A Guide to At-Home Uniform Dressing

Uniform dressing sounds exactly how it means. It’s an unchanging style that a person has adapted. Over time, uniform dressing has become one of the cleanest and easiest ways to get dressed. The clothes are typically essentials that are simple and are used in interchangeable outfit combinations. So how do you create a personal uniform? Uniform dressing can be compared to a recipe, such as adding iterations of men’s shirts to a pair of tailored jeans. Uniform dressing is the antidote to fuss and frou and there are no frills and no over-thinking when it comes to outfit planning. It’s one of the seamless–and most stylish–ways to get ready.

Some of the most standout women in history have adhered to uniform dressing with their pared-back ensembles. Famed New York critic and cult style icon Fran Lebowitz has long been known to wear a simple men’s overcoat, a clean button-up, loose jeans, and a pair of polished boots. Famed Vogue stylist Tonne Goodman is known for her rotation of straight-leg white jeans. And while American women have mastered the tenets of uniform dressing, women in the French cinema and the fashion world have also had a sturdy handle on the art. British actress Jane Birkin has long adhered to the combo of a pair of easy jeans and a classic white men’s shirt since the 1960s, a look that solidified her legacy in the fashion world. To this day, the actress wears the same outfit, whether she is on the red carpet or simply out and about. Her daughters Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon have also followed this ethos of dressing, such as wearing a tailored shirt with standard jeans.

And while uniform dressing has proven to be the go-to for women, well, on the go, it also is necessary for this modern era when working from home has become the norm. Today, many of us are at home taking video calls or heading to remote meetings, meaning that even in our own personal spaces, our wardrobes should still be clean and chic–but also comfortable. It’s relaxed elevation at its finest. The easiest way to start uniform dressing at home is to create a high-low mix, adding polish to something casual. Take a shirt with a masculine edge, preferably a button-up. Think: ba&sh’s pinstriped Aramis shirt, the Bridget – a classic women’s denim shirt, or the Doli women’s blouse in crisp black or white cotton. Other options? For an elegant edge, a nubby neutral sweater, such as the soft-to-the-touch Chavi pullover or a Debbi women’s blouse with puffed sleeves for a femme feel.

As for the bottoms, opt for something that you feel your best self in. For those busy days, try a Sims legging that is crafted for a busy life. (Try that with ba&sh’s Aramis shirt for a devil-may-care pinch of refinement.) Of course, jeans are a perpetual failsafe option. Throw on a cool all denim option, pairing the Bridget shirt with the Sally straight-leg jeans, which offer both a casual yet composed finish to any look. Looking for a more contrasting approach? The Csally straight-leg jeans will become a signature for any top, whether it’s the Chavi pullover or Debbi blouse, and will remain in your closet for years to come as a tried-and-true garment.

And for those days that you truly want to relax? Keep it cushy but still stylish with a tailored hoodie because in the ba&sh-verse, those exist. The Daris sweatshirt is the quintessential chic hoodie with a cinched waist and a ruffled hem. Whether you want to throw under a tailored coat or snuggle up on your couch in the piece, it will be just one of your keys to perfecting uniform dressing.