THE ART OF THE UNIFORM

Have you ever noticed that every time a person strikes you as (particularly) stylish, it is the result of an air of effortless preening? The reason is because style, in the sense that Coco Chanel had intended it, inevitably impels uniform dressing. Ideate any stylish person you can think of and notice how they are always stylish while always wearing variations of one same uniform, the same code vestimentaire.

The quest of mine is thus to find my uniform - to seek my personal style and slowly build my wardrobe with pieces that I will wear over and over again, day in and day out. The ultimate goal is to have a closetful of 30-something pieces that complement each other and that can take me from going to work in the morning, to a last-minute 5 à 7 , to a casual (or the opposite, an elaborate) dinner, to a vernissage, with a simple change of shoes, accessories, or a slight hair or makeup touch up.

I personally believe this is what sets Europeans aside from North Americans; the art of dressing. You will see an American girl at work with stiff, synthetic (this is an exaggerated projection, sorry American girl. Maybe your clothes aren't polyester today but they were yesterday.) work clothes, that same night you will see her out and about town in a skintight (or micro-length skimpy) dress that is just way TMI for anybody who crosses her path, and theatrical makeup, the next day you'll come across her in jogging pants and a t-shirt.

| columbinesmille, vanessajackman, celebritystyleguide |