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Ask HN: Uniforms

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Ask HN: Uniforms

#1
Hey guys, I stumbled on an article about people who wore the same outfit (Jobs, Einstein, Zuckerberg) everyday and the reasons behind it. As far as I can tell there are three reasons for this:

1: To reduce the amount of decisions a person must make in a day in order to retain cognitive ability. 2: To save time deciding on what do wear. 3: To establish personal 'brand'.

The more I read into this the more it appealed to me (Reasons 1, 2 more so than three) and I'm wondering if people could share their thoughts on the same. Or, to make this a more pointed question:

If someone wore the same outfit every day and you were unaware of their reasoning what would you think?

Re: Ask HN: Uniforms

#2
It wouldn't bother me much although I would initially assume they were rewearing the same clothes and not clean ones each day. Over time, when they didn't stink, it would sink in.

But that said, if it's all about points 1 and 2, you don't need to spend more than 10 seconds "deciding" what to wear. Make sure all your clothes are neutral enough to go together (but are not necessarily identical) and then just pick the first things at the top of the pile. They don't all have to be identical for this to work.

Re: Ask HN: Uniforms

#3
I probably wouldn't notice. I would want to protect them from taunting of other colleagues although I guess that depends where you work.

If you're going to wear (eg) a Gap pocket T everyday it might be an idea to get different colours for each day. That doesn't add to the cognitive burden. (But I admit that I spend no time thinking about what I'm wearing)

Re: Ask HN: Uniforms

#4
In a way, it reminds me of Cartoon Characters who wear the same thing every day, they're instantly recognizable, even if you can just see their shirt/pants.

The branding is the only part really noticeable to anyone other than yourself and once you explain the other two reasons, Im sure they'll understand.

Re: Ask HN: Uniforms

#5
It's broadly positive as long as the person's clothes are clean. Occasionally I've run into someone who seemed superficially well-dressed but when I got close to them I realized their clothes were falling apart, which is sad in multiple ways.

If you're going to do this, get someone to help you in figuring out what looks good, and spend money on it, ie if you end up wearing a blazer and jeans and a t-shirt, get the blazers tailored for a perfect fit. Fit is the difference between looking sharp and looking like a slob, no matter what you're wearing. Consciously or unconsciously, most people are going to judge you based on the quality of what you wear so you might as well give off a positive impression.

And I really mean it about soliciting someone else's input. If you are not 'into' clothes - and not wanting to spend time thinking about them suggests that you are probably not - then you are likely not a good judge of what suits you, and you may well have become comfortable with ill-fitting or poorly-chosen clothes through habit.

Re: Ask HN: Uniforms

#6
In the UK, it has been very common for people to wear the same basic stuff every day for decades. It started with your school uniform, followed perhaps by an army (etc) uniform, and then a job uniform.

The job uniform might be overalls or one chosen by a profession (eg nurses) or a particular company (a shop or restaurant or factory, an airline, etc). Not every job leaves you free to wear whatever you like.

In the city of London, and in companies such as IBM, many people adopted a common uniform that they wore every day, even if each person's choice of suit, shirt and tie might be slightly different.

The essential point is that your work clothes are not about presenting you to your colleagues but about representing your company in public.

When I went to work for a company with a more casual dress code, I'd have been out of place in my previous three-piece suit, shirt and tie. After a while, I devised my own style of "uniform" so I could wear the same things every day without having to think about it.

If anybody noticed, they didn't comment. But then, if they were wearing much the same things every day, I didn't notice or comment either. Really, who cares?

It makes shopping simpler: you just go out and buy a bunch of five identical shirts at a time. I sometimes got five-for-the-price-of-four-type deals. (You can haggle.)

I did find it was impossible to have identical outfits because clothes change when they are washed often. Also, companies change long-running designs, even if people don't think they do. In my case, the shirt buttons changed, though again, probably nobody else noticed.

Most companies have an unspoken "dress code" anyway. As long as you stay within that, nobody really cares.

Re: Ask HN: Uniforms

#7
I spend basically zero cognitive effort or decision time on what to wear once it's purchased. This is because I have difficulty caring about my appearance and so I just grab the first clean thing. (Though I can care about my appearance with some effort, either to satisfy someone else or to derive some personal value from it.)

I was running a company, or a public figure, or both, I imagine I would place a higher value on my appearance and would need to expend daily effort on it, or hire someone to do so, or choose a uniform.

That said, if someone around me wore the same thing every day, it would just be an interesting fact about them. It wouldn't reflect negatively to me.

Re: Ask HN: Uniforms

#9
Yes, it saves time. It also saves shopping time, wardrobe space, and reduces the complexity of doing laundry. There is much more to personal branding than what is worn. Uniforms just make it easy to recognize people and form consistent associations.

Re: Ask HN: Uniforms

#10
I do. (The number of layers varies with the temperature.)

May I ask the opposite question?

Why do many people change outfits almost every day? Do they derive satisfaction from the process of choosing clothes? Or do they derive satisfaction from the fact that other people notice these changes?

As you point out, choosing and owning different outfits comes at a cost, and people who choose to do so must have a reason for this behaviour.

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