Uniform dressing will always be in style

One of my earliest memories as a child is that of my grandfather in his khaki, camel and — if I remember correctly — olive green-accented correctional services uniform. He retired when I was probably seven, so excuse me if I have the colours wrong. It’s very probable.

Whatever the case, these are the colours I recall, engraved in my mind, along with the roughness of his beard stubble — the bane of all his grandchildren’s existence as he always insisted on kissing us on the cheeks whenever he arrived home. Bless his soul.

My grandfather was an incredibly predictable man and his uniform made him that much more unsurprising, even though I wouldn’t call it boring. Maybe it’s just me, but I find the idea of a uniform appealing. Or maybe I do right now, as uncertainty continues to be a defining reality of our time.

Uniform dressing can be quite effective. It’s straightforward and practical because it eliminates the stressful nature of having to make a decision about what to wear on any given day. For some professions — and indeed for schoolchildren — it is the great equaliser. Outside the institutional or professional varieties — for nurses, cops, schoolchildren and the like — uniform dressing is also perhaps the easiest route to a defined personal style.

I don’t believe the late Steve Jobs intended to become a fashion icon. You probably don’t think of him as one, but he certainly fits the description if we define ‘fashion icon’ simply as someone who initiates or popularises a style that others follow. His incredibly uninspired turtleneck-and-jeans look has enduring appeal for many, including convicted fraudster and wannabe biotech genius Elizabeth Holmes.

If you’ve seen Cate Blanchett’s latest, Oscar-nominated performance in the movie Tár, about a fictional composer and orchestral conductor whose past exploits come back to haunt her as cancel culture does what it does best, you would have perhaps noted her restrained but nonetheless polished style of dress. It’s been described by some as ‘power chic’ — luxe cashmere sweaters, virgin wool coats, silk blouses, and the like. Lines are clean, and silhouettes are sharp. It’s an aspirational wardrobe, but it’s also typically back-to-basics. It’s a sort of uniform dressing — unassuming and stylish all at once.

It also happens to be trending right now as designers and brands send models down runways in similarly restrained styles. Neutral palettes, head-to-toe denim, classic cuts and clean lines — the sort of basics-centric styles that never go out of fashion.

Prada’s Fall ’23 collection from the recent Milan Fashion Week is a case in point. Isabel Marant, Christian Dior and Sarah Burton’s latest for Alexander McQueen followed a similar line, the latter showcasing pinstripe blazers and tailored off-shoulder numbers. I can’t give you a review of the Tár film because I fell asleep both times I tried to watch it, but this isn’t because I found it a bore but because, lately, the minute I find myself in front of a screen I am not using to type out articles, make Keynote presentations or shoot out Slack messages, I feel so comfortable and my eyes involuntarily shut off.

Perhaps this very-early-in-the-year exhaustion can be off-set by cutting one of the many things that deplete my brain power — deciding what to wear every morning. Like Lady Tár, my mkhulu, or even a schoolchild, Steve Jobs or — my personal fave — Fran Lebowitz, with her white shirt, jacket, blue jeans and boots ensemble, uniform dressing is perhaps the best way to still present myself as stylishly as I possibly can without letting the act of dressing add to my list of things to constantly worry about.