Don't you feel that people these days are becoming more and more homogeneous? You go into a lot of offices and unless it's a bank or a sales office, you will see men wearing slacks, worn leather shoes and a striped shirt most often not inserted into their pants. Women will be wearing slacks, flats (very rarely heels these days) or some comfortable but horrible looking platforms (think fitflops). And they were these things EVERYDAY. You wear a dress or a skirt? You're the frou-frou employee or the girly-girl. You wear heels and you're the hooker.

Some days I look at the rushing throng of people in my part of Makati and see them like the picture up top. Very few wear a blazer or some sort of jacket that doesn't have Adidas or some other sport label on them. You know, that business-like jacket or blazer that emphasizes a woman's form. They all just form a big, ugly blob of similar looking people. On Fridays, they wear a polo shirt (both men and women) jeans and flats or sneakers. Predictable. Excruciating. What's more is that sometimes, I allow myself into that blob. I know, it's kinda tiring to dress differently ALL the time.

And it doesn't take much to separate yourself from the blob. Wear a dressy skirt or a nice flattering day dress to work. Wear color combinations that do not include black. For example, white-purple-gray or light green and khaki. Pink and gray. Rose and sand. Ahhh endless! The black slacks and whatever collared shirt is so goddamned tiring already. Oh and tuck your clothes into your skirt or slacks. You look two notches professional if you do.

When it comes to clothes, I am totally against over-wearing. Meaning, the clothes you wear should be able to breathe and the fibers relax. If you launder them, say, weekly, they'll be fit for trash in a few months. So invest in clothing and allow at least two weeks before you wash and wear a piece of clothing. That means for work, having two or three blouses, button-down shirts, tank tops and matching blazers/jackets. Meaning around 10-12 pieces that you can wear interchangeably without wearing one twice in two weeks. Same goes for pants. I find it easier to have at least 4 pairs of slacks and same number for skirts. Or you can have a lesser number but with a thicker fabric so you can wear them twice and not have to wash them as often. The key here is not just fashion, it's longevity of your clothes.

Trust me, if you over-wear your clothes, I can probably make a graph and in a couple of weeks I can give a good estimate of what you will wear tomorrow. So you're going to be the girl who wears the blue striped button down shirt on Monday, the flowery peach one on Tuesday...The horror.

Oh but it's so expensive! Nope. Instead of buying your office clothes at Landmark or SM where it's Php350 a pop, go to ukay-ukay or online where you can get cheaper clothes. Your Php350 for a cheap mediocre shirt will be enough for two or three pieces with good fabric and style at thrift shops. You don't necessarily need brand new, only good quality clothes. AND sometimes, spend a little of that wad of cash you receive every fifteen days and buy yourself something decent from a good store. You owe it to yourself. Stop saving so much on that wedding that may or may not come. Leave the future in the future. It'll come, but not today. Today you've got yourself to take care of.