What’s your style uniform?

Logo by SamAnyone who has ever had to wear a prescribed uniform for school, work, a sport, or as a member of an organization knows that it has its benefits. Wearing a uniform is a great equalizer and it eliminates questions about whether or not what you’re wearing is appropriate for the setting or the activity. A uniform can also be a form of identity shorthand. We know that a person is a police officer because of the uniform that he or she is wearing.

But what is a style uniform and how does it benefit you? Essentially, it’s a combination of clothing that you know you can always rely on and feel comfortable wearing. It’s an outfit formula that you wear consistently, that you look and feel good in, that represents who you are, and that is practical for your lifestyle. It doesn’t have to look the same every day, although it can if you want it to. Having a style uniform takes the stress out of dressing and frees up your brain to focus on other things.

It was the great philosopher, Socrates, who gave us the key to discovering our personal style uniform when he said, “Know thyself!” Considering your habits, the level of comfort you prefer, and the types of activities you participate in will help you define your uniform. This is also where your personal style adjectives come into play. Choosing three to five adjectives to describe your personal style can be very helpful in building a style uniform that says what you want to say about yourself. For example, I want my outfit to say that I’m classy, confident, comfortable, casual, and authentic.

My style uniform consists of pants (usually jeans or cords), a pullover top, a third piece (cardigan, blazer, denim shirt, etc), earrings, and depending on the time of year and whether there is snow on the ground or not, sneakers or boots. Of course, there are occasions when I dress differently, but this is what you’d find me wearing most days.

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Here’s what I’m wearing today. None of these pieces is new and all have appeared on the blog before. This combination works for my lifestyle. The sleeveless top made it easy to have blood taken at the hospital lab this morning and with the cardigan over top, it gave my on-screen presence a semi-professional look for my online tutoring session this afternoon. In my opinion, it looks classy, confident, comfortable, casual, and authentic and when it comes to style, it’s truly our own opinion that counts!

So, what’s your style uniform? Do you have one?

Sex or sport?

LogoI’m not really a sports fan, but one thing that has caught my attention recently is the controversy over uniforms. I know that this is a much talked about topic on social media this week, but I decided to add my two cents’ worth here.

The Norwegian women’s beach handball team garnered support from scores of fans when they protested the European Handball Federation’s misogynist rules by wearing shorts instead of the required bikini bottoms during a championship game against Spain at the European Beach Handball Championships in Bulgaria last week.

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The shorts that the women wore were deemed “improper” and the team was fined €1500! The second photo shows the approved uniform.

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Something is very wrong with this picture! According to the International Handball Federation regulations, “The beach handball female player’s uniform consists of tops and bikini bottoms…the women’s tops (a midriff design) must be close fitting…with deep cutaway armholes on the back. Female athletes must wear bikini bottoms…with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg. The side width must be a maximum of 10 centimetres.” On the other hand, the rules state that male players are to wear shorts, 10cm above the knee, that are not “too baggy”.

Maybe I’m just getting old and cranky, but I’m so tired of living in a world where there are different standards for men than for women; where women are admired first for their sex appeal and not for what they’re capable of doing.

Thankfully, I’m not the only one who feels this way. Shortly after the news broke, American singer and songwriter, Pink, took to Twitter to voice her support for the Norwegian women and promising to pay the fine on their behalf. While the European Handball Federation hasn’t backtracked and withdrawn the fine in response to the negative press, they have acknowledged the position taken by the players and announced that the fine will be donated to the Norwegian Handball Federation. They did not, however, state that fines wouldn’t be issued in the future.

The Norwegian gals aren’t the only ones to reject the sexualization of sport. Germany’s women’s gymnastics team is wearing full-body unitards at the Tokyo Olympics instead of the high-cut leotards worn by other teams. They first donned this new look in April at the European championships in Basel, Switzerland. At that time, the German Gymnastics Federation released a statement saying, “The aim is to present themselves aesthetically without feeling uncomfortable.” Perhaps the European Handball Federation needs to listen up! Gymnastics attire with full or half sleeves and leg coverings are allowed in competition, as long as the colour matches the leotard.

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The question is whether or not other elite athletes will follow suit (pun intended)? Change will only happen if the women themselves say “no more” to sexism in sport.

Ahoy!

LogoFor as long as I can remember, I’ve been fond of nautically inspired clothing. It probably goes back to my very early childhood spent on the coast of British Columbia where it wasn’t at all unusual to see sailors walking the streets in uniform. On leave from ships from around the world, they always seemed to be having such a good time.

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As a teenager, I was proud to wear my CGIT (Canadian Girls in Training) uniform which was clearly modelled after sailors’ attire. For those of you who aren’t familiar with CGIT, it’s a non-denominational Christian organization for girls in grades 7-12. Since 1915, it has provided girls with an opportunity to learn and practice leadership skills, self care, and social responsibility. As our purpose stated, it taught us to “cherish health, seek truth, know God, and serve others.” Perhaps this also influenced my fondness for the nautical look.

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Even my children were subjected to my love of sailor suits! Here are my oldest two in matching outfits that I made for them a very long time ago.

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I suppose it’s no wonder, then, that one of my favourite items in cabi’s Fall 2017 Collection is the Regiment Pullover.

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Reminiscent of the French sailors in their Breton stripes, the Regiment Pullover is a lightweight navy crewneck, featuring panels of sheer fabric down each side and under the arms. Thin horizontal stripes of light gray frame the side panels to create a flattering, slimming look. Here I’m wearing it with my anchor pendant from Nova Scotia’s Amos Pewter.

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