Wearing the same look day in, day out doesn’t mean you’ve turned your back on fashion. Quite the contrary, actually. Sticking to a dress code of, say, A-line Vanessa Seward dresses and Chloé block heels proves just how at one you are with your personal style. It’s also more efficient and way less anxiety-inducing than rifling through your closet in a panic every morning. “My uniform is not literally one uniform, but it’s less than 10,” says Byron Peart, co-founder of luxury label WANT Les Essentiels. “When you have less, you make better choices.”

In your therapist’s office, this anxiety is known as “paradox of choice.” “Some psychologists have observed that the more choices we are presented with, the more anxiety we develop in making decisions; in addition, we may become prone to making irrational decisions,” says Kim Jenkins, visiting assistant professor in the fashion department at NYC’s Pratt Institute. “Uniform dressing can perhaps provide an antidote to this situational stress.”

It can also send a message to your colleagues. Jenkins cites Steve Jobs’ signature black mock turtleneck, dad jeans and runners. “There was nothing distracting or inconsistent about his self-presentation,” she says. “Seeing someone who dresses uniformly establishes a sense of trust and perceived authenticity.” Get ready for that promotion—and you won’t even have to plan what to wear on your first day.

Build your uniform with these essentials.

This article originally appeared in the career special in the October 2017 issue of ELLE Canada.

 

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