Angry Fashion

Ever worn something and just gotten downright angrier as the day has gone on? Jane investigates why sometimes fashion makes are grrr.

There’s no denying that what you wear can drastically affect your mood. If you strut out the door thinking you look great, you are more likely to have a great day. If you’re rushed for time picking out your outfit and make your way to work feeling mediocre, chances are you’re mood isn’t likely to be as good as when you know you look a million bucks. But more than that, Ask Bronny wonders if certain fabrics can actually affect how you feel. Could it be that the outfit you have on during any given day can actually make you mad?

Take for example, my outfit today. I left the house feeling reasonable. Half way to work however I knew I was in for a bad day. My combination of static creating tights and a layered skirt that stuck to my legs like there was no tomorrow was just the half of it. My equally staticy jumper added to the discomfort and made my fine hair flyaway throughout the day, and by midday I was ratty, would have killed for a shower and just wanted to be wearing anything other than what I had on.

As basic as it sounds, the best thing to do is avoid an outfit that makes you angry! Avoid what I did this morning, which was in desperation to get to work looking reasonable with time running out, reach for a jumper that I know annoys me every time I wear it. It’s not rocket science to realise that when you’re comfortable in certain clothes, you’re going to spend less time readjusting yourself and less time getting angry as you do so.

Clothes that have an element of stretch to them are likely to be most comfortable and are more likely to retain their shape. As tempting as it is to squeeze ourselves into outfits with little or no give, not being able to breathe or eat for a day are also factors more likely to make your blood slowly boil than have you calmly make your way through your day looking fabulous. Similarly, man-made fabrics often have the ability to make you grumpier than those more heavily skewed towards nature. I have to admit that when I’m crawling into bed my cotton PJs are a lot less likely to have me waking up irritable than my fabulous but synthetic gold pyjamas.

Ask Bronny also recommends you pay attention to how the fabrics you don each day work together. My tragic combination of the particular tights I had on, and the particular skirt I pulled on not only had me crackling through the halls and getting electric shocks off all the door handles, but resulted in me being super grouchy and ready to cut my clothes off by the time the clock clicked over to home time.

At the end of the day, we all know which clothes make us feel as close to supermodel status as we’re ever going to get, and which ones we tend to drag out when our time or our spirits are low. But at the end of the day, if it means forcing yourself out of bed twenty minutes earlier to avoid what I lived through today, I am all for it. Grouchy outfits are no longer welcome in my wardrobe….until the next time I sleep through my alarm…