How to style the same LBD for the 9 types

Working from a request to see how each of the 9 Fantastical types would style a date night look, I've created a challenge for us. Below are the 9 types, in random order, and in all black (IRL I'd want to see you add in color, but there are times in life where the protocol is all black and it's nice to see how best to make it work). You've seen a few jewelry ideas before, so to make this more challenging, you only have shoes and jackets to go off of. After you're done guessing, scroll down to see the answer key, and share in the comments how many you got right!  

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Click and drag below this text to highlight the answer key.

1.angel 2.maenad 3. seer 4. valkyrie 5. mermaid 6. dragon princess 7. fae 8. magic queen 9. nymph

How to Create a Personal Style Uniform Part 3: Color, Shape, Accessory, and Assembly

Follow the links for Part One and Part Two of this three part series.

Step One: Choose Your Palette 

At most you will be choosing 2 neutrals and 1 color (which can be a third neutral if you prefer). Many people choose black and only black for their uniform. Whatever you choose, prioritize it being easy to find and wear.  

While simplicity wins over being personally flattering in uniforms, there can be some leeway with palette. I recommend trying to keep a flattering color or more likely, a flattering neutral, near your face whether as a dress, a top, or an accessory. If you are using a light and a dark, it's common to keep the light color near your face, unless you are notably top-heavy in shape, then you might consider reversing it. Whatever you decide on, keep it simple, easy to find, and buy multiples.

For warm coloring, I prefer off-white (or cream, ivory, beige) to white. It doesn't have to be your perfect off-white in order for it to be better than true white. You can still do black bottoms, as it's away from your face and will keep shopping simple if you'd rather not hunt for brown, olive, khaki, blush, bordeaux or whatever else you might choose. Be careful not to get hung up on palette selection, as the point of the uniform is to keep it simple. When in doubt, all black or black and white will be easiest to find.

For cool coloring, white and black are the obvious choices. If you are medium or lower contrast, you might choose navy or grey instead of black, and they both go well with white. Blush or light grey or light blue can be a good alternative or addition as well, if it matters enough for you to do the extra shopping. If you do choose neutrals that aren't widely available, you especially need to stock up when you find the right item. 

Step Two: Choose Your Shapes

I generally recommend choosing tops with long sleeves, as it can lessen the need for layering, but I will include short sleeve and sleeveless options. Long sleeves in dresses are harder to find, but might also be worth it for the decreased layering. You want to choose shapes that can be easily found. You might quickly consider which shapes are best for your figure and comfort. Buy them to fit the widest part of you, and if needed, have a tailor take them in where you are smaller.

Uniform Top Possibilities by katilmoore featuring an oversized turtleneck sweater

A few easy to find options for tops include:
turtlenecks
button-ups
pullover blouses
short sleeve cotton tees
striped tops
crew or v-neck sweaters

Common bottoms include:
(specify rise, hem length, and shape in addition to color)
jeans (skinny, straight, flare, wide, crop)
trouser
skirts (pencil, a-line, full, straight)

Common dresses include:
sheath
shift
wrap
shirt dress
A-line

Common shoes include:
pump (round, pointy, or peep)
loafer
oxford
sneaker (low or hi top or pull-on)
ballet (or mary jane or t-strap)
slip on (clog, sandal, or mule)
boots (rain, combat, otk, ankle bootie, shootie)

What you choose will depend on your public life needs, personal comfort, and so on. This is not about A+ perfection- it's about simple and serviceable, so examine quickly, choose one look, and move on (You can be slower and choosier with your shoes, as they tend to be a more expensive purchase, you can wear the same pair every day, and you shouldn't need to replace them very often. Just don't obsess over your choice- they should still be fairly basic and easily replaceable over the years). 

(Optional) Step Three: Choose Your Accessories

This step is optional. If you're pursuing a uniform to be able to better focus on other aspects of life, you may be better served by passing on accessories for now. If you want simplicity, but a touch of style play or visual personality, an accessory is really the way to go. If you choose more than one accessory, you're best off thinking of them as a cohesive set, rather than a sprawling collection. If a sprawling collection brings you joy, that's great, but to me it takes it out of the realm of personal uniform. Your optional uniform accessory isn't the flavor of the day- it's a signature piece, that if you're wearing an accessory (or set of accessories), it's always that piece and will come to be associated with you.

Choosing an accessory in a flattering color and good scale is my favorite option for bringing a color in, because it can be worn with everything without wearing out or needing to be replaced every year. A scarf (neck, shoulder, head, purse handles), a necklace, or earrings are easy options. If you love orange, you can find the most amazing orange pendant or scarf, and it will brighten up what otherwise may be a dull but utile black or white+black combo. If you have autumn coloring, it might just be a luscious camel scarf that brings a bit of harmony and personality into your uniform.  

