Why Many Successful People Wear “Uniforms”

I hated wearing a school uniform when I was a kid. I felt confined to a world lacking self-expression, and longed for fashion freedom. Now, almost a decade later, I find myself missing the ease of those mornings each time I fail to find the perfect outfit. Today, we see some of the world’s most accomplished public figures developing their own versions of uniforms in order to simplify their lives: Mark Zuckerberg, President Obama, even Drew Barrymore documented how she put her wardrobe on a diet for Refinery29. In Lydia Pang's R29 article, she underscores how important a prescribed style can be for your personal image. "As much as I loathe myself for saying this, a work uniform is basically an exercise in personal branding. It’s got me far; people asking 'who's that gobby Chinese goth in the white socks and the inappropriate crown of roses? Yeah, let’s just give her that project.’ Being memorable can’t hurt in a sea of competition," she explains. On his site Becoming Minimalist, Joshua Becker wrote "8 Reasons Successful People Are Choosing to Wear the Same Thing Every Day," in which he explains that eliminating the pressures of choosing the perfect get-up can save time, energy, and above all, stress. Our very own Lucie Fink put this minimalist mindset to the test. In an effort to fight what's known as "decision fatigue," she removes the major decision of what to wear from her morning routine. In this episode of Try Living with Lucie, she challenges herself to wear the exact same outfit for five days straight, to see if this simple change of habit really can make a difference in daily stress.