Mind What You Wear: The Psychology of Fashion

by Karen J. Pine

Professor Karen Pine delves into the psychology of what you wear and reveals that clothes have mind-altering properties.

The most important decision you make every morning may be what to wear. Why do your choose the clothes you do; do they express your true personality and can they really determine the course your day will take? Or even your life?

In this book Karen Pine goes ‘behind the seams’, revealing the hidden secrets contained in the clothes we wear. She uncovers startling evidence for how our clothes have the power to change our minds. And she shows how making a simple tweak to what you wear can literally be life-changing.

Karen unmasks how the right outfit can make you a better thinker. Or more likely to get the right job. She shows how clothes can boost your confidence, bolster your self-esteem or lift your mood. And the impact a colour change can have on your sex appeal.

Karen combines new insights from scientific psychology with years of research into nonverbal communication, as well as impressions gained from her passion for clothes and behaviour change.

The book will appeal to anyone curious about the psychology of fashion and will be invaluable to fashion students, designers and marketers. It gives the reader an expert and close-up view of what lies beneath our wardrobe habits and how our fashion identity emerges. And it contains practical advice on how to create an individual style, banishing fashion anxiety and sartorial monotony from your life forever.

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction, Psychology, Self Help

38 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the content to be interesting and potentially life enriching, but it didn't go very in depth. Also, this book is primarily geared toward women (as one may expect from most fashion related books). I didn't realize it would be so short because I read a free version on my kindle. Overall I'd say it's still worth reading.

[Trina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read

This book reinforced my thoughts and feelings on the relationship between clothing choices and confidence. If you think what you wear doesn’t matter than you definitely need to read this book. Includes a simple to follow “Do” list at the end to get out of a clothing rut.

[Nana Kesewaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A interesting short read based on research conducted by the author and other researchers of this field.

Yes! What you wear has an effect on how others perceive you but most importantly we express how we feel ( and believe in) through our clothes.

I particularly found interesting the the research on the subject of uniforms - In an experiment, people with prison uniforms exhibited brutal behaviour unlikely of their “everyday” behaviours.

[Ciindy Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

You are what you wear

Very insightful and interesting!I managed to finished the book in one sitting and will use this information at my own expense!

[Taylor Richmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read and super interesting to think about how what we wear affects multiple different areas of our life! A lot of the ideas were intriguing, hopefully more research is completed so we have more concrete evidence to back the claims! Overall, I loved the invitation to do something different and I’ll be testing it out soon!

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book that looks at research that is being done regarding "enclothed cognition" and asks questions that provide guidelines as to where we need to go from here. I was particularly intrigued when the author suggested that fashion designers might need to look beyond the mere sartorial aesthetic of their designs and see to provide levers by which the average person might manage their lives through their choices of clothing.

[B*tchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew it!

As a lover of fashion and a clothes horse, I already knew these things instinctively, but never read any research on it. Clothes have been my outward expression of my quirky personality since I was 11. To this day, I am unrepentant about my clothing choices and proudly do not own one t-shirt or frumpy outfit. Life is too short for bad fashion. :)

[Sachi Sabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was curious about this book since I have been wanting to try something new, but can never find the spirit to change the way that I dress. I found some of the ideas on fashion psychology interesting, although I'm not sure how true some of the "fashion behaviours" detailed in this book are connected the way that I feel about myself and how I express it through the threads that I chose to wear.

The clothes that we wear could be a sign of depression. DO I fit in that category because I don't like to dress to impress? Idk?

I dress NOT to stand out and command attention but to be comfortable, 97% of the time.
Comfy and cozy clothes make me feel good. At least this is what I still think after reading this book.

If I could go barefoot all the time I would; not only are high heels uncomfortable- I actually think some women are forcing it when they stuff their feet into nice looking, painful footwear. I personally think many outfits that are asking for attention, is outrageous and possibly lacking self-confidence, more than exuding it.

That's just my opinion. So I wear what makes me feel good. No depression or lack of confidence involved.

I am never trying to look professional, look fashionable, stand out, feel confident or express myself. I'm not a person that wants a lot of attention. So I blend in. Is this a sign of depression or a low mood? It sounds like it is, but for ME, I just don't know how true it is.

The book explains how what we wear affects how we feel (I'm usually feeling relaxed and comfortable in my greys, browns and dark colours- oversized and relaxed fit wear.) and how what we have on affects our unconscious mind. It describes how garments can give you superpowers (maybe the kind that I personally am NOT looking for- I don't crave attention).

