London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jun 30, 2025

The Science-and Styles-Behind Dopamine Dressing in 2022

The Science-and Styles-Behind Dopamine Dressing in 2022

History moves fashion (research Dior’s New Look). So why does everyone suddenly want us to bare all?

A few months ago I joined countless avowed lifelong New Yorkers and moved to Los Angeles, whereupon I discovered that I hated all my clothes. Mostly these were the things that had carried me through the past two years: a kingdom of oversize khakis and men’s button-down shirts, wide-leg jeans, candy-colored athleisure sets, a muted rainbow of cashmere crewnecks. I had newer things, too, the stuff I had bought during lockdown while planning for a more hopeful future: party dresses and statement tops intended for cocktails and dinners out, all puffed shoulders and flouncy skirts, generous silhouettes intended to ease me in to a less anxious life.

As I considered how to be in this new place, during this new time—which was less like living entirely free of fear than like cruising along with fear riding shotgun, like a motorcycle sidecar or an annoying mosquito—I realized that floating under tiers of tulle or shapeless cotton shirts suddenly felt all wrong.


What I really wanted was something fitted and invigorating, an outfit that would make me sit up straight and make others take notice. I wanted to look intentional, like a Helmut Newton photograph. Really, I wanted a suit. Not a suit suit, but what Yves Saint Laurent famously dubbed Le Smoking, something a little slicked back, with a lot of sex appeal. The anti-sweatpant.

This was about more than just solving a sartorial snarl, and it wasn’t just me. Plenty of designers seem to agree that it’s time to tighten up. Karl Lagerfeld may have shocked people when he put Chanel-branded underwear as outerwear on the runway for spring 1993, but nearly 30 years later Virginie Viard showed the briefest of briefs with the maison’s two-tone classic jackets, and hardly anyone blinked an eye.


At Miu Miu, large swathes of torso were bared, bookended by preppy knits that ended at the fifth rib and pleated skirts that began well below the hipbone. At Saint Laurent, keyhole necklines gaped and plunged toward the navel. Two of Anthony Vaccarello’s predecessors there, the ones who resuscitated the label’s decadent loucheness, were not outdone: Tom Ford showed bra tops and sequins, lamé and leather and chain, and Hedi Slimane continued to build his name at Céline by clinging to the figure—tight. Even Hermès got in on the action, putting its expertise in leather goods in the service of bralettes, miniskirts, and crop tops.

The younger designer set is even less inhibited. Nensi Dojaka won the LVMH prize this year on the strength of her stringy gowns and more-flesh-than-mesh bodysuits. The Parisian provocateur Ludovic de Saint Sernin flaunted thongs, sculptural minidresses, and taut bodices made of tiny stretched strands of leather. “We were in such a digital world for a year and a half that it was really critical for me to reconnect with physicality,” he told one reviewer, “in a way that you could almost grab it.” (Some reportedly came close, at his show at the Institut du Monde Arabe, when the dancer Steven Fast strutted out in an almost imperceptible pair of briefs.)


Pop culture too has served up plentiful ­bodice-rippers, both traditional and contemporary, from the Netflix smash Bridgerton to the amorous teens on Gossip Girl and its Spanish analog Elite. Esteemed actors like Benedict Cumberbatch and Bradley Cooper embraced the full possibilities of the body-as-instrument in their recent projects The Power of the Dog and Nightmare Alley. On smaller screens, too, the dominant style for Gen Z on Instagram and TikTok remains the thirst trap.

That said, not everyone is into the grin-and-bare-it-all. “I’m not a huge fan of this trend,” says celebrity uberstylist Kate Young. “I don’t have any tips! Except maybe don’t.”


For those of us looking to shake things up, the novelty can be the point. “What we wear allows us to present different identities,” says behavioral psychologist Carolyn Mair, author of The Psychology of Fashion. “Given that we’ve been so restricted for the past 21 months, it’s not surprising we’re seizing the opportunity to dress in a way that attracts attention.”

“After our long hibernation, the time feels right to celebrate what brought us through: our bodies.”


Perhaps that’s the key to comprehending the current desire for sensuality. After our long hibernation and our staggered reemergence, the time feels right to celebrate what brought us through: our bodies.

If, after World War II, women found in the rounded shoulders and full skirts of Dior’s New Look the armor to face a new world, a skin-tight celebration of the human form might be precisely what our wardrobes need now.


Mair lumps this kind of sex-positive style into a category she calls “dopamine dressing,” explaining that the neurotransmitter has a placebo effect, and “motivates us toward a good result.” In other words, more pleasure, less pain.

Similarly, she adds, “expecting something good to happen as a result of how we dress makes us more open to opportunities.” This phenomenon is directly linked to an increase in confidence, which leads to better posture and more expressive mannerisms, all of which make you appear more attractive. Unfortunately for me, becoming more attractive to the late Helmut Newton is impossible, but I’ve invested in some seriously trim suiting nonetheless.

Ultimately, it’s the fake-it-till-you-make-it mindset that’s note-perfect for our unsteady times, and the real takeaway is as simple as a sheer top or perfectly tailored tuxedo: Dress for the life you want, waste no time, and never forget to rejoice in the body that’s underneath the clothes. You get only one.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
×