https://www.thetrendspotter.

net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/The-Best-Street-Style-From-Paris-Fashion-Week-
Spring-Summer-2020.jpg

Fashion - wearing our hearts on our sleeves

By Karyn, Wani, Jane and Kylia

“When we get dressed, we are, in effect, operating as a tour guide, offering to show people
around ourselves...We’re like artists painting a self-portrait” - The School of Life

The Science Behind Style

As abstract and eloquently as The School of Life puts it, research has shown that the things
we wear does indeed hold sway over the way we think about ourselves, and the way others
perceive us. Or in other words: You are what you wear. Now, I know what most of you are
thinking: Fashion is purely superficial, how in the world can it affect my behaviour? Here, let
me change your mind.

In a video by ELLE that gives the phrase “fake it till you make it” a run for its money, two
groups of people, one made to wear lab coats and the other wearing normal street clothes,
were asked to do a simple attention test. They were trying to test if dressing up as a doctor, or
someone stereotypically smarter, would affect the results. Amazingly, the group wearing lab
coats performed significantly better than the other group. Even more intriguing- results
showed that merely holding the lab coats did not incite the same results, only by wearing
them did the participants experience a drastic difference. Although this may not have been
the most scientific of experiments, this phenomenon is so well-known that researchers at the
Kellog School of Management even have a name for it: “enclothed cognition”.

Research certainly suggests that fashion CAN change how your brain works, if only
temporarily, so why not give it a shot? Dress like your ideal self for a day, and you might just
be pleasantly surprised.

Why should we express ourselves through style?

The better question is: why not? Fashion, like most things, is easier said than done, especially
in a society that tends to bear down hard on people who are bold enough to stand out, who
dare to be different. That’s a pity, since individuality is what gives society as a whole its
nuances, it’s ebbs and flows, it’s variety of changing attitudes and trends. Every one of us as
individuals have something unique to bring to the table, and if you don’t express yourself,
who will?

Not only does exploring your own style (and respecting others’) help celebrate our
differences, other positive effects include…
● Boosting your confidence.
Planning and wearing new outfits out are a way of showing yourself that you
absolutely can look gorgeous in something other than your usual few shirts or shorts.

● Expressing your personality, likes and dislikes.

Whether a crop top with neon tights or a lacy dress and hiking boots, what we wear
can go a long way in showing who we really are, and determine people’s first impression of
us. On the bright side, people who don’t agree with your vibe are more likely to avoid you
and thus, any future conflict. Their loss!

● Solidifying your identity.

Finding what we feel the most comfortable and confident in can be cathartic for
people struggling to develop their identity in a fickle world. Daring to express yourself also
helps you come across to others as more bold and fascinating to get to know.

● Uplifting your mood.

Feeling at home in our own skin is underrated, but the change in perspective when
including colours in your outfit has to be felt to be believed. Vibrancy is key, as colours
trigger positive emotive responses for both the wearer and the people around them.

How do we find our style?

The first rule is that there are no rules.

No “rights” or “wrongs”, fashion works best when we understand ourselves. It is important to
remember that magazines describing trends are merely what clothing are popular at a given
time with the general public, never omniscient guidebooks. After all, these are our bodies to
dress, and, contrary to popular belief, do not have to be at the whim of society’s (largely)
non-inclusive beauty standards.

First, understand what works for you. What do you feel comfortable in? Then, push the
boundaries just a little. Most times, comfort with just a tinge of unfamiliarity breeds a greater
understanding of what we prefer.

For the people who have no idea where to start, below are three examples of how to express
yourself through the use of clothing.

1. Fan merchandise
Or “merch”, as is commonly dubbed, is akin to a secret code of belonging: easily
mistaken for normal clothing, and recognisable and appreciated only by members of the same
community. This could range from TV shows, company merch or even products that
celebrities advertise, but one thing that they all have in common is that they are tangible; a
physical representation of your favourite things. How cool is that?

https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-girl-wearing-
eye-glasses-2020904/

2. Cosplay
 This refers to when someone uses costumes or fashion accessories to dress up as a
character, usually from fictional works of art. Although time-consuming and not practical for
everyday attire, this is another arguably more artistic and fascinating way to ironically,
express yourself while donning the appearance of someone else.

To achieve an insider’s perspective on this, an interview was conducted with I.T., a

fellow student in Trinity Foundation Studies who cosplays mostly as Rindo Kobayashi from
Shokugeki no Soma, in her spare time. When asked why I.T. chose Rindo to cosplay as, she
said that Rindo suited her personality, and was her first foray into the world of cosplay.
Importantly, she mentioned that when wearing the clothes as Rindo, she feels “Happy”,
“confident”, “extroverted” and “a little uncomfortable,'' quoting the “three layers, long
sleeves, 37 degrees celsius outside”.

