words Alexa Wang
After two years of restrictions due to the pandemic it’s no wonder we all need a mood boost! With spring well and truly underway, dopamine dressing is a trend that will bring our wardrobes in line with the season and help us feel more positive about the world around us.
Dopamine dressing is an exciting new trend that encourages us to play with colour, style and texture with the intention of increasing happy hormones and feeling great in what we wear – something we all deserve right now!
New research by Fenwick Department Store reveals dopamine dressing is the fastest growing trend when looking at a year-over-year comparison, with searches up a whopping 2.000% since March 2021.
By analysing popular fashion trends search data, the research also reveals popularity of the Y2K trend as fading away. Having dominated in the fashion world over the last year, this makes room for new trends such as regency fashionwhich has spiked in the lead up to the second season of the Netflix hit, Bridgerton, with searches for regency dresses up 175% since December.
Dopamine dressing more popular than ever
With wedding season just around the corner, there’s never been a better time to add a good splash of colour to your wardrobe.
But with online search interest more than double that of ‘colour blocking’, dopamine dressing is about more than just adding colour. It embraces the idea that choosing clothes and accessories that make us feel confident and remind us of better times will help build a wardrobe of dreams.
Regency fashion revealed as most popular fashion trend in 2022
With the popularity of regency fashion search terms almost tripling since the beginning of 2022 (+194.80%), the new research reveals British fashion enthusiasts are ready to fully embrace the so-called “regency core” trend with all its ruffles, colours, and opulent textures.
Although we’re not likely to see people in full 19th century regency attire – the accessories and textures are proving very popular with UK fashionistas.
Y2K trend’s popularity slowly fading away with shoppers
Despite scoring high points for popularity according to the volume of online interest in the UK, Y2K has seen a slight decline in average monthly searches in the previous year (-1.19% per month), and an overall significant year-on-year decrease of close to 16% compared to 2021, making way for other trends such as regency fashion which are growing fast.
Dopamine dressing gives you license to break all the rules! If those retro pieces from Y2K take you back to happier days or a ruffle here and a corset there make you feel like your best self, you can go ahead and add them to your wardrobe under the guise of dopamine dressing!
