Finding Your Uniform

And the Enduring Grey Flannel Suit

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I’m fascinated by the uniforms we choose for ourselves. I’ve written about this before—it’s an ongoing theme—and Michael and I talk about uniforms on the podcast quite a bit. Ideally, the personal uniform represents self knowledge. Over time, we gravitate to what suits our personalities, our position in life, our view of the world. That’s why they present themselves as we age. The more we experience, the better we understand what we need, and uniforms provide a sense of clarity.

And still we can learn. I’m just back from Italy where I had a surprising revisitation with the power of the uniform. I believe—really believe—that limited packing when you travel can be a great sartorial education. On this last trip, without really planning to, I ended up wearing the same grey flannel suit just about every day. Each day it just felt more and more correct for me. Especially in the new year when we try to clarify our thinking and reduce what we need, it’s a good time to reassess our everyday wardrobe.

Here are some useful rules for your winning uniform: