The "uniform" of today

I was waiting for Carol to arrive at the local coffee shop. With large floor to ceiling windows looking out into the mall, I watched as people went about shopping, stopping to chat and so on. It suddenly occurred to me that women particularly have taken up a “uniform” in clothing.

Apart from jeans and tee shirts, the majority of women are wearing hip length shirts - sometimes as a jacket over the ubiquitous tee shirt, with black pants. The more I looked, the more I saw the same.

I can remember as a young Mum with a teenage daughter that she and her friends were saying they didn’t want to wear a school uniform. “It wasn’t cool to look the same as everyone else”. It wasn’t fair that the school “made” them do so - they wanted to wear the clothes they chose. They got their own way.

She’s grown up now and has teenagers of her own. But something strange has happened. No longer does she wear "choices". I notice that she is now wearing this “middle-aged” uniform of a black tee shirt and black pants. Not only around the house but when she goes out, even to the cinema or theatre, having a BBQ or visiting neighbours. Always the same sort of outfit. Her entire wardrobe is made up of black tee shirts and black pants. I mentioned this “uniform look” to her the other day and she said, “Surely Mum, you can understand they’re more comfortable”. More comfortable than what? And just what does being comfortable have to do with wearing clothes that you like, maybe even better than tee shirts and black pants.

If women were only given the choice of wearing black or white tee shirts and black pants, they'd be screaming "we want choice".

Look, I’m not saying for one minute that black tee shirt and black pants aren't comfortable and practical, but let’s get a bigger perspective on “fashion”. For what appears to have happened is that the choices gained made all those years ago have now been put to one side and a new "uniform" has taken over. You can see it in women of all ages - young (even tweens), adult and elderly women.

Can’t we see the adventure in playing with colour and texture and design and style and fabric? Have a look around at the women in your shopping mall or coffee shop next time you go and see if you don’t agree with me.