The 3 personal uniforms above are:
1. grey blazer, grey maxi skirt, (soft) white popover, white sneakers. (optional accessory in the form of a silk scarf)
2. white V tee, navy cardigan, black jeans, black boots. (optional accessory in the form of blue tartan wrap)
3. cream pullover, cream trouser, pointy cream low heel. (optional accessory in the form of flower necklace)

Below is what I might personally choose for a uniform. I based this outfit on what I've gravitated toward in the past in terms of shape, neutrals (and placement of neutrals), comfort, and public life needs. Grey turtleneck (preferably slightly cowled and fuzzy/soft); high-waist, slightly-roomy, black, ankle, trouser; black, low-heeled bootie (with straps if I can be choosy), and optional green print scarf (worn on head or draped over a shoulder and possibly belted or around purse handles). 

My personal uniform by katilmoore featuring black cutout booties

DIY

In coming up with your own uniform, think of what you've happily worn on repeat- not just recently, but what did you wear in high school or college? Become an outside observer to the patterns of your own dressing choices over time, and then add personal observations about how it felt to wear those things. How do you want to feel in your uniform each day? It should be your personal blank canvas and grounded/even-keeled in terms of energy. What are the neutrals or easy colors that are acceptable to you? 

Could you wear a style uniform? What might it be? Let me know in the comments!

Personal Style Uniform Part 1: Definitions, Celebrity Examples, and Benefits

What is a Personal/Style Uniform?

It seems to mean different things to different people, so let's clarify what I personally mean by a uniform, because while both a personal uniform and a signature style are great minimalist approaches at simplifying your wardrobe, I consider them to be different. This three part series is focused on personal uniforms, but many of the points are applicable to building a signature style as well. 

A personal uniform will be nearly indistinguishable from day to day and stick to both specific colors you've picked for each item and specific form you've chosen for each item. (e.g. your top is always a white button-up, your bottom is always black straight jeans, and your shoes are always red sneakers). 

A signature style will have some aspects chosen (color palette or silhouette, for example), while some aspects will change from day to day (e.g. always a sheath dress but variety in color/print and always with black shoes but variety in form).

When the world of style feels overwhelming or joyless (Marie Kondo / KonMarie people, I'm looking at you), I think it's best to start with a uniform, and then when it feels fun, allow it to expand into a signature style. This way you don't waste a lot of money and time on looks that don't work out.  

 

What does a Personal Uniform look like?

Personal Style Uniforms by katilmoore featuring white shirts

A few celebrity examples of personal uniforms shown left to right are:    
1. White button-up, black full midi skirt, black ballet flats inspired by Audrey Hepburn and Carolina Herrera
2. Black turtleneck, blue jeans, white sneakers inspired by Steve Jobs.
3. Navy pant, navy blazer, white button-up, black dress shoes inspired by Barrack Obama. It would be fun to add a blue statement necklace in place of his tie. 

Personal Uniforms, much like other uniforms, tend to look boring, and usually consist of neutrals, but that's part of their simplicity; and with uniforms, simplicity is the point. It's an anti-style approach to wardrobe. It takes much of the art out of dressing. It's also likely to be a timeless and unoffensive look for this reason.    

 

Why Would I Want a Personal Uniform?

While the main benefit of a personal uniform is that you save an enormous amount of time and hassle shopping and getting dressed every morning, there are a couple other clear benefits:

• You will be infinitely more memorable to others when you're always wearing the same look- a kind of self-branding. In the past I had people tell me that I look so different each time they saw me that it's like meeting a new person. I also had people tell me that they didn't see me at such and such's party, because they didn't recognize me. While that is great if you're on the lam, it can be beneficial to be easily spotted and remembered too.
• Another unsung benefit of a personal uniform is that it provides a canvas or backdrop for playing with accessories if you so choose. If you love style, but find it expensive, time consuming, and generally overwhelming, limiting your style play to accessories can be a great boon.

Watch for Part 2 and Part 3 of this series for how to create your own uniform.

4 Approaches To solve your style frustrations

I use multiple approaches to style needs when working with clients. Understanding these different approaches is likely to be helpful in your personal style journeys.

The first asks, "Who do I want and need to present to the world? What is required of me? What do I want to invoke in others when they see me?" How you want to be seen is an interconnected and social approach. It may also be beneficial in your professional life to cultivate an image through considering your intended effect. 

The second asks "What do I feel comfortable in? What makes me feel safe? What makes me feel joyous? What makes me feel free?" How you want to feel is a personal approach. It may be how you feel when you see or touch the clothing, or how it feels against your skin, or how it feels to move in it.

The third asks "What colors, shapes/silhouettes, and textures are most flattering on me?" Wanting to know what's most flattering to your form is an analytical approach. This approach is like a puzzle- trying to figure out the different aspects of your form and movement/personality and echo these aspects in your clothing choices.

The fourth asks, "What do I realistically need for my activities in life?" Understanding activity needs is a practical approach. What percent of your time do you spend doing what activity? Do the contents of your closet match up with these percentages?   

Much of the struggle that I see with people trying to sort out their own style comes from trying to wrangle these separate approaches simultaneously. They say things like, "I know I look best in soft fabrics, but I really love sharper looks" (analytical approach conflicting with personal) or "I have to present a serious image, but I just live for cartoon prints and fun, silly things" (social approach conflicting with personal) or "My friend buys me heels and wants to see me wear them, but they don't fit into any aspect of my lifestyle" (practical conflicting with social) and they feel dissatisfied and frustrated when trying to come up with a wardrobe that attempts to value two or more approaches equally and simultaneously.. 

