Dopamine dressing Brazilian-born sewing blogger, Rachel Pinheiro sews herself happy with a casual combo!
It’s no secret that living through a global pandemic has transformed our wardrobes. Fashion has a tendency to reflect how society is feeling. Many of us unconsciously picked sober, monochrome colours to create comfortable, and casual looks, but now as people regain some normality a noticeable fashion trend has started to emerge – dopamine dressing’. The theory behind this is that wearing certain colours can elevate our mood. Accordingly to Kate Nightingale, psychologist and founder of Style Psychology “We have a set of subconscious associations connected with each element of our environment including colour, and when you put some colour on, your brain automatically activates all of your subconscious associations with it and if your current emotional state is considerably different to these associations, your brain will slowly start to adjust your mood.” That’s because our bodies produce dopamine and our nervous system uses it to send messages between nerve cells. I definitely started to feel the need to express myself with more colourful choices recently.
Pattern choices I chose to make Closet Core’s Mile End Sweatshirt and Plateau Joggers Pattern, which I have sewn in a size 8 without any alterations. The sweatshirt was a little short for me so I had to think on my feet. Not sewing the sweatshirt hem band as recommended, I added some ribbing at the bottom to make it longer. The trousers fit very comfortably at the waist but were a little tight on the legs - that’s because the fabric doesn’t have quite the recommended stretch-ability. I didn’t think would be an issue but my strong swimmer legs obliviously disagreed!
Colour choices Lilac is a soft pale shade of purple, which suits my skin tone because it’s considered warm and often associated as feminine and graceful. According to colour psychology, lilac is considered to encourage emotional expression. Burgundy is a deep reddish-brown shade inspired by wine from the Burgundy region of France, symbolising ambition, wealth, and power. The combination has a psychological seriousness, powerful and energy.
Tips for sewing towelling: If you are cutting out fabric with a nap, it is important that all the pattern pieces face the same direction. Aesthetically the pile should run down the body but as long you pick your favourite way – just stick to it. This means you may need to flip a pattern piece over to the back in order for all of them to face the same direction. TOP TIP: Get your vacuum cleaner ready and cut with sharp scissors or rotary cutter as it frays.
Editor’s notes PATTERN - To view these two patterns from Closet Core – click here FABRIC - Rachel has used Modelo’s Bamboo towelling, which is super soft, great quality, and made from a mix of bamboo, polyester and cotton which has great wear-ability! It comes in 11 wonderful colours. To view this towelling range and other fabrics from Modelo – click here
