Smash Cult: What's your uniform?

Angelina Jolie

The other day I was standing in front of my closet and wondering what to wear that day. It wasn't a work out day, so no work out gear and no excuses to don the same old ratty t-shirt, stretchy black pants and Nikes. It was a regular day, with work followed by coffee with a friend, followed by errands, school pick-up, swimming lessons for my boys, cooking, drawn-out bed time, meeting at school with new parents, then crashing. So, basically, not dressy, not sloppy. And what did I end up with? A pair of distressed jeans, white t-shirt, cardigan, oversized military-style jacket and sneakers. Always the same. It's my go-to outfit, the one I feel comfortable in, but that doesn't particularly scream sophistication. Not that I care too much. My priority is comfort. If I wanted to dress the outfit up, I'd probably wear heels and add chunky earrings.

I've noticed that I'm not the only one who has a daily uniform. Angelina Jolie seems to wear all black in absolutely every candid shot of her; US Vogue's Anna Wintour turns to fur, big sunglasses, twin sets, Manolo's and a statement necklace; Karl Lagerfeld hasn't been photographed in anything other than his wing-collared white shirt, black jacket and skinny pants, black sunglasses and driving gloves; Jenna Lyons of J Crew fame almost exclusively wears patterned pants, stand-out separates and those trademark black-rimmed glasses; French Vogue's Emmanuelle Alt always dons a pair of black or white skinny jeans, baggy T-shirt or men's button-down, with or without a blazer, and sexy heels.

No matter what, personal style - that uniform, if you will - does not bend to the will or dictates of the trends espoused by fashion designers and editors. It has taken me a long time to accept that I will always dress/look a certain way, that my style is not to please others, only myself. I may not always be on trend - I regard it as simple luck when something I've loved for years, like my leopard print scarf, is suddenly hot - but I feel like myself, and that's what counts.

So how about you guys? Do you have a uniform? And what exactly is it?