I strongly recommend that you consider these approaches separately.

Step One

Write separate paragraphs and/or lists to focus on

• how you want to be seen
• what makes you feel happy to wear
• what is especially flattering in terms of color/lines/etc
• what your activities currently require of you.

No cross-referencing during this initial phase- just try to answer each of the approaches for themselves without worry of trying to find points of intersection- there might not be any, and that's ok. You may need to break your lists into sublists if you have different answers depending on the arena of your life (e.g. How you want to be seen by your boss, your friends your partner, your baseball team, etc).

Step Two

Order your four lists in order of importance. If your boss requires a specific dress code and it isn't at all what you would personally choose to wear, you might not be able to place what you feel good in above the importance of your life activities or social expectations in that arena, at this time in your life. Don't fret, as there are ways to integrate happy-feel-good items into even the stuffiest uniform. 

It is really important to be clear on what your current style priorities are for the different realms of your life. It is ok to keep them separate, and it is helpful to know in your mind that they are separate, as well as your reasons for keeping them separate, so that you aren't left frustrated in trying to make one cohesive look out of multiple, separate, needs.

For a long time my personal hang-up was in making fitness clothes as stylish and flattering as possible while also staying practical. Realizing that flattering, personally joyous, practical fitness wear couldn't be equally those things has allowed me to stop the endless search and to appreciate what I do have for being practical and at most ticking one other box. 

One of the most common modern style dilemmas is the personal feel-good desire for comfort and a separate desire for the most flattering lines. These are both good desires, and it is infinitely helpful if you know which desire is a bigger priority, if only by a sliver, so that you can make quick calls when shopping or getting dressed each day, and shed the frustrations and confusion that unclear priorities bring.  

Step Three

When you have your separate write-ups, you can begin to ask yourself questions about each- "What is it about these things that makes me feel happy? Is there something I can carry over to bring joy into other arenas of my style? How much wiggle room to I have in my life activity needs? What are the possibilities?" 

It's helpful to remember that while an entirely cohesive wardrobe is satisfying, it's not always possible, and at the root, it's not necessarily what we want when we consider that we have different needs and desires in various realms of our lives. 

Now when you declutter your closet, or when you shop, you can ask what approach or arena of life you're looking for, and how it fits into your current priorities.

If you feel like sharing some of your answers to these questions in the comments, I'd love to hear them! If you think of other approaches, please share those too.

KLM: 6 Item U.S.A. Wardrobe

As a riff on the "5 Piece French Wardrobe", I present to you the "6 Piece USA Wardrobe.

While I use the term "capsule", this is not about minimalism this time. I don’t care if you have 16 walk-in closets overflowing in your mansion and rented storage space as an additional "closet"- this isn’t about the totality of your clothing collection. This is about
1) arranging from your costume horde a manageable amount of clothing to mentally wrangle into a user friendly, cohesive, wardrobe and
2) being able to budget your money wisely.

A few of the other benefits that this approach makes possible:

• trying on a new look, vibe, and presentation
• keeping your wardrobe up to date
• playing with trends without going over-board
• learning to make pieces work together for head to toe looks

This list is SIX pieces per season (spring/summer and fall/winter are the two shopping seasons) instead of five because I’m AMERICAN and I like more stuff. Just kidding, it’s six because I like the idea of being able to do one item per month. If you’d rather buy six items in one shopping extravaganza, do your thang. I’ll be out wandering the shops for exercise.

So what else makes it U.S. American? What's more American than a base of jeans and tees? Also, this approach is about six BIG PERSONALITY pieces. It relies on having a solid base of basic neutrals (neutral colors for: tops, bottoms, outerwear, shoes, accessories), which you then put your six personality pieces on top of. It’s a great compromise for people who don’t want to spend a huge amount of time perfecting a personality-full wardrobe (or maybe haven't decided on the vision they want to present to the world), but also hate boring outfits. 

Your Neutrals base needs to go with everything, and account for the entirety of your lifestyle throughout the year (if you work on a ranch, your needs will be different from a CEO. If you live in Mexico, you will have different needs than folks in Alaska). I can’t guess what your needs are, so divide the suggested number of basic neutrals to fit your reality. You can pick a varied neutrals palette, as long as they all go with one another and create the level of contrast that you need. If you’re a high contrast person, you’re going to need a neutral palette that is more than blue jeans and mid-gray alone can offer you. Neutrals possibilities include: white/off white, natural/beige, blush, grey, olive, black, navy, tan, brown. If one of your basic neutrals wears out, it can be replaced at any time and does not count toward the 6.

Your Personality pieces can stay in your neutrals scheme. This is not what I’d recommend, but it is an option I feel obligated to mention. I know I tend to be down on entirely neutral basics wardrobes, but there are a few valid arguments in favor of it that I'll cover in the future. I’d recommend using your Personality pieces to add color, texture, and design interest, KLM Addition style. Use it to explore other personas or facets of yourself (FB types, B5 types, Signature Looks). Below are a few examples of ways to use your 6 Personality pieces.