Every now and then, I may want to do something different and dress up for an occasion - it's a struggle because I have no practice at it. I think I will try a few things from the book and see what happens.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

- A person's clothing speaks volume about that person's current mental and physical state. It both has to do with the background effort that person has put in to arrange that garment, as well as having the capability to deal with how other people perceive this person in such garment

- People who suffer from identity mental disorder also are prone to drastically change their apprances before the diagnosis

- People also wear certain clothing because such clothing reminded them of certain things (for instance, an older woman wearing a short skirt could because the short skirt reminded of her how she grabbed her husband's initial attention). Such clothing choice could remain even well after the trend has past in the society

[Heidi Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who Knee, Fashion?

You am not quite sure how I came upon this book. I found it rather intriguing to learn from the author’s research much more about clothing and it’s affects on people. I appreciate what I learned about a part of every day of my life that I rarely stop to analyze.

[Soumya Sehgal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could have been an essay!

And on top of that the findings are quoted with a static viewpoint of black and white.
Which I think will notbe the case. The relationship of Clothing affecting your mood and how other people receive you surely falls under a more grey zone and is a tad bit ,ore complicated as stated in the book.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief and it ended suddenly

A short interesting read. Some of it is based on research the author was involved in. It ended suddenly. I kept trying to go to the next page until I finally realized that page 44 was the end. Nothing beyond it. No notes, no index, … nothing. The body of the Kindle edition consisted of one chapter.

[Osavo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read!

It is surprising that such a short book can have such a powerdul impact. A marker of a great success. Something many authors could learn from. A great deal can be said with less, and that is what Karen Pine manages to do in this read.

If you have any interest in fashion psychology at all, this is a must read and a fantastic place to start.

[Lauren Bush · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy Read, useful information back with scientific evidence.

So many useful stats and facts for navigating personal style and how it changes the way we behave.
The practical tips offered are also great. Quick and easy to read.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Psychology AND fashion? Where has this book been all my life? I only wish that it had been longer and more robust; the author gave an interesting overview of some key topics, but I’m sure an entire research paper could be (or has been) written about each and every one of them!

[Thomas Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Always and I mean always take care in what you choose to wear as it really changes your out look

[Deborah Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really hit some great notes for me.

[Miss Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and fascinating

Very interesting little book with some great little insights into our clothing psychology. Easy to read, enjoyable Sunday morning musing

[Carol Sente · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always been a lover of clothes and fashion and so I found this book’s title appealing. It is a short book and has some interesting information but it was just ok.

[Emi Arrese · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazingggg

[Softwaredeveloperlife · Rating 5 out of 5]

How clothes boost Maslow's low motives of self esteem and the practical benefits to society

This is a great book that collided within my lifetime, as I have experienced the world of apparel from tip to toe indirectly (cause my close relatives love to buy clothes and also being in a lot of years in the apparel retail industry). Although I am a guy and I am not a big fan of clothes, the book, although being short of 30 pages, says a lot, enough to convince you that you should wear clothes in a proper way.

I can't help every time I read this how closely it is associated with the Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Briefly, the power of habit describes a habit main framework is as follows: cue->procedure->reward. If you want to create a new procedure as a habit, you need to add a reward (Chapter 2). If you want to change old habits with new habits, you substitute a procedure with a similar procedure in order to get the same reward (Chapter 3). The power of habit misses how cues from the external environment (such as able to focus studying when I "stay" in a library) can be substituted with clothes (can emerge the same habit if I wear a set of science coat). This, the author defines as "enclothed cognition". Furthermore, on Chapter 8, Charles Duhigg describes how low-ties are created: Making connections with "friends of friends". However, there is other way to make acquaintances with others: by the use of clothes that make you stand out, that by peer pressure, it may sound rude if you don't compliment them in the first place.

However, some points she makes are ones that you have to think also ethically. One of her points states that "Get your clothing right and everything else will fall into place". In other words, it follows Chapter 4 concept of keystone habits. Keystone habits means a cue, such as a cloth, can emerge you into new habits, new traits, implicitly to explicitly. Then you are able to identify that trait and embrace all the rest of the traits the new persona is associated with. It is more like a domino effect. For William James (fortunately, both this author and Charles Duhigg discuss a lot about this father of psychology), it is fair use case to empower himself with clothes when he at some point all the time thought of committing suicide. However, if we go to Maslow's self esteem, internal self esteem is more important and is also a "holding foundation" to keep external self esteem stable. However, it is hard to deny, that we all start the bridge with external self esteem in order for later on to cover our external self esteem with internal self esteem.

