Dopamine dressing is the new buzzword all through fashion magazines and online, in simple terms it just means dressing in a way which boosts your mood! This could be through wearing bright colours or patterns which spark joy, or through wearing clothing which brings about happy memories.
Kirsteen in her signature bright styles, with the new Indigo flux slip dress on the left.
However, recently there has been some negative associations around the term ‘dopamine hits’. Dopamine is a happy hormone, it’s an important part of your brain’s reward system and promotes positive feelings. Rather than having ‘hits’, it’s important to keep a steady amount and have prolonged benefits, which can be brought about through your diet, through engaging in activities that make you feel happy or relaxed, or even through the way you dress!
Colour Theory
Colour theory can come into play here as well. Warm colours such as reds, oranges and yellows inspire and can encourage confidence. The brightness of the hues are reminiscent of summer – a bright yellow actually has been proven to help produce serotonin in the brain, another beneficial hormone!
Cooler colours, greens and blues, give off a more calming and soothing effect. This may be because of them being such natural colours, especially here in Orkney being dominant in most landscapes. According to a European university study, green can actually give off a positive energy to balance and boost your mood.
Trends or no trends
These colours are proven to be beneficial and uplifting, however dopamine dressing is not just all about colour. It revolves around the idea that what works for you might be completely different to what works for your neighbour. It goes against trends and encourages the idea that you should wear what makes you specifically happy, whether it’s currently fashionable and trendy or not.
I think @_diydaisy on Instagram is a brilliant example and promoter of dressing for joy, just look at all those colours!
Dressing for comfort
It’s also about not putting pressure on yourself or setting yourself restrictions. Wearing what you feel most comfortable in, not caring about how you look to the outside world and feeling good!
We love to match nails to an outfit, with comfy Urban Outfitters velvet trousers and trusty Crocs!
Relaxed fit Asos trousers paired with the staple white low-top Converse.