Dress up to uplift the lockdown mood

If feeling the blues is the only colour you relate to and your jammies is the only red carpet look you desire, then the lockdown has rained on your parade and has taken over your wardrobe too. Outfits, intentionally or unintentionally, drive the state of our mind by communicating non-verbally to the world, feels fashion designer Sukriti Grover. “Clothes have a measurable effect on our mental health. How we pick something from our wardrobe each morning, be it for a day at work, for lunch with friends or a party on a night out, each outfit has a symbolic meaning and has a definite effect on the wearer’s psychology and performance,” adds Sukriti.

Similarly, fashion designer Vedika Merh is of the opinion that as we are getting accustomed to the new normal of being home and working from home, people have started to limit their dressing to comfort and lounge wear as the need to dress up for work or going out with friends has disappeared. So, what does one need to do to break the monotony during this lockdown? Merh says, “Dressing up can be a positive mental boost giving people a sense of what daily normalcy used to be. With everyone’s new routine, getting into work clothes for WFH (Work From Home) or dressing up casually for zoom calls with friends is not a bad idea to give yourself that positive push for the day.”

Fashion designer Vedika Merh

There are various ways to keep the mind fresh with your fashion choices, fashion designer Kunal Tanna shares that you can plan a fun in-house theme party with family or a virtual party with friends. “We need to keep ourselves surrounded by positivity and faith. Dressing up does tend to trigger a sense of excitement as the mind automatically tends to build a connection towards going out. With the lockdown we all have been bound to being at home with very restrictive choices of thing to do for recreation,” saying Tanna, adding, “Virtual parties are an interesting way to enjoy with friends and dressing up for that can do the trick, even if means wearing a set of cool PJs. We may currently not have a reason to dress up, but then there is always an option to create reasons.”

Fashion designer Kunal Tanna

While acceptance of who we are is key to one’s peace of mind, fashion designer Aakriti Grover believes that when we dress routinely, our focus needs to be on what we aspire to feel instead of how we are feeling on a given day. “So, whether you’re a comfort or mood dresser, be true to yourself. This is one of the things that will result in uplifting your mood during this uncertain pandemic,” says Aakriti.