"Rethinking your style can help dispel some of the anxiety"

Maybe you are in one of those people who love back to school . New pens, agenda still blank, tanned and rested: you are ready to return to the office in your best shape. For the occasion, you have even already prepared your outfit. Hours of research to find your signature outfit, symbol of the new post-Covid “you”. Or, conversely, you don't know how to dress, and the pressure is all the greater when after months of videoconferences and other Zoom meetings, you want to make a good impression: the return to the office is the event. the most anticipated of your fashionista year. A side effect of the pandemic, says fashion psychologist Dr. Dawnn Karen, whom we interviewed.

ELLE - How and why can we say that the Covid has changed our relationship with fashion?

Dr. Dawnn Karen:  Before the pandemic, the way we dressed was primarily a way of gaining acceptance. We adjusted to integrate ourselves or to be assimilated into a social group; whether for work, for a brunch with our friends or to visit our family. We associated every place and every role in our life with a certain uniform. The retort to the question "How do we I dress today?" "Depended on the weather, the social occasion or yet another fad.Over the past year, all of this has taken a back seat. Cloistered in our home, we pivoted to an outfit chosen according to internal factors: we began to dress for ourselves. We no longer seek the approval, acceptance or validation of others, but only our own. 

HER - Why have so many of us wanted to rethink our style this past year?

Dr. Dawnn Karen:  Rethinking your style can help alleviate some of the anxiety, uncertainty and fear created by the pandemic. It's a way to take back control. According to a study conducted by Klarna, 49% of French people have maintained a certain decorum, even at home, just to feel good. In the same vein, almost a quarter of the French have taken advantage of confinements to try new styles. As if we wanted to end this period by all means, to afford a renewal. Despite the confinement, some were already thinking of returning to the office and the fact that they would give much more importance to their work clothes: in September, with the end of teleworking, meeting rooms will be the new podium!

SHE - Can our outfits help us face this "new world", which can also be scary? 

Dr. Dawnn Karen:  Color, image, style and beauty undeniably influence human behavior. Bright colors evoke positive attitudes, and dark colors evoke negative attitudes. Obviously, this is essentially a generalization: we do not dress the same way in Paris, where neutral colors are the “go-to”, as in New York, London or Barcelona. 

The idea to keep in mind is that by aligning the inside and the outside - our emotions and our outfit - we create authenticity. This has a proven positive effect on our productivity, mood, and self-confidence. Compare that to music: certain sounds make us feel like we're in a music video, and we immediately feel able to take on the world. Clothing has a similar effect.

There are also two methods of psychological styling. The first is the “Fashion Identification Assimilation” method, which involves using clothes to lift one's spirits or make oneself more confident. For example, putting on your best dress to go to the office. The second is the “Mood Illustration Dressing” method, which consists of choosing clothes that correspond to our mood of the moment. So, on a bad day, we don't go for high heels and a tight skirt, but instead opt for comfortable sneakers and loose jeans.

Overall, I advise everyone to wear a focal accessory, an object with psychological value that one can always wear: a family jewel, a lucky bracelet ... It can really help to feel calm. and reduce feelings of anxiety and insecurity.