Recommended uniform
I spent years simplifying my wardrobe. Here’s what I learned in the process.
Every morning, I never have to decide what to wear
It’s not like I’ve ever been a fashion guru or anything, but I’ve always enjoyed shopping for clothes, whether it’s just me or it’s with others. Just ask Nicole—I’m one of those weird husbands who loves browsing the aisles, pulling stuff off the rack, and rushing back to the dressing rooms to hand my wife more items to try on while she’s still there. “This is adorable, you have to try it on.”
However, while I’ve always enjoyed looking for nice new outfits, I’ve simultaneously hated picking out what to wear every morning. It’s not like it took me that long, but with an assortment of styles to choose from, the fact is, not everything I owned went together. Plus, as my wardrobe grew, it slowly became that I really only wore a few of the total pieces I had available.
Prompted by stories of minimalists simplifying their wardrobe, thus began the long and arduous search for a uniform which worked likewise for me. This soon became one of my favorite life hacks. Switching to a uniform has helped me:
Eliminate the need of having all my laundry clean to wear what I want
Get ready faster each morning
Reduce spending on new outfits (though it can cost more upfront)
Cut the time I spend shopping for new clothes to a minimum
Make me feel—and look—good in what I’m wearing each day
I didn’t ask Nicole to join me in the effort, but even she ended up consolidating her closet in the process and leveraging a minimalist wardrobe alongside me. Our walk-in is quite clean now as a result (though she still loves her shoes).
You don’t have to follow suit, of course, but perhaps this will spark some ideas for you. After years of hunting for the ideal fits, textures, colors, and prices, I’ve finally found a collection that works for me. And now, I’m pleased to share it with you.
From head to toe, here’s my daily uniform…
In total, my closet consists of…
13
tops 👕
16
bottoms 👖
29
total pieces*
*This number does not include undergarments, pajamas, accessories, or footwear 🧦
I love a good hat
I’ve appreciated hats since I was a kid, and I’ve owned a lot of different kinds over the years. But most of all, I love a sturdy, straight-billed, snapback hat and, in my opinion, they don’t come any better made than Brixton. I especially love the fact that they offer a ton of two-toned options with bills in different colors than the lids. Since I’m a cranial nudist, a hat comes in especially handy when I’m outside, or on days when I don’t bic the dome.
My closet consists of:
4 Brixton snapback hats
1 Melin hat for golfing or in the sun
1 standard-fare beanies
2 driver hats I picked up in Rome and Scotland
I found the perfect tee
I experimented with tees from Banana Republic and J. Crew, but they just never seemed to hold their shape or color over the long haul. Plus, I have a pretty long torso, and it was hard to find a shirt that was built for frames like mine. I didn’t want a shirt that was so stiff it was uncomfortable, but I also didn’t want something so thin that you could see right through it.
Enter Buck Mason’s slub, curved hem tee. I’ve put these things through the wringer, and they just don’t die. It takes forever before they fade, and their shape stays intact the whole time. I can’t recommend these 100% breathable slub cotton warriors enough. This was the hardest piece to find in my persistent hunt for the ideal uniform, so I hope to save you the trouble.
Though I used to buy different color T-shirts, I eventually realized I liked wearing black most. Also, that was the color that mixed and matched best with my colorful array of chinos (more on that in a moment). That’s why I decided there was no reason to go with anything else and why you’ll pretty much always see me wearing black—but no, I’m not wearing the same one I wore yesterday.
On the occasion that I need to dress up my look just a little bit, I also own a Bonobos denim button-up shirt, which similarly mixes and matches with my pant color of choice for the day. I definitely leverage both denim button-down when I need it, but it’s pretty rare.
My closet consists of:
8 black, short- and long-sleeved Buck Mason slub curved hem tees
1 denim Bonobos button-down
1 black sweatshirt
3 polos for my golf rounds
1 pink, unstructured Bonobos coat
1 black Amazon Essential puffer jacket
1 blue suit coat, 1 white linen shirt, and 2 ties; though I count this as 1 total piece since it all hangs together
I wear pants—most days
Though finding the best T-shirt was the most difficult part of my uniform search, landing on a consistent, ideal pant style was a close second. While I had found 7 for All Mankind jeans to be an excellent fit, they didn’t seem to have the rest of the pants I had in mind.
Finally, after endless searches through the racks of department stores everywhere, I ended up in Bonobos chinos as my go-to pants after visiting one of their nearby Guideshops. While they offer a ton of different fits and styles, I went all-in with their stretch washed, tailored fit chinos, which have been an absolute dream. Their buttons took a little getting used to, but they never break, which makes them pants that last even longer.
Eventually though, I switched over to Lulu Lemon’s ABC Utilitech pants, and I like those quite a bit. I also picked up some ABC joggers for when I want to be even more comfortable or am spending time on a long plane or car ride.
Though I only wear black tees, that’s primarily because I love wearing really colorful bottoms. Lulu Lemon is always changing out the colors of pants that they offer throughout the year, but I’ve managed to pick up maroon, mustard, blue, and gray. I liked Bonobos colors more, but alas.
As I started golfing more, I also switched over my chino short picks to Travis Mathew. They’re the perfect fit for a hot day. Phew.
My closet consists of:
8 pair of lululemon ABC pants
5 pairs of Travis Mathew shorts
1 pair of Travis Mathew jeans
1 pair of neon pink swim trunks
1 pair of blue dress pants that go with my only suit
Shoes get me around
Honestly, I care least about footwear when compared to the rest of my uniform. I’m just not as loyal when it comes to shoes, so I don’t really have a go-to brand I rely on when my current kicks bite the dust. Currently, I’m sporting Nike court vision shoes, and they get the job done comfortably for my size-13 feet—but I could easily switch these up at any time.
The only exception to my lack of footwear loyalty is when it comes to my appreciation for Rainbow’s leather sandals. They’re about as perfect a pair of flip flops as you can get, and they truly do stand the test of time. When (if!) they ever meet their demise, I’ll be rebuying those in a heartbeat.
My closet consists of:
2 pairs of Nike court vision sneakers, 1 in white, 1 in black
2 pairs of dress shoes, 1 in brown, 1 in black
1 pair of brown, leather Rainbow sandals