Dress Code.

I have been crafting this issue since the launch of the writing in black and white newsletter because — as evidenced by my fashion collection essay publishing in Fall, 2025 — I feel what we wear matters. It shapes who we are and who we strive to be. Not the labels, per se, but the garments themselves. Since launching this newsletter two years ago, thousands of new “what to wear” Substacks have emerged; what follows is my perspective on getting dressed rather than a list of what to wear.

We get dressed at least 29,000 times in our lifetime. If for no other reason than the sheer number of times we swing open our closets, finding our look goes beyond decision fatigue. As renowned stylist Allison Bornstein has said, “Outfit repeating is a sign that you have figured out what works and know who you are.”

Closet clean outs and sales galore (this year’s Black Friday was a record length) have so many re-evaluating what they want to wear. And who they want to be — this season, in the coming year, when they reach a certain age. But it’s as Diana Vreeland once quipped, it’s not about the dress you wear, it’s about the life you lead in the dress.”

I think this message has gotten lost among the hauls.

Compulsive shopping, known as oniomania, is on the rise fueled by technology. And, coincidentally, alcohol as the United States’ “drunk shopping habit” reached $14 billion annually last year, with 70% of us sipping before shopping. We don’t need to be shamed or forced into the “Rule of 5” necessarily, but better understanding our intentions before purchase could go a long way. Not only because we are notorious for wearing only 20% of our closet, but because the more we know who we are, the easier it is to get dressed. Therapist not required.

Tick Tock

The #Bareminimummonday trend — likely the longest Tiktok craze, having been coined in 2022 to alleviate Sunday scaries — continues. To overcome Monday, arguably the most despised day of the week, you need to pick out your wardrobe in advance. You can’t swing a Margaux bag without hitting a Substack writer showing you how to dress for the week.

But even with this time-saving planning, it comes back to what’s in your wardrobe. Does it reflect who you are? As Ann Mashburn says — in her You Need This I Promise column that predates Substack and is as fabulous as everything the Mashburn’s touch — “You don’t need a lot of choices, you need the right choices.”

Cost Analysis

While a low CPW is always a goal, it’s more important to have a style that truly suits you — and elevates who you strive to be. The beauty of wearing on repeat is the increasing CPC (Cost Per Compliment), with self-praise weighing in supreme.

Another invaluable measure to consider is the Japanese concept of “One Mile Wear.” London-based brand NRBY developed around the premise (that translates as “clothing you wear within a mile of your home”) as they knew women sought fashion beyond a single season; that we want to look and feel good in clothes “that will take you through [the] day — from Home to Nearby.”

NRBY’s London Shop Interior

More peace

While the concept of uniform dressing may make some break out in hives due to fear of boredom and lack of self-expression, consider the fact that some of the most creative minds have adopted this strategy: Karl Lagerfeld, Carolina Herrera, Vera Wang, Michael Kors, Thom Browne and many more. While working in-house at Calvin Klein, every designer seemed to have their own uniform, albeit always a variation on something minimalist that screamed Calvin. While traveling through Switzerland I learned my accessories designer not only wore the same look, but often the same clothes themselves. The one exception was a fresh — out of the package new each day, and never worn a second time — white undershirt beneath his crisp blazer. That’s commitment. “There’s safety in a uniform,” legendary Vogue Editor Tonne Goodman has said, “because you know that it works on all the different levels that are important to you.” Even one of the most powerful women in fashion, Anna Wintour, subscribes to a uniform; she wears a variety of designers, but the silhouettes are virtually the same.

Greater Appreciation

And there’s the crux of it. You don’t have to stop shopping or pull back from admiring the beauty of fashion — this infrequent shopper loves watching runway shows just as much as when I attended them and had a Calvin clothing allowance. Further, less is more does not mean you can’t play with your uniform as Ali Pew’s (perfectly titled) substack “Uniform” shows us weekly. Laura Reilly’s phenomenal substack “Magasin”has similarly noted, “Those pieces you find that you want to wear again and again don’t ever lose their flavor, and an ensemble of greatest hits—the clever, shapeshifting ones—can be even more delicious than the sum of its parts.”

Need more flair? Lean into the ever-expressive stylings of Leandra Cohen who said, “When you’re trying to figure out how to wear the same thing but feel different every day, ask not what you can do for your accessories, but they can do for you.” Exactly. Establishing a uniform does not need to mean uniformity.

As We Age

While less is more is fantastic for our time, cost analyses and peace of mind, a uniform does not mean rigid rules apply. You know the ones that, despite our purchasing power, are trying to tame us women over 50. The dress codes that feel like cultural handcuffs — “Dress Age Appropriately” being among the more heinous. And lest you think uniforms are basic, I present Eleanor Leftwich — a woman who singlehandedly keeps the vintage market thriving and does not fear bold colors — who has established a namesake brand around “helping multi-hyphenate women build a beautiful (and sustainable) wardrobe of sophisticated but easy to wear pieces” … which she calls The Uniform.

Something writer Alice Gregory wrote on the J. Crew blog over a decade ago — proving I not only live for the uniform life, but her words have been living rent-free in my head forever as they mirror the journey in my forthcoming fashion essay collection): “If there’s ever a time to buy impractical shoes, wear revealing tops or make regrettable purchases, it’s when you’re young…Until very recently, I didn’t feel old enough to wear the same thing every day…But young adulthood is also a time when, by virtue of the mere absence of wrinkles and grey hair, one projects very little power. It’s hard to be taken seriously without the visible symptoms of experience…There is a purpose to each item, and with each item comes the implication of superiority…And nobody thinks of a person who wears the same thing every day as unstylish. Rather, it’s simply a classification that does not apply.”

Whether you call it a uniform, capsule collection or simply the essentials, there is luxury in paring back. Less chaos in the closet affords more creativity and abundance in your life.

Stylish Reads

Perfect in this gift giving season. Especially if you have a one for you, one for me strategy.

Fashion First by Diane Keaton

As the “Wrong Looks” section of this book is Keaton’s favorite — “The more we worked on the book we found humor in my choices. I mean hysterics. This is probably my favorite chapter. If we can’t laugh at ourselves, what is life about?” — the more we can laugh at what led us to our own style today.

When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion by Julie Satow

The stylish account of three visionary women who trailblazed through the golden age of the American Department Store.

Diane Von Furstenberg: Woman Before Fashion

DVF once told Women’s Wear Daily that her jersey dresses are “uniforms for women in charge” and friends in a women’s closet. This book is a brilliant tribute to the designer’s vision and feminist philosophy that she still embodies today, 50 years after the launch of the wrap dress.

Banner Photos: Frazer Harrison and JP Yim for Getty Images