3. Individual style (goth, bohemian “boho” chic, hipster, etc.)

Many of the existing names for styles such as the above are only labels attempting to
simplify and categorize a general type of dressing. Of course, if you feel one or more of these
“looks” call out to you, don’t hesitate to draw inspiration from them, but at the same time, try
not to let them limit you!
 As someone who has developed his own style through years of trial and error, here’s
what William Purchase (yes, our very own HOI teacher) has to say about his style:

Q. How would you describe your look?

A. I’m not sure... something from the past, and sometimes a bit formal, but also relaxed in
some ways (e.g. has wrinkles, is not too tight).

Q. What inspires you to wear your daily ‘look’?

A. I am inspired by photos from the past, as well as by stories and imaginary worlds, but I
don’t try to copy any of these things directly.

Q. How long have you been interested in fashion?

A. I have been interested since university, or the end of high school, but have had different
interests over the years, and got more interested while doing postgraduate study a few years
ago.

Q. Is it your ‘work’’ clothes? Or is it your look for the weekend as well?

A. I wear the same clothes for work and on the weekend whenever I can.

Q.How does wearing that look make you feel?

A. I usually feel comfortable when I am wearing my normal look. Physically, and also
mentally, since I feel “at home” in the clothes that I have chosen.

Q. How long have you been maintaining your look?

A. I think our clothing always changes over time, so it has been a long evolution, at least
since five or six years ago.

Q. How have other people responded to your style and what do you have to say about that?
A. People respond in different ways. Some people think I look interesting, some think I look
like a character from a film etc., others only notice my glasses or my bag or some other single
item, and others don’t seem to notice anything. I don’t mind when people ask. It is nice when
people give compliments and ask questions. Possibly some people don’t like my style but
they don’t usually say anything, so I don’t notice them very much.

Speaking of haters, there will always be people who don’t appreciate your particular brand of
fashion, but all that matters is that you are happy with how you look. With that, good luck on
your journey towards self-expression! And stay beautiful, beautiful.

Interview details
Interview with William Purchase. (wpurchas@trinity.unimelb.edu.au)

How would you describe your look?

A1. I’m not sure... something from the past, and sometimes a bit formal, but also relaxed in some
ways (e.g. has wrinkles, is not too tight).

What inspires you to wear your daily ‘look’?

A2. I am inspired by photos from the past, as well as by stories and imaginary worlds, but I don’t try
to copy any of these things directly.

How long have you been interested in fashion?

A3. I have been interested since university, or the end of high school, but have had different interests
over the years, and got more interested while doing postgraduate study a few years ago.

Is it your ‘work’’ clothes? Or is it your look for weekend as well?

A4. I wear the same clothes for work and on the weekend whenever I can.

How does wearing that look make you feel?

A5. I usually feel comfortable when I am wearing my normal look. Physically, and also mentally,
since I feel “at home” in the clothes that I have chosen.

How long have you been maintaining your look?

A6. I think our clothing always changes over time, so it has been a long evolution, at least since five
or six years ago.

How have other people responded to your style and what do you have to say about that?
A7. people respond in different ways. Some people think I look interesting, some think I look like a
character from a film etc., others only notice my glasses or my bag or some other single item, and
others don’t seem to notice anything. I don’t mind when people ask. It is nice when people give
compliments and ask questions. Possibly some people don’t like my style but they don’t usually say
anything, so I don’t notice them very much

References (to put in document)

youtube links (for first para // include as references in word doc)

- How Fashion Affects Your Brain (ELLE)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqaM7bQFFic
- Why Clothes Matter (The School of Life)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8da1nXckEy4

website links
https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/what-you-wear-can-influence-how-you-perform/

Picture
https://www.thetrendspotter.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/The-Best-Street-Style-From-Paris-
Fashion-Week-Spring-Summer-2020.jpg
This is what I have sent to the trinity editor!

THE NEWSROOM

Student Names:

Seowan Jeong, Karyn Feliana, Kaylia Koh, Jane Kuswara

Story Title:

Fashion - wearing our hearts on our sleeves

Category (your class category):

Fashion

YouTube Links to Include in article:

- How Fashion Affects Your Brain (ELLE)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqaM7bQFFic

- Why Clothes Matter (The School of Life)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8da1nXckEy4

Website links:
https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/what-you-wear-can-influence-how-you-perform/

Are there images to accompany your story? If yes, please list file names of photos and attach
these.

