Black, White and Denim Blue
The Makings of a Designer’s Go-To Outfit
Rachel Ma is an Art Director and Designer in Toronto. She studied fine arts, worked in advertising agencies and dabbled in the tech startup world. Currently, Rachel is Creative Director at DesignedUX, a strategy & design firm serving customers globally.
What do you do as a Creative Director?
I help clients design their products, websites and applications from idea to development. This includes doing things like customer discovery, user stories, wireframes, UX/UI, high-fidelity design and user testing. I also help with visual branding, creative direction and content ideas from a marketing perspective.
What inspired you to go minimal?
Last year, my brother handed me a copy of Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and said, “It’s about a woman who talks to clothes.” (Obviously, it’s more than that but there is some talking to clothes). The book centres around this idea that a person shouldn’t keep anything that doesn’t “spark joy” regardless of how the item came into their life. I won’t lie—that really blew my mind. At the end of my tidying experience, I surprised myself with 14 garbage bags of things that sparked zero joy. FOURTEEN. I remember feeling the weight melt off my shoulders. Naturally, tidying my apartment had a huge impact on my closet and my clothing purchases.
How would you describe your go-to outfit?
My go-to outfit consists of black jeans, black top, denim button up shirt (worn open), white sneakers and a leather watch. I call it “girl meets boy, girl steals boy’s clothes, girl looks better than boy”. Just kidding. I don’t call it that but that’s how I feel when I’m wearing this outfit.
How does having personal uniform make you feel?
Sometimes it’s nice not to think about what to wear. It’s also nice to get an extra 15 minutes of sleep time in the morning which I’ll always take. I don’t think my personal uniform is particularly interesting or unique but I always feel comfortable and confident in it, and it shows. I truly believe confidence can make or break and outfit.
What’s important to you when looking for clothes for your uniform?
The most important thing I look for is the quality of fabric. I like cotton because it’s breathable, typically wears well and is easy to care for. I also look for intentional details that make that item stand out, small things like thread colour or fabric folds.
How did you decide that this was your uniform?
My uniform was born out of trial and error from traveling, specifically what to wear on the plane. A few years ago, I took a red-eye from Toronto to San Francisco and arrived straight into a meeting, luggage in hand. I happened to be wearing my go-to outfit and I remember looking in the bathroom mirror and thinking, “I’ve been wearing these clothes for 15 hours and I don’t look gross at all.” That’s when I knew my outfit was uniform worthy.
What are some important elements of your uniform?
There are 3 elements to my uniform: Simple, versatile and dark. Simple in colours (solids, no patterns), versatile from layering (denim shirt acts as a top or light jacket), and dark is the secret for hiding dirt (coffee can be an enemy). More importantly, these 3 elements allow me to swap out pieces and adapt it for wacky weather temperatures.
Did anyone inspire you when creating your style?
I’ve read that a lot of successful C-level types swear by a minimal wardrobe but I can’t say I’m truly inspired by anyone’s black turtleneck or crew neck t-shirt. I’m pretty sure I took this style from a fashion magazine or blog and decided to make a mental note to try it out.
How long do you see yourself wearing this style?
I don’t like to put a time limit on things that don’t need them. I think this style goes with my personality and current lifestyle pretty well. I’m happy with my go-to choices and don’t mind them sticking around for a while.
What’s your advice for people who are minimizing their closet?
To me, minimizing your closet means all your clothing, not just the ones in your bedroom. This includes items in other rooms, hallway closets, at your parents’ house—basically anywhere you keep your clothes. If you live in several cities or you’re bit of a nomad, you’ve probably mastered the art of living from a suitcase already so this won’t apply to you. I think the more of your “closet” you can a hold of and clean out in one go, the more likely you’ll keep it minimal in the long run because your wardrobe isn’t distributed in 10 places. I think clothes are a bit like people; they work better when they’re kept in close proximity of each other.
