atilda Kahl decided to simplify her office clothing decisions: "The solution to my woes came in the form of 15 silk white shirts and a few black trousers."

New York-based ad creative Matilda Kahl has become an overnight sartorial sensation.

Why? Well, because she admitted to wearing the same outfit to her job each workday for the past three years.

As she points out in a Harper's Bazaar article on the topic, as an art director for leading agency Saatchi & Saatchi she can wear whatever she likes, but she chooses to wear black trousers and one of her 15 white silk shirts.

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It all started one Monday morning when the Swedish-born 27-year-old was stressing about her clothing choice. She had a "reasonably important" meeting to go to and was questioning each piece of clothing she considered.

She regretted the outfit she had chosen the moment she reached the subway, then, when she got to the office, she was late and realised her sweater was inside out.

"I just stood there - paralysed by the fact that I was not only late, but unprepared," Kahl said.

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"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."

For personal detail she added a custom-made black leather rosette around her neck. In colder months she adds a black leather jacket or black blazer.

While it was fine for men to wear a suit to work every day, her decision led to a range of mixed reactions, she said. Many people asked why she made the choice, and some even wondered if she was in a sect.



When she read an article on Mashable last November about the reason successful men wore the same outfit to work every day she felt vindicated, to some extent.



"My work ensemble didn't come off as a mystery any more. On the downside, I couldn't help but notice that it appeared as if I needed a male authority to legitimatise my choice of clothing in order for others to truly accept it."

Nevertheless, her decision to wear a work uniform was an important daily reminder that "frankly, I'm in control".

Since being published 10 days ago, Kahl's article has been shared 80,400 times. She told Adweek that the response has been overwhelming.

"I could never have imagined it would take off the way it has."

Answering questions about the story, Kahl said she had only very recently replaced the original shirts after three years of wear and tear had taken its toll.

When she found her new "hero" shirt, she ordered 15 of them, negotiating a price reduction in the process (bulk buy).

Stuff.co.nz