I totally love the concepts the author makes that some clothes make us more happy and others do not. Others make us more live in the front and others hide us on the crowd or de-individualize our self. In other words, what you wear mirrors your mental state. I do believe clothing is a science and a very important piece of science. Although external self esteem is weaker than internal self esteem, for people who do not know us, this is the only way we can represent our self. Having the proper attire shows that you have the passion, determination, re-enforcing your mental map (internal self esteem) that you are ready to collide with the external world and make a difference. Most communication happens when one person wants to stand out and do something in the external word and the only way to do that is with the help of others. The only ones with high rate of possible candidates that can contribute are others that also stand out and do something in the external world. Clothes make that starting connection/bridge. However, it would have been better if the topic of this book would have been assertive instead of only supporting external self esteem. People who show themselves hastily where in the end shows their mental map is lofty, does not represent their true character and only seek fame, become hypocrites in the end, such as what we see with many politicians, is something we should be wary of. Instead what I propose is for people to use clothes in good faith of themselves to what their actual character represents and what they could be as long they are deeply motivated by it. In other words, to fulfill their internal self esteem within the background.

Clothes is at its infancy stages to become a scientific field. It is seen now by aesthetic purposes. But here is one author that sees the undeniable and expresses the scientific findings and observations it found and hopes one day society will do a paradigm shift from its current views. We should thank for the effort and the passion that few delve on such journey. I am pretty sure there are so many topics that we haven't covered on the science of clothes. I think the discoveries so far are just the tip of the iceberg.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Professor Karen Pine has given us a wonderful gift in her thoughtful short book, Mind What You Wear. This book draws together psychology and fashion, and references a number of studies that illustrate the impact that clothing has on how we think and what we feel.

I’ve been fascinated by fashion (well style, more so than fashion – you know I believe there’s a chasm between the two!) and psychology, identity, what makes people tick and do the things they do, and how they see themselves for decades now. So to discover this book was a real delight for me.

Clothes will change your life: Professor Pine starts the book by telling us a story about a woman whose hat changed her life. This hat, a radical purchase for her – quite a departure from her usual staid fashion fare, turned her into someone else. And it was this hat-wearing someone else that caught the eye of a man at a party, who felt compelled to know her. And eventually marry her. Professor Pine tell us that “that hat… started a whole chain of dynamic and transformational events”.

Full review can be read by clicking on this link

[Leanne Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a great premise and is obviously based on considerable research, both theoretical and practical. It is well-written and carefully organised, making it easy to read and absorb the principles it teaches. However, it is disappointing on account of its brevity. Such an intriguing topic with so much relevance to lifestyle and behaviour modification deserves a longer treatment. I would have welcomed more step-by-step exercises for transforming one's wardrobe and thereby one's confidence. There is the suggestion towards the end of the book that more can be found online, which points to the possibility that the book may serve as a teaser or promotional platform for a larger business venture, but if so, I think the author may have underestimated its potential in the market. Hopefully, a second edition will be put out with about ten times the information, making it a truly worthwhile addition to any fashion-lover's or psychologist's collection.

[Ione Talese · Rating 3 out of 5]

Understanding the basics

I would say t that this book was a lesson in dressing for success in her realm - I did enjoy the research & history illustrated in the book. Some of the content was outdated & not relevant to today's fashion craziness - I know many people stress about fashion daily but I think your young people care less about appearances -

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise is interesting - the clothes we wear can have a profound impact on our mood, the way we perceive ourselves, and even how we interact with others. However, I felt that towards the end, it began talking in circles. For the final third of the book, I didn't learn anything new. So an interesting read, but goes on just a little too long.

[Xiaowen Lei · Rating 3 out of 5]

if you are looking for books telling you how important your wearing is to you, this is a good one to read, lots of experimental evidence presented in a telling way. but it doesn't really provide practical suggestions on what to wear in different circumstance.

[Jeny Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite scientific!

At first I thought this would be more of a boom that had all fashion suggestions, but I'm glad that it's more scientific because that appeals to the neediness in me. Awesome!

[Dorothy Webber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is full of good ideas

I would revoked this to most women. This is a great idea. It's has lots of ideas on how to spruce up your wardrobe. It also good into why we choose each piece.

[Luciana Nery · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unremarkable. The humor falls flat, the serious parts are shallow... It's much longer than it should be. I can summarize: we project our feelings on clothes, and dressing cheerful clothes makes us feel cheerful; dressing "meh" will make you feel "meh". That's it, really.

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok book, which makes you think about you and clothes, but isn't too deep.