Designer Uniforms: The Outfits These 13 Fashion Visionaries Wear Every Single Day

Clothing, Blue, Sleeve, Textile, Standing, Waist, Formal wear, Uniform, Collar, Pattern,

(Image credit: Getty, design by Katja Cho)

published 21 March 2016

Is there a direct relationship between how flamboyantly fashion designers dress and how beautiful the clothes they make are? Judge for yourself straight ahead, where we present the full range of uniforms these créateurs de luxe wear.

1/39

Tom Ford

The look: A trim suit, white shirt, and not a laser-precision-trimmed hair out of place. Not even at the airport.

2/39

Tom Ford in front of a wall

3/39

Tom Ford in front of another wall

4/39

Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel

The look: Rococo Gothic undertaker but chic and accessorized.

5/39

Karl Lagerfeld staring into your soul

6/39

Karl Lagerfeld inside a children's pop-up book

7/39

Alexander Wang

The look: Outwardly the standard-issue T-shirt and dark denim, but, like, how does he get it to drape like that? Because that's his job?

8/39

Alexander Wang on a sidewalk

9/39

Alexander Wang at a movie premiere

10/39

Phoebe Philo of Céline

The look: Infuriatingly, effortlessly chic in A SWEATER AND TROUSERS.

11/39

Phoebe Philo sitting

12/39

Phoebe Philo from far away

13/39

Marc Jacobs

The look: It used to be a white shirt and a skirt-y bottom of some sort. Now that he's mellowed out a bit, it's a white shirt and a regular dark suit.

14/39

Marc Jacobs on a step-and-repeat

15/39

Marc Jacobs about to lose a sword fight

16/39

Thom Browne

The look: Like the 37th von Trapp kid if he had access to a tailor who wasn't prone to getting scissor-happy with the curtains. (In case you're worried he'll catch a cold, he switches out the shorts for capris in colder weather.)

17/39

Thom Browne with some molding

18/39

Thom Browne on the runway

19/39

Michael Kors

The look: Black suit, black T-shirt, sneakers, bright-white smile.

20/39

Michael Kors taking a bow

21/39

Michael Kors walking with joy

22/39

Prabal Gurung

The look: American teenager with Equinox membership, circa 1950.

23/39

Prabal Gurung with his trademark smirk

24/39

Prabal Gurung, relieved

25/39

Alber Elbaz, formerly of Lanvin

The look: One of the few huggable adult characters in an Eloise book.

26/39

Alber Elbaz contemplating

27/39

Alber Elbaz with velvet bow tie

28/39

Jason Wu

The look: Pretty much the same T-shirt and jeans as his counterparts but navy. So much less severe.

29/39

Jason Wu in front of some greenery

30/39

Jason Wu with a coordinating wall color

31/39

Vera Wang

The look: Drapey, layered, and always, always black.

32/39

Vera Wang with sunglasses

33/39

Vera Wang on a red carpet

34/39

Riccardo Tisci

The look: All-black athleisure.

35/39

Riccardo Tisci surprised to have his picture taken

36/39

Riccardo Tisci inside a Richard Serra sculpture

37/39

Carolina Herrera

The look: White shirt, dark skirt, sometimes a popped collar—the society lady's version, of course.

38/39

Carolina Herrera surrendering

39/39

Carolina Herrera in a closet

Chelsea Peng is a writer and editor who was formerly the assistant editor at MarieClaire.com. She's also worked for The Strategist and Refinery29, and is a graduate of Northwestern University. On her tombstone, she would like a GIF of herself that's better than the one that already exists on the Internet and a free fro-yo machine. Besides frozen dairy products, she's into pirates, carbs, Balzac, and snacking so hard she has to go lie down.