A post-pandemic term, 'dopamine dressing' is the trend of choosing mood-enhancing styles in fun, colourful and comfy outfits that will fill the mind with happy vibes to release happy, feel-good hormones. With a lot of crises going on around the world since the pandemic, this global dressing trend that started surging after the pandemic isn’t just based on the science of colour therapy but also on what makes dressing feel effortless and fun. Good fit and playful patterns also come in this spectrum, creating a difference in how one feels by directly boosting mental health of the person sporting the trend. The Telegraph decoded the trend through a lookbook showcasing styles ranging from the everyday look and brunch wear to workwear, festive and vacay styles, shot at House of Pepe’s fun backdrop, to show how to give a dopamine makeover to your wardrobe:
“A person’s dressing is very much dependent on the mood and the kind of mind frame they are in at that time. Dopamine dressing suggests wearing clothes we love that will help get us in a better mood to make the day better for us. The trend of dopamine dressing is bright pop colours, starting from solid colours to a mix of prints. Things I kept in mind for styling the shoot were to make it more fun by layering the jewellery and creating a statement look that stood out. The accessories also reflected the moodenhancing vibe with colourful and metallic shades. Even the Indian outfit was styled in a very modern way without the dupatta and with Western earrings and Indian bangles. The location House of Pepe, which is a fun place for kids, added to the overall lookbook. What better place to shoot dopamine dressing than a place so bright that brings out the child in all of us? We also did a power-dressing look in green to show power dressing is not just about classy colours” — Neha Gandhi Binjrajka, stylist
“Since it is summer, we kept the make-up minimum and played around a lot with tied-up hairstyles. We added a fun vibe to the looks with dualtone make-up and kept the blush and eye makeup in shades of pink. The hues added on the eyes, cheek and lips added to the happy vibe of the looks with complementing hairstyles” — Abhijit Paul, hair and make-up pro
Daily workouts can be mundane. To make the workout ambience more fun, Sneha Ghosh as a fitness enthusiast showed her moves on the fitness floor at House of Pepe in a comfy and colourful tie-dye crop top and coord set made of comfortable cotton stretch fabric from Huedee. The splash of colours on the white is a sure shot of an instant happy vibe.
Keeping an overall feminine vibe, the Eshaani Jayaswal crepe jumpsuit in hot pink, detailed with silk organza embellishment and sequins, makes it a pretty brunch look.
A sprinkle of shimmer always amps up a party look. The happy blend of white and pink comes together in Riya’s high-waisted shimmery sequinned skirt and asymmetric one-shoulder full-sleeve bodysuit look from Miakee. The knotted detail and trendy fringes add to this overall summer party look.
Sneha’s summer festive mood in this skirt set from PDS by Sneha was perfectly captured on the trampoline at House of Pepe. Taking inspiration from tribal elements, the prints designed with resham and sequin work signify creatures we find in our flora and fauna, adding an edgy fun and quirky vibe to the ethnic style.
From solid pastel-shaded smart suit styles to comfy long dresses featuring colourful prints, the workwear styles are all about keeping it smart, comfy and soothingly colourful. Ushoshi sports a cotton trench coat-style midi dress from Showsha featuring a bright summer print, styled with a belt. Sneha channels a relaxed and confident look in the relaxed-fit white and green breathable suiting fabric jumpsuit from Veera Wear.
Riya tried a fun all-day summer look from House of Dreams in the cotton notched-collar shirt and shorts, printed with multi-colour waves and daisies. The ball pool adds to the relaxed and playful vibe of the shot.
Easy-breezy layering and the ombre sunset shades make Ushoshi’s one-shoulder overlay-styled top and pant set from NGB a perfect vacay outfit. Designed with fun fringes, the outfit exudes perfect beach vibes. The colours add an extra dose of dopamine to the vacay mood
Location: House of Pepe
Models: Sneha Ghosh, Ushoshi Sengupta, Riya Bhattacherjee
Styling: Neha Gandhi Binjrajka
Make-up: Abhijit Paul
Hair: Sananda Mondal Laha
Jewellery: Laksharaa by Ritu Dhingra