It’s true, I’ll admit it – I have a sort of addiction to clothes. And I’ve often worried a passion like that could be considered trivial or vain (why couldn’t I have an inherent affinity for humanitarian efforts or solving the world’s energy crisis instead). But, if you think about it, what we wear has such a strong impact on our lives psychologically. Really though, there are studies to prove it. Perhaps the reason I’m so passionate about fashion is because looking good is directly correlated to feeling good.
The ‘trial week’
So, in order to test this theory myself, I decided to really try when I got dressed for work every day for one whole week. I put on outfits that were actually well planned-out the night before, some included brand new pieces I had just purchased and almost all finished off with (semi)high heels.
With the exception of maybe my first month in the office, I hadn’t really put that much effort into what I wore to work. To be honest, I’m usually too sluggish to get up in time in the mornings to iron my clothes and pick out something awesome and trendy, so I tend to rely on basics, jeans and a leather jacket to get me by.
But, the compliments I got throughout this ‘trial week’ gave me such sense of validation and confidence. In fact, I couldn’t figure out how I had succumb to such lazy habits in the first place, especially since I’m super conscious about what I wear on the weekends. My seemingly new found sense of style (as I’m sure my coworkers saw it) had such a profound impact on my work ethic, relationships with colleagues and my tendency to feel creative.
The more comments I got about my outfits, the more I found myself noticing and complimenting others’, which made me feel even better. I was getting my work done quicker and was prouder of what I was accomplishing each day. I even sat up a little taller in my chair, felt less awkward about talking to people I normally wouldn’t engage with and was notably more self aware.
I could liken that feeling to acing a huge presentation, going on a really promising date or getting a flattering new hair cut – they all have a positive affect on your mood and personality.
Mood dressing
Perhaps the most difficult part of my experiment was maintaining my efforts even when I didn’t wake up in the best spirits – weather is more times than not a key factor in that. Usually I dress for my mood, which is why my winter wardrobe tends to be pretty dreary (I am not a fan of the East coast cold or snow). It’s interesting because we dress up for the days we are already feeling good and down for the days when we’re not, but what if instead of letting our clothes reflect our mood, we determined our mood through our clothes? Of course it’d be a bit of a challenge, but it would certainly pay off. You could potentially have more ‘good’ days simply because you started the morning by taking the time and effort to dress better.
What is dressing ‘better’?
Dressing better is less about what pieces you put on and more about how what you wear makes you feel. One of my all-time favorite outfits for a night out is super simple, but I love it because it suits my style very well and looks super flattering.
Research shows that ‘sad’ clothes tend to be ill-fitting and less colorful, while ‘happy’ clothes accentuate your best features and express personality. I believe it’s more about what gives you confidence versus what makes you self conscious – maybe for you that’s dressing in the latest trends, maybe it’s rebelling against mainstream fashion.
The best way to create a ‘better’ wardrobe is to purge all of the pieces that you don’t love and only buy new pieces that you’re 100% convinced on. It’s been proven that we correlate memories and emotions with certain clothes, so if some negative life event happened when you wore a certain piece, you may be flooded with those feelings when you put it on again. My advice is to get rid of anything that makes you feel subpar for whatever reason.
The Facts
Maybe the coolest thing I learned through my research is that dressing like a specific person makes you more likely to embody their qualities. That means there’s merit to the whole “dress for the job you want” theory. Wearing activewear even makes you more likely to work out. It’s as if we feel obligated to live up to the expectations of the outfit we put on. That could be why every time I try to work from home in sweats, I don’t get much done – my clothes are telling me to be lazy and comfortable.
Aside from altering the way you see yourself, there’s no doubt that clothes also determine people’s first impression of you. Someone that seems to pay special attention to the way they dress comes across as more detail oriented, confident, creative and successful. It’s a good thing to keep in mind when going on a job interview or first date.
So, there is in fact a cognitive reason that clothes really do matter (and proof that most stylists probably have an innate psychological acuteness).
