Will Fashion Make You Happy? The Dopamine Dressing Guide

Valentino's AW22 show made us look at the world through rose-coloured glasses, while we fall head over heels for green time and time again, due to Bottega Veneta. You might be familiar with the concept of 'dopamine dressing' or have never heard of such. The trend that started on Instagram is being elevated on the best runways, more than enough reason to talk about it. Below we'll tell you how you can dress yourself happy and give you some insight into our playful favourites for spring 2022.

What is Dopamine Dressing?

Can clothes make you happy? Research shows that your obsession with fashion might not be as toxic as you thought. The concept of dopamine dressing draws from the idea that you can dress yourself in items that make you feel joy, consequently, you'll produce dopamine. Colour theory and speculation on the effect colours have on our mind state have existed for centuries. We believe that cool colours like light blue make us calm, while yellow gives us happy feelings for example. Psychologist Karen Pine believes that materials, shapes, and textures have the ability to change our thoughts and emotional state. Researchers Hajo Adam and Adam D. Galinsky concluded that our clothing has a significant influence on our behaviour and mood, the duo introduced the term 'enclothed cognition' in 2012. You have most likely experienced a great example of enclothed cognition during the pandemic. After dressing in loungewear for weeks, it is likely that your productivity declined or that you weren't motivated to get out of bed. People who dressed up in the morning proved to be fresher and more motivated when they installed themselves behind their laptops. We have enough reasons to dress ourselves to ecstasy.

The sudden desire for cheerful items isn't new, or strange. According to Maria Costantino – professor historical studies at London College of Fashion – people are inclined to dress provocative, flamboyant, or extravagantly after times of crisis. Mini-skirts and A-line dresses came into fashion after we had recovered from WWII, and women ditched corsets by the masses during the 'roaring twenties'.

Now that all covid-regulations have been discarded, and the sun is finally showing itself, we can go wild with our fashions. We are extremely excited about all the monochrome looks and colour-clashing prints we can style. Discover our selection of feel-good items below.

Green Tailoring

Thé trend colour of 2022. Green tailoring has already graced the collections of Bottega Veneta and Alexander McQueen. According to the principles of colour psychology, green gives us a feeling of health and personal growth. This blazer and tailored trousers by Christopher John Rogers cover you in a fresh-green hue from head to toe. The vegan leather co-ord by Nanushka sports a sage green colour, while Jacuemus created a neon-green double-breasted blazer. Go for a monochrome green look, or combine your green blazers and trousers with pink and lilac items.

Pink Dresses

Our childhood dreams have finally turned into reality, because there's nothing wrong with parading through life in a pink prince-or princess dress. Of course, you strut your stuff in one of Molly Goddard's layered pieces, or this poufy dress by Aje. More interested in a streamlined model? You'll find them at GANNI or 1017 ALYX 9SM.

By the way, the colour pink hasn't always been related to femininity. Boys were dressed in pink ensembles in the 19th century, while girls pranced around in blue and white. Nowadays, we associate pink with love, affection, and romance. This spring, you can choose to style a tonal pink look, or combine pink garments with red items and accessories.

Blue Shoes

Dress yourself in blue from head to toe, and don't forget your shoes! Depending on the hue, the colour is associated with stability, wisdom, and peace. We try our hardest to match our outfits to Yves Klein's blue and choose Bottega Veneta's Flash clogs. If you can't get Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night' out of your head, you can put your mind at ease with the navy-blue mules by The Attico. Would you rather be flushed away by Hokusai's 'The Big Wave of Kanagawa'? Miu Miu's platform sandals are patiently awaiting the first heatwave of 2022.

But let's put all the art references aside, and talk about the options for this season. You obviously combine blue with… blue. Choose between different hues, royal blue, pastel, or a greyish-blue tone.

Red Tops

Be fearless in red. We relate the colour to strength, action, and boldness. Wear a bright hue for a boost of confidence, or just to stand out. High on our wish list are the leather top by Manokhi, Marni's striped sweater, and this mesh blouse by Bottega Veneta. This season is all about combining red and pink, and if you really want to make a statement, you'll opt for an entirely red look.

Lilac Skirts and Trousers

'Very Peri' was announced as Pantone's colour of 2022. Flashing forward into the future, and referencing the transition into a digital space, made Pantone create the purple colour. The lilac prints by Raf Simons, Dodo Bar Or, and Emilio Pucci take us back to the '70s, while the shiny textiles in Prada and Issey Miyake's items ship us to the future. Naturally, you want to go tone-on-tone, but you can also combine this calming hue with similarly saturated tones, such as sage green.

Orange Bags

Orange has been on our radar for quite some time, we've seen the bright colour make an appearance on runways several times over the past few years. Prada, Off-White and STAUD launched entire orange looks, with accessories to match. We've got a few orange bags on the top of our wish lists. The vegan leather bag by Nanushka and BY FAR's shoulder bag are our favourites, and we can't wait to wear them combined with orange tailoring, orange shoes and other orange accessories.

This article was written for FARFETCH, see the original, Dutch, version here