textures I liked, everything goes with everything else and I have an extensive choice of outfits that co-ordinate with each other without too much thought, planning or effort from me.
6. Easy to accessorise
With my own personal daily uniform I tend to stick to neutral colours and simple shapes, plain without patterns. This is just what I feel most comfortable wearing but, of course, your signature style can be whatever you want it to be!
However, keeping the basic staples of my wardrobe simple means that it’s easy to choose accessories – bags, belts, scarfs, jewellery etc because everything goes with everything else. And, it’s amazing how changing just an accessory or two can change the complete feel and look of the outfit. This is really useful when you need to dress your outfit up or down quickly and easily!
7. Creates space
My personal daily uniform doesn’t include a set number of items which I swap around seasonally, but it does certainly take up far less space than my previous wardrobe. I have more space in my closet which means I can keep everything neat, tidy and organised. It’s easy to see what I have, there’s space for my clothes to hang and be folded without being squished and creased and I breathe a sigh of relief and joy when I open my closet doors each day! Space in my closet gives me space in my brain to actually enjoy choosing what to wear and presenting the best version of me to my day ahead!
8. Makes gift-giving easier
Sometimes I ask for clothes or accessories for Christmas or birthdays. This is a great way for loved ones to choose clutter-free, useful gifts for you. When your family and friends have a clear idea of what you enjoy to wear, it makes it much easier for them to choose a clothing gift and feel confident that you’ll take pleasure in wearing it.
9. Helps you feel good
When I wear something that I don’t feel good in, it knocks my confidence and makes me feel a little off. Perhaps that item is too tight, too frilly, too bold, too colourful, too boring, too stretchy, too scratchy. I might be self-conscious about my wobbly bits, pulling at the cuffs or neckline because they’re too tight or too low.
A personal daily uniform helps me weed out the clothes that I don’t like to wear and instead helps me feel confident, ready for the day ahead in a positive, motivated and upbeat way. I’d rather be focusing on what I want to do today instead of how uncomfortable my clothes feel!
HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONAL UNIFORM
So, now you know what a personal daily uniform is and, importantly, why it helps simplify your life, let’s see how you can create your own personal uniform.
Don’t forget to get your copy of the Wardrobe Declutter Checklist at the end of this article to help you more!
1. Assess your current clothes
Firstly, over the next week or two, make a note of what you end up wearing each day. Write it in your diary or take a selfie on your phone each day that you can look back on to remind you.
Assess the clothes in your closet now too and reflect on what’s in there. What clothes do you tend to reach for as you open your wardrobe, and why? What never sees the light of day?
If you get stuck or forget, try hanging the clothes up after you’ve worn them with the hangers facing the wrong way round. Over time, you’ll build up a picture of what you wear and what you don’t. And, if you’re anything like I was, I bet you wear just a tiny percentage of your wardrobe for most of the time!
2. Identify themes
When you have an idea of what clothes you tend to wear most often, can you identify a recurring theme? Do you always prefer plain over patterned? Tight or loose? Neutral colours or bold, bright colours? Be as specific and detailed as you can. If you’re unsure, ask your friends and family what they think you wear most often. My kids are brutally honest about what mummy wears and whether they think it looks good or not!
Remember to be honest with yourself. It’s no good convincing yourself that you wear something often if, in reality, you’ve only worn it once or twice. Even if you feel guilty for spending so much money on an item, or not wanting to part with it if it was given to you as a gift, if you’re not wearing the item is there any point in keeping it?
3. Experiment with less options
Separate out your clothes into two piles. One pile for clothes that form part of your personal daily uniform and those that don’t. Put back in your wardrobe or drawers the clothes you’ll be wearing regularly and keep the others somewhere else. For the next fortnight or two, I invite you to conduct an experiment and get to know your personal daily uniform!
Keep a note of what you wear, what you don’t, whether you have enough of each item or need an extra piece or two. Does everything co-ordinate and are your outfits versatile enough to suit your everyday life? Can they be dressed up or dressed down?
4. Assess the outcome
When your experiment comes to an end, how did your personal daily uniform make you feel? Did you find it easier and quicker to get dressed? Could you focus more on your day ahead instead of what you were going to wear that day? Did it make shopping for new clothes easier? Were you more mindful and intentional in that shopping? Perhaps you even saved some money? Did your clothes make you feel good? What adjustments could you make to your wardrobe to enhance or build on your signature style?
5. Make changes
If you’re worried about getting bored or just want to ring the changes every now and then, go ahead! A personal daily uniform and curating your own simplified wardrobe is not meant to stifle your expression or individuality. If clothes are important to you, have fun with them! Don’t feel constrained to a limited number of items. Do what feels right to you.
Use the seasons to introduce new colours, styles and textures to your capsule wardrobe. Keep an eye out for bargains or go shopping (mindfully) if you feel you’d like to add something to your collection. Simplicity is about freedom and empowerment, not scarcity and deprivation!
FINAL TIPS ON CREATING YOUR PERSONAL DAILY UNIFORM
A personal daily uniform is made up of a collection of clothes that all make you feel like you. They should make you feel the best version of you and give you courage and confidence to live your life fully, not hold you back because they’re uncomfortable and unflattering so you’re not ready to face the world with head held high! Unless you actively want to, your clothes shouldn’t be something you’re having to think about as you go about your day.
A personal daily uniform might not be right for everyone but I find it liberating and fun. I can swap things around as and when I feel like it, dependent on my mood or the changing seasons. I have a limited budget for clothes but enjoy spending time and care curating my perfect capsule wardrobe that feels just right to me!
MORE RESOURCES ON MINIMALIST, CAPSULE AND SIMPLIFIED WARDROBES
Here are some more resources and articles to help you define your signature style and create a decluttered, minimalist style wardrobe.
- How to declutter your clothes – 10 easy steps to a clutter-free wardrobe
- How to simplify your wardrobe – 20 tips for a stress-free closet
- How to purge your closet quickly – how to get rid of clothes fast if you get stuck
- The benefits of a capsule wardrobe for reducing waste
- Which clothes to declutter? Simple questions to help you decide
- Minimalism and shopping – intentional tips for mindful shopping with a section specifically with tips when shopping for clothes
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
I’d love to know whether you have a personal daily uniform and how it simplifies your life? Does it help you feel more confident and happy in yourself? How do you ring the changes? Leave a comment below!
Antonia Colins is the creator of Balance Through Simplicity – a website and blog helping busy people declutter, organise and simplify their home and life. She has over 20 years of experience in juggling work and family life and supporting individuals through home adaptations and enjoying their home more. In her spare time, you can find Antonia walking, gardening or planning her next travel adventure! She lives in the UK with her husband and teenage kids. Read more about Antonia.