“Clothes are the closest thing to our bodies; they’re our second skin,” says Dr. Carolyn Mair, a cognitive psychologist who founded the Psychology of Fashion department at the London College of Fashion. This intimate connection between what we wear and our psyche is the essence of the concept of enclothed cognition. When we dress, we don’t just cover our bodies; we wrap ourselves in layers of identity, confidence, and emotion. Each piece of clothing we choose acts as psychological shield, influencing how we perceive ourselves and, in turn, how others perceive us. That’s why we all have a favourite moth-eaten cashmere sweater or an ancient pair of jeans we slide into for instant comfort when we’re feeling down. Or reach out for that masterfully tailored jacket when we want to be perceived as being in a position of authority. Consider the white lab coat some doctors don. Or not. Who do you trust the most during a medical appointment?
There is a very strong connection between the items of clothing we choose, and how we feel. It’s important to recognize the psychological impacts of fashion because it’s what allows us to make choices that can positively impact our mental health. By being aware of how different styles, colours, and fits affect our mood and self-perception, we can use fashion as a tool for self-care and emotional well-being.
Fashion’s Hidden Power: How What You Wear Shapes Your Mood, Confidence, and Well-Being
“When we meet a new client, explains Max Valmont, Co-Founder and Personal Stylist from Les Deux X Stylisme Privé, a personal styling agency based in Montreal, one of the first things we ask them is the image they want to project. Do they have specific goals they haven’t met, yet? And it doesn’t even have to do with fashion. It can be something like finding a new partner or landing that dream job. We need to know how people are feeling about their life, in general, to be able to guide them when it comes to choosing the right clothing and finding their style. And talking about fashion and mental health is one of the pillars of our agency.”
Up until very recently, the majority of fashion magazines were mainly focused on trends and the aesthetic aspect of clothing and accessories. But we are now beginning to understand the relationship we have with clothes is much more complex than that. And finding our own personal style to harness that power has become more important than ever, in navigating the world around us.
When we adorn ourselves with clothing that makes us feel stunning, boosting our self-confidence in the process, we experience a surge of positive emotions. Ask anyone who’s ever been to a cocktail party wearing an incredible gown. The act of dressing up can elevate our mood, well-being, and even improve our overall mental health.
Beautiful clothing and accessories serve as a form of self-expression, allowing us to showcase our unique personalities and creativity. By choosing outfits that resonate with our inner selves, we create a harmonious connection between our appearance and our emotions. So, next time you pick out that stunning dress or those statement earrings, remember that you’re not just enhancing your look—you’re nurturing your mental well-being.
By contrast, as much as fashion can be about a powerful form of self-care that can significantly boost mental health, the choices we make to please others, or to try to fit in, can be disastrous for our mental health. The term that comes to mind immediately is ‘fashion victim.’ And it’s far from being superfluous. The implications and ramifications of dressing to please others are both psychologically painful and they leave scars.
Are You a Fashion Victim? The Hidden Psychological Toll of Chasing Trends
Although the term fashion victim became ultra-popular in the eighties and nineties — and had a quasi-comical ring to it — at the time when consumer society jump-started the noxious cascading effect of purchasing fashion items, not necessarily to clothe oneself but as an instrument of power and a symbol of vast discretionary amounts of money (provided through easy credit, or not), the expression has actually been used as far as the middle of the 19th century. But it was truly during the seventies when the term started appearing regularly in the fashion press as a cautionary tale, serving as a reminder to balance what’s trending with personal style.
Alexandra Fusco, who has been a senior fashion designer for the last five years of her career and is also a content creator on Instagram under the name Alextangerine, understands the dichotomy between loving fashion and being a slave to every new trend that pops out. However, according to her, fashion can be detrimental to one’s mental health, “particularly for certain types of people who might have some kind of underlying trauma, these are the people who feel the need to rush and try out the new everything, which ultimately leads to overconsumption. I personally think it’s a disorder to buy new stuff all the time. But when someone owns their personal style and is using new fashion items and ideas to communicate their own sense of style, I think it’s fantastic! So there are definitely two sides to the question: ‘Is fashion good for your mental health?’”
“The body is meant to be celebrated in all its many forms,” reminds us Max Valmont. “As a personal stylist, it’s important for me to enhance what the client likes and just forget about what they don’t like about their shape. What’s great about fashion is that is offers tools to tell a story without saying a word. You do it for yourself, first and foremost, to create the narrative of your style. That to me is one of the most important qualities of fashion.”
Don’t know what to say, or how to express it? Get coached by a professional fashion stylist to extract exactly what you want out of garments and accessories!
The Wellness of Wardrobe: How Fashion Boosts Mental and Emotional Health
If anyone says fashion is superficial, it’s because they have yet failed to understand the intimate connection between clothing, personal identity and emotional well-being. The clothes we choose to wear are (very) often a reflection of our inner selves, offering the outside world and strangers insight into our moods, feelings, and personalities. For many, getting dressed is more than a mundane routine—it’s an intentional act of self-expression. Rebellion, in some cases. Or acting out a character, depending on the days, in your own life. I like to call it The Art of Being Alive.
As anyone remotely interested in the field of communication arts can attest, fashion is one of the most important tools for non-verbal communication, allowing individuals to showcase their authentic selves in a way that words sometimes cannot. Just think about how the colour pink and a rainbow now are vehicles of LGBTQ rights.
In communication theory, both pink and the rainbow can be understood as signifiers and signified through the lens of semiotics, where they convey culturally constructed meanings.
The colour pink itself, whether seen in clothing, objects, or imagery, is the signifier. It’s the physical or visual form we recognize with our senses. The meanings or concepts associated with pink can vary depending on context and culture. Traditionally in Western societies, pink is often linked to femininity, tenderness, or childhood. In recent years, however, it has also taken on new associations with gender neutrality, empowerment (such as in feminist movements). So, pink signifies various ideas depending on the cultural and situational context. https://www.fashionbeautyrunway.ca/articles/fashion/is-millennial-pink-still-a-magical-thing
The rainbow also has multiple culturally constructed meanings. It might symbolize diversity and inclusion, most famously in its association with the LGBTQ+ community where it represents pride and the celebration of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.
In both examples, the connection between the signifier (the colour pink or the rainbow) and the signified (the cultural meanings like femininity or LGBTQ+ pride) is arbitrary—there’s no natural or inherent link between these signs and their meanings. The meanings are created and shaped by cultural and social contexts, showing how signifiers and signified work together to communicate deeper, often nuanced messages in society.
Along the same lines of feel-good fashion is dopamine dressing, the concept that underscores the psychological benefits of fashion. This is the practice of wearing clothes that make you feel happy, confident, or energized. Research shows that certain colours, textures, and styles can trigger the release of dopamine, the brain’s “feel-good” hormone, elevating mood and enhancing overall well-being. Bright colours, bold patterns, or even an outfit that holds sentimental value can all be used as a form of self-care, actively improving mental health.
For those who claim fashion is superficial, they may be overlooking how deeply tied it is to our self-perception and emotional state. Clothing, far from being trivial, plays a pivotal role in how we navigate our daily lives, making it a vital element of self-identity and emotional resilience.
So, what’s the story your outfit is telling about yourself, today?
