We’ve all been through it – a panicky, last-minute, clothes-throwing frenzy of ‘what to wear’ melt-down – the wardrobe crisis! Well, New York-based Matilda Kahl has the solution and has caused a media frenzy after admitting to wearing the same outfit to he creative advertising job, every day for the past three years. Here’s why…
It all started with a wardrobe crisis one morning before the 27-year-old Swede was on her way to a “reasonably important” meeting at her creative job at advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi. Matilda was in a ‘can’t find anything to wear’ panic and was questioning every single item of clothing she owned. The moment she reached the subway, she regretted the choice she’d made, was late into work and realised that her jumper was inside out.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Matilda said that upon arriving at work she “just stood there – paralysed but the fact that I was not only late, but unprepared.”
So what did she do? She took control and simplified her wardrobe to a uniform of black pants and 15 white silk shirt. She literally took the decision of what to wear – and the stress – out of her every morning.
Images from Instagram
Matilda said that gender equality issues were a significant part of her decision as she felt her male counterparts were taken seriously regardless of their work attire, while women were expected to be flawlessly presented all the time and mix up their fashion choices. She told Harper’s “Here, we ultimately end up with an unscalable mountain of high expectations.” And here’s another contradiction, it’s fine for men to wear the same suit to work everyday, but Kahl found that after making her choice, there were mixed reactions – some people even asked if she was in a sect!
“I have no clue how the idea of a work uniform came to me, but soon, the solution to my woes came in the form of 15 silk white shirts and a few black trousers”, she said. Of course, she puts her own personal stamp with a black leather neck tie she wears with the shirts, and adds a black leather jacket or coat for colder weather.
Not only is she saving time, stress and hassle, but Kahl said that once she found her classic white shirt, she bulk-purchased 15 of them – and bargained down the price. This is one savvy lady!
What do you think about women choosing to have a work wardrobe when they can wear whatever they like? What about the double-standard that seems to exist for men and women? Join the debate in the comments section below…
