Mood Dressing - YouLookFab Forum

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Mood Dressing

Anonymous

I read with interest every time Angie talks about "dressing her mood" or being "influenced by emotions." When I first started reading her comments, I had only a mere inkling about what she meant. Sure, I understood the words she wrote, but I didn't quite understand the underlying sentiment.

I'm not sure if I read her words enough for me to start to grasp the underlying meaning or if a dawning is taking place. But I am starting to understand.

What I still struggle with is how I can be such a different dresser. I must be the very antithesis of a mood dresser. Although color does affect me, nothing else seems to have an effect.

A part of me would like to be more of a mood dresser. Is that even possible or is it a personality thing? What does a mood dresser mean to you? Is it spontaneity? Is it a more relaxed whimsy? Could it be a larger, more diverse, wardrobe that allows one to play more?

Dressing

59 replies

Latest reply was from Runcarla

bridgie

Veteran

What I think it is NOT, larger, more diverse, wardrobe that allows you to play more. Perhaps diverse. A very thought provoking post, Sterling.

Been thinking about you during the hurricane. But, I thought you were in a safe area. Flooding is the worst here in Western N.C. It has not affected me directly. Only the gloomy weather has gotten to me!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I’m sure that what appeals to me, in clothes and everything else, is affected by my mood. But I don’t intentionally wear things that advertise my mood, if that’s what you mean. My understanding of what Angie says is that she means the first.

Think of a tiny baby giggling out of happiness, and then think of a little one who has learned the “social smile” and may try it even when it isn’t an a curate reflection of how they feel. The difference between the two of those is, I think, parallel to the two ways of understanding a link between emotions and dressing

Bijou

Veteran

I like to dress according to my mood. This means that I like to have a range of items that can work in different ways and help me achieve different looks.

I do think it helps to have more diverse and statement pieces in your wardrobe. An example is my dresses and toppers in finds, depending on which dress and topper I get different looks. My cropped black leather jacket with the velvet dress achieves a different vibe than the classic woollen coat and black dress. I like to wear all of these combinations, it just depends upon how I am feeling as to which dress and topper I select.

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Staysfit

Veteran

Mood dressing: Today I feel light and airy, happy and giddy, I want something swishy and fun.

Today I feel serious and powerful, I am in control and have authority. I want my pencil skirt or a sheath dress, maybe even a power suit.

Today I’m a bit tired. I feel a bit under the weather. I still have to work. I need something cozy and comfortable, but still polished enough for work. Some comfy jeans, a nice top and a long oversized cardigan.

Today I’m chill and relaxed. I am calm and feel no pressure. I want something loose and cozy, maybe some drawstring silk pants and a loose oversized sweater.

The colors and prints I want always make me happy and match my mood. They give me a lift, they are soothing, make me feel powerful, or energized.

That’s how my interpretation of dressing with emotion/mood dressing. I’m definitely a mood dresser. I think that’s why I have a moderately large wardrobe. It allows for a wide range of expression.

Anonymous

What informative responses!!!!!!

I am finally starting to understand. AND maybe, I am a mood dresser to some extent. I certainly understood immediately what Staysfit was saying to me. I just never understood it in the terms Angie was using. I needed concrete examples.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Well put, Staysfit! That's how I interpret mood dressing as well. Add in "Today I feel bloated and blah. I need something loose but flattering, so I don't also LOOK blah, and end up eating fish and chips for lunch"

Sisi

Veteran

All what Staysfit said. I consider myself a mood dresser. That's why planning the night before never worked for me.

Murph11

Veteran

Staysfit’s reply could be a wall-mounted poster (with fab fashion illustrations) hanging in my closet!

Ginger

Veteran

I am very much a mood dresser. I would be very similar to Staysfit, except that I get up so early, I usually don't have much of a mood until I get to work! I'm just sleepy and moving through the routine. No time to stand in the closet, thinking.

So I plan work outfits the night before. But because of mood, I can't plan it any earlier. A lot of it depends on how that day before has gone, and what I wore then, and how I felt about it. If I did the heels and nice dress look one day, I will very likely wear a casual dress, sandals, and simple cardigan the next day. Or a cozy tunic, leggings, and boots. Or I might have been very satisfied with what I wore the day before, so I repeat the same formula. (Once last spring I wore all of my circle skirts in one week, since I was so thrilled to swan around in them.) Or I was annoyed at my lipstick (this was yesterday) though happy with the outfit, so I chose a similar dress and same shoes but a good lipstick. If I've been wearing a bunch of pink and burgundy, I will want to reach for green or bright blue. I might wear my awesome dramatic black dress with the sleeve ruffles one day, but the next I'm probably wearing red or hot pink.

Balanced with all of this mood stuff, I also keep in mind what I'm doing for that day. Am I walking a mile to and from a meeting? Sitting in a particularly freezing conference room? How important are the meetings? At the desk all day with my heater? Sometimes those factors affect the planned outfit. This is why I plan it out the night before!

And still, sometimes if I get up on the wrong side of the bed, the outfit I planned the night before feel icky. The mood is strong! But a switch is usually simple at that point since my mood knows what it wants.

Murph11

Veteran

And, Bijou’s response — with visuals — is also helpful!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Hm, if I’m intentionally thinking about my mood, the conclusions Staysfit gives might not be mine. Those are “natural smile” examples, but I think many of us also do “social smile” /thinking about emotions dressing, things like intentionally picking the power dress when it runs counter to your emotions, because you want to balance out those emotions by the way you dress. Or maybe you are sad and feel like dressing in aubergine, grey, and slate blue, but instead put on bright colors, so as not to be such a dark cloud in everyone’s day. I rarely take my emotions into account that way; they’re usually just there, running the show without me realizing it.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Dressing for my mood (and the weather) is precisely why I can't plan my outfits, and DO stand in front of my closet every morning, dithering, which inevitably makes me late for work. I've tried. If I plan, something makes me change my mind. Actually it's usually the weather. Maritime climate anyone?

