The other day, my friend Isabel sent me a link to a Harper’s Bazaar story by a woman who wears the same thing to work every day to reduce stress in her life. It’s an interesting concept, and I can certainly understand why it would be appealing. I can’t even tell you the number of times I’ve tried on and rejected 5 or 6 outfits before finally finding the right one in the morning. But I don’t think I’d ever be able to commit to just one outfit or even one color palette.

What I have committed to, without totally realizing it, is this style of dress. I’ve been wearing this dresses made like this for more than a decade, and this particular one has been on heavy rotation for at least the past three years. Since it’s gray, it goes with tons of different colors, and it works with or without a cardigan or jacket, with a statement necklace or belt, with or without tights, and with heels or flats. Plus, it has pockets, and the gray works pretty well with my newly silvery hair, I think.

One thing that makes getting dressed for work such a challenge for me — and would also be a problem if I tried to create my own daily uniform — is that when I’m not sitting in my house at my desk, I’m walking around outside, sometimes in the desert or mud or snow, and sometimes on a ship or tarmac of some kind. The day I wore this outfit, I had to walk up (and down, eventually) some really steep ramps inside a big Navy ship, and stand and walk around on the flight deck during a ceremony. Luckily, these shoes were great, because they’re probably the most comfortable heels I own, and they stay on without sliding off, even on a ramp. They’re even OK on cobblestones, though I had to get them re-soled after one particularly long trek through Old Town Alexandria.

What do y’all think about committing to wear the same thing every day, if you aren’t already required to wear a uniform for work? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it in the comments.

Outfit details: Dress: Madewell (old, similar style here), Sweater: Anthropologie (no longer available, but this one and this one are cute), Shoes: Anthropologie (old), Bag: Kate Spade (old, similar on sale), Earrings: Purchased in Italy, Bracelet: Henri Bendel (similar, similar), Nail polish: Butter London “Sprog”