Hello all - I wanted to share my new article about wearing a personal uniform. Enjoy and discuss.
Last winter I found myself wearing the same thing over and over again, literally. Every time I had to run out of the house in the blistering New York cold and a mixture of slush and snow, I reached for my Rick Owens down parka and side-zip boots with a creeper sole, into which I tucked the pant legs of a pair of black jeans. When the New York fashion week came in February, I could not care less for being seen in the same clothes day after day. It was an outfit I felt at ease with, knowing that it looked good and felt comfortable. I saw no reason to change it up.
I am not the only one. Rick Owens himself is no stranger to wearing the same thing on daily basis. In an article for Harper’s Bazaar last year he said, “I like sticking with a decision: I have a stack of identical crisp black shorts, a stack of identical soft black T-shirts, and a stack of identical black cashmere turtlenecks.”
What makes some people don a uniform? For one, there is certain ease in it, both aesthetic and psychological. Rather than laziness – a uniform is an exercise in rigor – it bespeaks unfussiness. You know what looks good and you know what you want. It underscores your sense of self by saying that you are comfortable in your own skin and you don’t have to shed it, snakelike. It’s pragmatic, one less thing to think about in our overcomplicated, fast-paced world.
When I asked Owens about the philosophy behind his dressing habits, he said, “How you dress is the first step in presenting yourself as who you want to be. I want to be logical, polite, slightly formal, conscious of other people’s priorities. I used to enjoy being flamboyant and extreme. Now it seems even more extreme to stick to a decision and repeat it forever. I always refer to Jean Michel Frank having forty grey identical suits in his closet. It’s very attractive when someone knows himself like that.” Owens went on to add, “Also, I only used to have myself to create for. Now I have a bigger stage and am creative with myself in a more profound way by going to the gym and controlling the way my body looks. I haven’t dismissed the idea of dressing, but I don’t need to change moods – I know the mood I want.”
continue to the full piece below
Last winter I found myself wearing the same thing over and over again, literally. Every time I had to run out of the house in the blistering New York cold and a mixture of slush and snow, I reached for my Rick Owens down parka and side-zip boots with a creeper sole, into which I tucked the pant legs of a pair of black jeans. When the New York fashion week came in February, I could not care less for being seen in the same clothes day after day. It was an outfit I felt at ease with, knowing that it looked good and felt comfortable. I saw no reason to change it up.
I am not the only one. Rick Owens himself is no stranger to wearing the same thing on daily basis. In an article for Harper’s Bazaar last year he said, “I like sticking with a decision: I have a stack of identical crisp black shorts, a stack of identical soft black T-shirts, and a stack of identical black cashmere turtlenecks.”
What makes some people don a uniform? For one, there is certain ease in it, both aesthetic and psychological. Rather than laziness – a uniform is an exercise in rigor – it bespeaks unfussiness. You know what looks good and you know what you want. It underscores your sense of self by saying that you are comfortable in your own skin and you don’t have to shed it, snakelike. It’s pragmatic, one less thing to think about in our overcomplicated, fast-paced world.
When I asked Owens about the philosophy behind his dressing habits, he said, “How you dress is the first step in presenting yourself as who you want to be. I want to be logical, polite, slightly formal, conscious of other people’s priorities. I used to enjoy being flamboyant and extreme. Now it seems even more extreme to stick to a decision and repeat it forever. I always refer to Jean Michel Frank having forty grey identical suits in his closet. It’s very attractive when someone knows himself like that.” Owens went on to add, “Also, I only used to have myself to create for. Now I have a bigger stage and am creative with myself in a more profound way by going to the gym and controlling the way my body looks. I haven’t dismissed the idea of dressing, but I don’t need to change moods – I know the mood I want.”
continue to the full piece below
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