Dopamine Dressing

Dopamin Dressing

Have you heard this new buzz phrase? 

I love it!

I have been dopamine dressing for years now, and have purposely done so for my mental health, but didn't realise it's an actual thing! According to Grazia magazine, fashion psychologists (I had never heard of this either- and I definitely want to learn more) have been researching the topic since 2012.

Dopamine dressing is about wearing clothes for a feel good factor, items that might release some endorphins to increase our mental well-being. Dopamin dressing is the biggest fashion trend for 2022. We have had a 'miserable' couple of years, and not had much chance to go out, so people can get out of their 'athleisure wear', and have a purpose to dress up again. 

The dopamin fashions which have filled the catwalks, are brightly coloured garments, mostly in block colour. I have been doing some 'colour therapy' training lately, and can share with you, some of my findings as to what colour can do for our moods. For example, green is a calming colour, which represents balance, mostly because of its association with nature; just think about how a rural area makes you feel when you immerse yourself in it. Colour Therapy, is an alternative healing practice, it can be done in the form of light therapy, art and music, and in breathing and meditation, and others.

So, although the big designers are selling bright clothes of as dopamine dressing, wearing bright and bold colours isn't for everyone. Maybe a feel good factor to you, is a pastel shade that holds memories from childhood, perhaps blending in is a feel good factor for you, so you prefer greys and beiges. 

House of holland Red silk suit

I was listening to a pod cast with Henry Holland recently, and he commented that a psychological study was done, and 'grey marl', was proven to be peoples favourite colour for wearing to feel secure, and comforted. I can't find this study, but I would hazard a guess its because it is very insignificant colour, and you blend into any where without being noticed. This was the original colour of sports wear too, which most people would wear as athleisure at home.

Dopamine dressing, doesn't have to be all about colour, it could be to do with the cut of the clothing. For example, you may feel happier wearing loose fitting clothes, as it relaxes you, and puts you in a good mood, equally, someone may chose some killer heels, because it makes them feel taller, and therefore perhaps more confident, which makes them feel better about themselves.

Henry also commented; "its [fashion] has always been a form of escapism.......and expression" , and we can do this by choosing the colour we wear. I totally agree, in my [fashion] college days, I wore a lot of black, choosing silhouette and shape over colour, these days I am mostly dressed in colour, especially in the summer, the brighter the better for me. However, being a natural extrovert, I am happy to stand out in the crowd, and not be phased by it.

So it is personal to you, so not necessarily bright bold colour as many wouldn't feel comfortable with that our clothing alters how we think and act.

You can use colour in colour in your wardrobe in a couple of ways, you may want to wear a colour to make you feel a certain way, or you might want to portray yourself in acertain way, for example, you may be drawn to yellow because it makes you feel happy and carefree, but you might wear navy, to make you look more conservative, for an interview perhaps. Here are a few ideas as to how colours can make you feel:-

Orange can make you feel energized and enthusiastic and it will draw attention to you, which is what red does too, but too much red can feel aggressive. 

Blue is a safe and relaxing colour, like green it is abundant in nature, but too much can feel cold, the more purple blue becomes, the more warming, purple is for the creativity, and can be quite spiritual. 

Here are some of my favourite dopamin clothes I have made, and why they appeal to me.

Dusty

I made 'Dusty' a few years ago now, and sold her to a woman that was going to to a Star Trek convention, she wanted to stand out from the crowd, and look authentically sixties. I used a vintage pattern, to create this dress, and true vintage fabrics of pink corduroy, and an orange and pink geometric cotton print cloth. This design came about, because I loved these two cloths, but only has small pieces of them, so I chose this design as it has panels. I love 'clashing' bright colours together, this dress is music to me eyes.

Kiki - click to buy

Kiki is made from one of my all time favourite cloths that I have found, a silk rayon from a vintage fabric seller on ebay, who unfortunately is no longer trading. This true vintage cloth is pure psychedelic, and I fell in love as soon as I saw it. Again, there was only so much available, and didn't have quite enough to make a shift dress, so i made a reversible 'jerkin' instead. It is backed with a rich olive green satin, that enhances the pinks, purples and yellows of the front.

References and further reading

Henry Holland - BBC Sounds June 2020

PSYKHE Fashion

Grazia Magazine on Dopamine Dressing

The Metro on Dopamine Dressing 2022

The Guardian on Dopamine Dressing 2017

Carolyne Mair - Fashion Psychologist

Vogue article on dopamine dressing 2022