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Staysfit put it well. I'm definitely a mood dresser! Planning outfits for a week on a Sunday night always sounded like a great idea -- for someone else.

jussie

Veteran

Hmm well I do a bit of both. I like to have several ideas planned out in advance for the weeks outfits, but then I choose/alter/tweak them according to my mood on the day.

Anonymous

And I'll take one of each of the pieces Staysfit describes, please and thank you.

Anonymous

In all seriousness, maybe this is why I am often frustrated with my wardrobe, which isn't small,. Lack of variety in silhouette and colour = lack of ability to wear what I'm in the mood for. Everything I own is the same.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I’m curious if anyone here ever intentionally dresses against their emotions—

I’m feeling a bit under the weather and am kind of foggy in my thinking, so I’ll put on something that looks sharp for the meeting.

I’m grouchy, so I’ll wear something with hearts & rainbows on it to the block party, so no one suspects I want to chop their heads off.

Anonymous

Fashintern -- I think I personally dress more in accordance with how Staysfit described it above. I see the logic in dressing to try to offset a mood, but I am not quite that intuitive.

cindysmith

Veteran

I know that, for me, there are days when I feel very antisocial, and I'll wear something that sort of puts people off: all black, leather, boots, bold metal and/or leather jewelry. Those days, I'm "in a mood", as my mother would say LOL, and don't want to be bothered.

Then there are days when I feel very leisurely: wide leg knit pants, pretty knit top, delicate jewelry.

I don't know if that's what y'all mean, but that's what it means for me.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

One example of how I let my moods drive my dressing: some days I'm feeling more like standing out a bit more, and I'll dress in more color, or a more eye-catching ensemble. When I'm in the mood to stay in the background more, I'll rely on simpler basics and leave them more unembellished. I don't tend to try to "force" a mood by dressing for it -- that's more likely to backfire and annoy me than to nudge me into a better mood.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Sterling, not to pick hairs, but to me, Staysfits approach sounded very intuitive. You might not even realize why you’re pulling out that comfy sweater. Going against your moods the way I described is counter-intuitive and really hard for me. To start with, you have to be aware of your emotional state and what kind of image you project, compared to the impression you want to make. I’d love to be that aware of my moods and image, but I’m not (with the exception of dressing extra professorially on days I really wasn’t into teaching).

Putting Bijou and LisaP’s posts together, I can see that any kind of emotional dressing would be more difficult with uniform dressing than for someone with a diverse wardrobe. That would extend into capsules as well, so you could be an angry birder, a contemplative birder, a happy flappy birder...

Bijou

Veteran

Fashintern, if I am feeling a bit down I always wear something that makes me feel very sharp and pulled together. Invariably it help lift my spirits a sort of “fake it until you make it”. For this reason I love wearing bright colours on cold and dreary days.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Staysfit explained it well. Nodding along with Janet, Elizabeth P and Bijou.

Sterling, you probably ARE dressing to your moods. They are just different to mine. Persona thing as you suggested. Keep on exploring your feelings. That's the most important part in creating an authentic style

For example, Gryffin wears black, grey and a blazer every day, and panders to her moods and feelings very diligently. It makes her calm, happy, and feel fabulous. My mood does not want to wear black and grey. The combination makes me unhappy. Instead, I wear dark blue, pattern mix, black & white, earth tones, high contrast, and throw in lots of brights. The fresher and brighter elements satisfy my mood. But they would make Gryffin very unhappy.

Lisa p, you are onto something. FWIW, my perception is that you love the idea of an all black and grey wardrobe and are enamoured when you see others wearing those outfits and their styles. You perceive it as chic, slimming, easy and sophisticated. Yet in practice, it's not a look you want to wear as frequently as you thought.

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

Staysfit put it so well! I see mood dressing as the opposite of being a uniform dresser, but I don’t think it requires a large wardrobe. It’s possible to use just a few statement pieces or a small number of varied silhouettes to cater to different moods.

anchie

Veteran

Interesting discussion. I am not a mood dresser at all. That is why I need my rules and numbers to help me get dressed. I do dress for occasion and weather, and comfort can be factor too, but not my emotions.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

I definitely dress for weather, activities/events and then mood, as I hate being hot or cold, and dislike being dressed inappropriately for the situation.

LaPed

Veteran

I agree with Jenn; I tend to think of mood dressing as the opposite of uniform dressing. I am definitely not a uniform dresser, but I have never been able to systematically identify *how* my mood influences the way I dress. Weather and occasion are the obvious factors, but they don't fully explain why some days I want high-contrast rugby stripes and other days I want low-contrast florals. Or why some days wearing jeans and a t-shirt feels too sloppy, and other days anything more than jeans and a t-shirt seems terribly fussy.

Ginger

Veteran

It's the same way for me, too, La Ped. I just know what I want to wear and what I *don't*. Happiness or sadness or anything in between may not have anything to do with it. Maybe it's simply being "in the mood for ____," no emotional analysis necessary.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Mood dressing. I have a pair of black ankle length pants with small flowers on them. Not my usual style but I was drawn to them a year or two ago. I haven’t felt like wearing them once this summer. I flipped through photos on my phone yesterday and saw me in them and I was surprised at how flattering they looked. I was planning on wearing them for an important but casual brunch but wore my new maxi skirt instead. Which I love how I feel in but is certainly less flattering. And flattering is usually a fairly high priority for me. And, I’m still not in the mood to wear the pants but expect to wear them in spring/summer next year so for now I won’t cull them.

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