An Article By Andromeda Renia-Karoni
From a standard school uniform, to a set work outfit, obligated outfits can feel like the killer of personal style and creativity. But they don’t have to be….
In this article I will showcase various ways to incorporate personal style into mandatory outfits, and hopefully spark creativity within you for even more ideas to add on to this.
Personally, I never had pre-chosen or mandated outfits at school. Everyone could wear whatever they wanted (though it had to be modest). That offered a lot of freedom, but excluded the aspect of equality that comes with mandatory schoolwear. A fixed uniform is really useful for equality, the money gap between peers is not seen. But also the aspect of wearing a ´´good´´ outfit is taken away, it becomes a simple routine to just put on your morning outfit, instead of stressing about what you are going to wear. A uniform really challenges you to differentiate and work with your creativity. Think of something like tying your tie a different way, or instead using it as a belt for your skirt instead of a tie. Or maybe adding emblems or studs to your blazer, while within the blazer, adding a lace top underneath or a semi-transparent top above the prescribed blouse. Perhaps a small pin to be clipped anywhere on your outfit. And not to forget the most important part of personalization: jewellery. I feel like jewellry really tells you something about the wearer, often religion can be incorporated in jewellry, but many people also wear vintage jewellry that used to belong to a family member. You get a good glimpse of someones personal style through their jewellry choices. Jewellry is something that really can pull an outfit to a different level.
To use myself as an example: I work in a Hardware store where we all wear the same tops and have to have work shoes (iron nose of the shoe). Reading this you may think, how could you possibly make this cute? Let me tell you, it’s taken a few steps, but now I truly enjoy wearing my work outfits now and working in my own style.
Step 1: Makeup
Since the job is not in a cosmetic store, I don’t always have to look my best, but really enjoy working when my makeup is good. I have noticed that when I do edgy eyeliner or add eyeshadow, customers notice and I get compliments on it. My favourite encounter was a grandpa telling me he noticed that every time he’s come to the store and I help him, I am wearing my signature eyeliner, and he likes my dedication to wearing it so consistently. It’s these little things that really cheer you up and make you feel like you have your own vibe and style. So my tip is to experiment with makeup and really use it the way you want to. Try different makeup styles, match eyeshadow to your outfit, try graphic eyeliner. Experiment with makeup and find what makes you feel the most you.
Step 2: Layering and swapping
We have work pants (cargo’s) that we can wear, or you can wear your own jeans. My confidence goes through the roof when I wear my low waist jeans, in comparison to the standard and very unflattering jeans of the company. In the winter we have a nice warm work vest we get to wear, and I have a pair of jeans in the exact shade. Wearing a monochrome blue outfit in the exact same shade really makes me feel put together. I also have a skims dupe top in the exact same colour, that I wear with the vest half open/ half closed. I always stay within the guidelines of the dress code, but notice that I feel more confident and that my outfit is different from the “standard” one.
Step 3: Hair
With us it is always a good idea to have your hair up to prevent it from getting caught in equipment. I often try to wear my hair differently every week. Partly because I love experimenting and trying new things, but also because I notice that wearing my hair differently changes the vibe of the outfit, and really adds that personal dimension to it. It may take longer than always wearing your hair the same way, but the change that a different hairstyle makes to an outfit is insane (and so worth it).
Step 4: Jewellery
This is what takes me the longest to figure out, but what I feel like really showcases my style and vibe. I love piercings (and have a few), along with all kinds of jewellery. I always wear my standard piercings, but love switching up my earrings in my first holes, as well as my rings. Stacking bracelets and specifically chunky bracelets/ statement bracelets really makes me feel confident whilst working. The stereotype of having to look plain/ not wearing any type of jewellery is definitely not something I do at work. I often get compliments from customers on my chosen jewellery, and that gives me a boost.
A real life example of personalization; on second Christmas day the store is open, and me and my friend were put to work. We decided to wear faux antlers on our head, don deer makeup and put on our normal work clothes. All the customers and our co-workers loved it, we stayed within the rules of forced uniform, but with accessories and makeup really gave it a cheerful twist for the holidays.
We hope that this article ignited some creative spark within you as a reader to add a personal twist to your standard outfits, but also that you learned that standard uniforms do not have to be standard or boring. Personal style can always come through.
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