The_Best_Street_Style_From_Paris_Fashion_Week_Spring_Summer_2020.jpg

The_school_of_life,jpg

Close_up_photo_of_girl_wearing_eye_glasses.jpg Quốc Bảo

A_picture_of_William_Purchase.jpg

Article (Words only):

[The-Best-Street-Style-From-Paris-Fashion-Week-Spring-Summer-2020.jpg]

Photo by @THESTYLESTALKERCOM

The_school_of_life,jpg

Fashion - wearing our hearts on our sleeves

By Karyn, Wani, Jane and Kylia

The Science Behind Style

As The School of Life puts it, research has shown that the things we wear does indeed hold sway over
the way we think about ourselves, and the way others perceive us. Or in other words: You are what
you wear. But how can a superficial thing as fashion affect my behaviour? Here, let me change your
mind.

In a video by ELLE that gives the phrase “fake it till you make it” a run for its money, two groups of
people, one made to wear lab coats and the other wearing normal street clothes, were asked to do a
simple attention test. Amazingly, the group wearing lab coats performed significantly better than the
other group. This phenomenon is called: “enclothed cognition”.

Then why should we express ourselves through style?

The better question is: why not?

Not only does exploring your own style (and respecting others’) help celebrate our differences, other
positive effects include…
 ● Expressing your personality, likes and dislikes.

What we wear can go a long way in showing who we really are, and determine people’s first
impression of us. On the bright side, people who don’t agree with your vibe are more likely to avoid
you and thus, any future conflict. Their loss!

● Solidifying your identity.

Finding what we feel the most comfortable and confident in can be cathartic for people
struggling to develop their identity in a fickle world. Daring to express yourself also helps you come
across to others as more bold and fascinating to get to know.

● Uplifting your mood.

Feeling at home in our own skin is underrated, but the change in perspective when including
colours in your outfit has to be felt to be believed.

How do we find our style?

The first rule is that there are no rules.

For the people who have no idea where to start, below are three examples of how to express yourself
through the use of clothing.

1. Fan merchandise

Or “merch”, as is commonly dubbed, is akin to a secret code of belonging: easily mistaken for
normal clothing, and recognisable and appreciated only by members of the same community. How
cool is that?

[Close_up_photo_of_girl_wearing_eye_glasses.jpg]

Photo by Quốc Bảo

2. Cosplay

This refers to when someone uses costumes or fashion accessories to dress up as a character,
usually from fictional works of art. This is another arguably more artistic and fascinating way to
ironically, express yourself while donning the appearance of someone else.
 To achieve an insider’s perspective on this, an interview was conducted with I.T., a fellow
student in Trinity Foundation Studies who cosplays mostly as Rindo Kobayashi from Shokugeki no
Soma, in her spare time. When asked why I.T. chose Rindo to cosplay as, she said that Rindo suited
her personality, and was her first foray into the world of cosplay. Importantly, she mentioned that
when wearing the clothes as Rindo, she feels “Happy”, “confident”, “extroverted” and “a little
uncomfortable,'' quoting the “three layers, long sleeves, 37 degrees Celsius outside”.

[A_picture_of_William_Purchase.jpg]

Photo by William Purchase

3. Individual style (goth, bohemian “boho” chic, hipster, etc.)

Many of the existing names for styles such as the above are only labels attempting to simplify
and categorize a general type of dressing.

As someone who has developed his own style through years of trial and error, here’s what
William Purchase has to say about his style:

Q. How would you describe your look?

A. I’m not sure... something from the past, and sometimes a bit formal, but also relaxed in some ways
(e.g. has wrinkles, is not too tight).

Q. What inspires you to wear your daily ‘look’?

A. I am inspired by photos from the past, as well as by stories and imaginary worlds, but I don’t try to
copy any of these things directly.

Q. How does wearing that look make you feel?

A. I usually feel comfortable when I am wearing my normal look. Physically, and also mentally, since
I feel “at home” in the clothes that I have chosen.

Q. How have other people responded to your style and what do you have to say about that?

A. People respond in different ways. Some people think I look interesting, some think I look like a
character from a film etc., others only notice my glasses or my bag or some other single item, and
others don’t seem to notice anything. I don’t mind when people ask. It is nice when people give
compliments and ask questions. Possibly some people don’t like my style but they don’t usually say
anything, so I don’t notice them very much.
Speaking of haters, there will always be people who don’t appreciate your particular brand of fashion,
but all that matters is that you are happy with how you look. With that, good luck on your journey
towards self-expression! And stay beautiful, beautiful.