Inside ‘dopamine dressing,’ the latest trend of dressing for a ‘pick me up’

A woman says she “dopamine dresses” – picking bright and colorful outfits based on how she feels – opting for green to help with stress and pink and yellow for a “pick me up.”

Marianne Taylor, 48, has always loved color but started feeling more confident with her outfit choices a year ago.

Dopamine dressing is a fashion trend which involves wearing clothing that makes you feel good and confident – based on the idea that your outfits can affect your mood and happiness.

Now Marianne plays with different shades from her rainbow wardrobe – boasting around 400 pieces of bags, shoes and clothes – including African print skirts and colorful tracksuits.

Marianne, a size 16, dresses for comfort and doesn’t care if it’s not “flattering” or “age appropriate”.

She finds herself drawn to green outfits on stressful days and pinks and yellows when she needs to feel joy.

Marianne, a photographer, living in Newquay, Cornwall, said: “Just the act of getting dressed is something that can give you a spark of joy.

“It’s not fictitious.

“It’s taking care of yourself.

“It’s freeing.”

Marianne has always loved color but grew up surrounded by diet culture and found herself pairing her bold clothes back with black items.

Her weight yo-yoed between a size 12 and a size 22 over the years and Marianne ended up with a wardrobe brimming with clothes in different sizes.

She said a lot of her style choices were about trying to look smaller or more feminine.

But Marianne had a turning point in 2020 when her best friend, Susanna, 44, passed away from ovarian cancer.

Marianne said: “The last time I saw her after her surgery she was so happy to be alive.

“She talked about how she was looking forward to wearing smaller sizes because she’d lost so much weight and that felt so grotesque.

“What does it matter if you’re skinny?”

Marianne decided to stop dieting and after a period of grief she started to bring back out her colorful side.

She said: “I really loved styling models for photoshoots.

“Why did I never think I could be worthy? I started planning my outfits on what I wanted to feel.

“I rejected what the trends are – ‘is this age appropriate?’ or ‘does it make me feel skinny?’.

“Instead I thought ‘does it bring me joy?’, ‘does it make me feel good?’ and ‘is it comfy?’”

Marianne did a wardrobe cull of anything that didn’t fit her and started wearing more of her bright clothes.

She said: “I don’t care if something makes me look bigger, or older, or isn’t age appropriate.

“I have so much fun planning outfits.”

Marianne has a spectrum of colors in her closet but says she will mainly reach for pink, blue and orange.

She said: “When I’m feeling stressed I find myself wearing more green. There is something quite calming about it.

“Having pink and neon lights in my home calms my nervous system as well.

“When I need to feel more joyful I go for yellow and pink – it’s a pick me up.

“It’s just getting that dopamine hit.”

Marianne says her style is a hobby for her and she has two aesthetics – a “colorful toddler” and “colorful grunge”.

She said: “I try to combine them.

“Colorful grunge is nostalgic and is me wishing I was back in the 90s.”

Marianne hopes to encourage others to try dopamine dressing – and says that it doesn’t have to be dressing in bold colors and patterns and can be whatever brings you joy.

She said: “I have days were I don’t want to get dressed and I think I’ll feel better if I get dressed.

“I’m then more likely to get out the house and do something.

“Celebrate what you’ve got.

“Dismiss the idea that you have to dress more flattering.”