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Fashion is about feeling great and there’s no doubt that what we wear has a unique ability to control our mood and emotions.
We were left feeling some sort of blazer bereavement for the superior version of us that once thrived in trousers with a top button and commutable shoes.
In these trying times of heightened anxiety, never before have we relied on our clothes quite so much to get us through life. Sure, the Zoom shirt up top, weathered PJ bottoms below deck (or desk) had its moment and even sparked unadulterated comfort and joy at first, but after a few weeks of back-to-back Mufti Days, the novelty truly waned. We were left feeling some sort of blazer bereavement for the superior version of us that once thrived in trousers with a top button and commutable shoes.
The profoundly familiar routine of getting dressed each morning suddenly became an extraordinary pandemic-funk-busting pleasure. The day we were reunited with jeans felt like a momentous occasion in the lockdown timeline because well, we weren’t just reaching for our jeans, were we?
We had been blindsided by the allure of the delightfully slobbish, bra-less life and we were reaching for the part of us that felt vaguely human and unscathed. Not the all-out polished level of style stardom that leaves the DPD driver thinking he’s got the wrong house but the trusty sartorial armour that made us feel innately like our old, pre-pandemic selves.
We wanted to remember the nondescript but quietly fulfilling practice of dressing for ourselves; of fumbling over buttons in the morning and fastening jackets on our way to the office, or hurriedly applying lipstick on a jam-packed train – all the visible, tangible, physical reminders of feeling useful and prepared for the day ahead. We were looking for connection.
Choosing what to clothe our bodies with each day became a revolutionary act of self-care in a year when we were stripped of pretty much every other joyful possibility.
Choosing what to clothe our bodies with each day became a revolutionary act of self-care in a year when we were stripped of pretty much every other joyful possibility. Travel, hugs, togetherness – it was all rationed but getting out of bed every day and deciding what to wear for another 24/7 shift in the living room was one way to raise our socially-distanced spirits. We learned how to turn up for ourselves when it felt like the rest of the world physically couldn’t.
Fashion phycologists call it ‘enclothed cognition’, essentially confirming what we already knew to be true: getting dressed makes us feel good and what we wear has an indisputable impact on our wellbeing and productivity.
The outfit of the day trend is no longer cast aside as Instagram frivolity or vanity but the ultimate 2020 antidote. Whether you found comfort in the soft neck of a warm knit, in the coats and the beanies you threw on for a blustery walk with a friend, or in the swathes of loungewear that rescued you from the vice-like grip of your wizened PJs, getting dressed has proved itself as a fundamental act of self-preservation and escapism.
To celebrate the transformative power of dressing for you, we’re rounding up the mood-boosting pieces that continue to get us out of bed and into our Sunday best. From the at-home essentials to the party pants that made us feel like we could take on the world (however frightful it looked outside), here’s enough feel-good fashion to fuel your positivity tank all the way to 2021.
Top Tier Comfort Dressing
Glamorised PJs, marry us. For those days when self-care is the only goal you need to achieve, effortless loungewear sets and comfy casuals are in your corner.
Wardrobe Essentials
From duvet coats and trusty workwear staples and riding boots for all British weather eventualities, Very gets those timeless, practical yet stylish wardrobe must-haves very right. This is the capsule wardrobe you can rely on when you’re in the kind of coffee-deprived morning funk that leaves you putting your knickers on inside out. Twice.
Work Out, Feel Fab!
Resisting the snooze button is easier said than done when it’s still dark at 7am but getting up and at ‘em can do wonderful things for the always-tired girl. Whether you’re starting your day with a slow flow of downward dog or heading out for a lunchtime power walk, start as you mean to go on with work out wear that inspires positivity and productivity. Go get them mood-boosting endorphins.
Everyday Denim
Never under estimate the life-changing magic of a good pair of jeans. Nothing says, ‘come at me world’ more so than some hardworking denim, whether it’s an oversized jean jacket, a pair of straight leg jeans or a shirt dress with all the laid-back cool girl appeal, denim offers endless styling opportunities that oscillate effortlessly between smart and casual. If you gravitate towards a neutral palette or you’re a minimalist at heart, your basic blues will make day-to-day dressing infinitely easier.
The WFH Home Staples
The working from home uniform brief is a tough one to answer but Very does it with aplomb. It needs to be put-together enough to repel the duvet mindset, presentable enough for Zoom but comfortable enough that it doesn’t leave footprints in your skin if you’re sitting down for long periods of time. Here are the pieces that get us through the 9-5 on the daily.
The Pick-Me-Up Pieces
These are the kind of soul-lifting, happy, shiny pieces that make you walk a little taller, speak a little louder and smile a little wider. So what if you’re riding the bus in head-to-toe sequins! Like Vitamin D in outfit form they’ll have you living your best life without inhibition, no diggity, no doubt.
We hope this post has inspired you to climb into your happiest glad rags. What feel-good style essentials do you reach for when you want to harness the power of getting dressed?
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