There was an interesting discussion about mood dressing on our forum recently. The upshot was that uniform dressing is the antithesis of mood dressing. They are on opposite ends of a spectrum, with all sorts of variations in between. 

You are on Team Mood Dresser if you dress according to your current moods and emotions. For example, you’re under the weather so you choose a soft, cosy, sentimental and relaxed outfit. You’re feeling confident, positive and powerful so you choose a form-fitting dress in your best colour, killer boots, and top it off with a leopard coat. You’re feeling romantic, feminine and serene which means it’s florals, flounces, or a swooshing dress for the day. You’re feeling playful, energetic and cheeky, which means hectic pattern mixing is dead right. You’re feeling unsociable yet dramatic, so it’s back to black, black and more black. Or you’re serious, professional and intense, opting for dark, tailored and somewhat severe clothing for the day.

The second way you could be a mood dresser is by choosing an outfit to put you into the mood of choice. You might wear a tailored jeans-blazer-boots outfit because it makes you feel invincible. You wear bright colours and fun patterns to lift your spirits on a down, tired or grey day. You’re remixing stripes, florals and animal print to get your creative juices flowing for the day. You’re anxious and need a calming and soothing look, which means falling back on good old blue and white.

You’re on Team Uniform Dresser when your moods and emotions do not affect what you wear during the day, and what you wear does not impact your mood or emotions. You have a few defined outfit combinations for the season and run with them regardless of mood swings and emotions. You can plan your outfits well in advance and stick to the plan because, despite your feelings, what you wear won’t affect your mood.

Of course, both ends of the continuum are extreme and many of us would probably pick a position along the continuum instead. Which end do you tend to more? I’ll go first.

I bat for Team Mood Dresser. Unless I’m packing a travel capsule, I cannot plan a week’s outfits in advance because I need to pander to my current mood and emotions when I choose an outfit in the morning. I don’t have uniforms, and tend to mix things up a lot in silhouette and colour. My happy colours and favourite patterns effectively lift my spirits and energize me on a sad and tired day. Punchier and unusual outfit combinations arise when I’m in a creative, relaxed, care-free and spontaneous mood. I often wear a dress or skirt when I’m feeling extra confident and alluring. I wear shades of white when I’m feeling calm and high-energy. I wear brights and high-contrast neutrals when I’m feeling powerful, happy and positive, OR to make me feel powerful, happy and positive. I usually wear tonal dark outfits without high contrast when I want to blend into my surroundings, feel less social, and have a quiet day.

I’m VERY curious to hear your thoughts and preferences. Do you bat for Team Mood Dresser or Team Uniform Dresser? Tell us why and no batting for both teams. But if you can’t pick a side, feel free to hang out on the beach where I’m serving homemade cheeseless vegetarian pizza on a wholewheat base with spicy honey onions, eggplant and red peppers. Salad on the side, and strawberries and cream for dessert.