
The perfect uniform is an idea that I just can't seem to get out of my head. It's not about clothes really. At it's core its about finding a simple, comfortable expression of internal ease on the outside. Like the phrase "comfortable in her own skin". Clothes should be an expression of who we are I think, of how we feel and who we want to be. They should work and liberate and delight.
Now clothes (or the perfect uniform) are not necessarily "Fashion" (which I do personally love as a design exercise as well as a larger sociological thing). Fashion can be very fun, but it also can also make you feel really lousy. Like you're too old or fat or clueless or poor or lame to ever really get it. Or even if you get it, you can't ever really keep up (...you loser, Fashion seems to say). Fashion, with a capital F, the ever-changing, catty kind of fashion, has a real meanness about it and given how hard the world can be, why sign up for more meanness when you have the choice?
Now, I'm also not saying that we should all give up and fall back into an unending parade of sweatpants and our brothers shapeless tees either (though if your brothers shapeless tees are like the ones in this store window, I might reconsider). There is no excuse, given the absolute magnitude of choices out there, to not strive for the perfect uniform. It's about finding what works for us, what makes us look our best, given all our unique variations on the human theme and ultimately, helps us feel better about ourselves as we manuever through modern life. I think clothes are fun and should not be a source of more stress and anxiety. Life's too short. And when you really think about it, there aren't too many people who posthumously are remembered for what they wore anyway.


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