Fashion, for many of us, can be incredibly fun. It’s a way of expressing ourselves to the outside world without having to say anything at all. But while our wardrobes can be both functional – think work outfits, trusty jeans or a simple slip dress that works for almost every occasion – or flamboyant, depending on your style, there may be more to the pieces we choose to dress in each day.

A lucky jumper, a first date dress or a pair of jeans that makes you feel comfortable in more than a physical sense are just a handful of examples of how clothes can become more meaningful. In fact, some parts of my wardrobe seem more like a memory box than purely pieces of clothing, and I know I’m not alone in this feeling. I’m sure it’s the reason we select some outfits on more challenging days or struggle to part with pieces that we know we’ll never wear again. So, I sat down with Dr Carolyn Mair, cognitive psychologist, author of The Psychology Of Fashion and fashion business consultant, to find out exactly why we create a deeper connection with clothing and how this can impact where we wear them. 

“Clothes go beyond their functional purpose of providing protection and comfort. They become an integral part of our identity and can be deeply tied to our emotions and self-expression,” Mair says. But when it comes to our attachment to certain pieces of clothing, what makes us reach for some items more than others, trends and weather aside? “We tend to feel more confident, secure and comfortable in familiar clothes that we’ve worn for a long time or ones that are associated with important life events, memories or significant people in our lives,” Mair explains. 

“The emotional attachments we form with clothes based on positive experiences can make the clothes a sort of ‘comfort blanket’ that can boost our confidence by providing emotional support during challenging times,” she adds. Which I can definitely attest to. For me, it’s a black pair of Frame jeans and a simple Aeyde ankle boot. Both of which have been in my wardrobe for around four years and not only make me feel more confident in how I look (they’ve now moulded perfectly to my body) but in how I feel as well, having seen me through many a late night dancing in bars, celebratory dinners with friends or even more tough days with work stress. They’ve become my go-to for days when I need an added boost, and ‘comfort blanket’ couldn’t describe them more perfectly, although they’re much more chic than snuggly. And if it’s a feeling of empowerment you’re after, Mair has found a correlation between clothes worn during moments of achievement and how they can remind us of our capabilities. 

The connection with clothing can go much deeper than added confidence or comfort. As Mair so perfectly put it, the life events we experience while wearing these pieces “makes them more than just fabric but carriers of emotional significance and memories”. And just like smells or sounds can make a memory come back into your mind, clothes can do exactly the same. 

“Memory and emotion are closely connected in the brain to the extent that the more emotional an event, the more easily the memory can be recalled,” Mair says, which explains why a wedding dress, for example, may hold more emotion than a standard shirt. Or why one look at a jumper that you were wearing when you heard you were being made redundant can immediately recall the experience and make you disinclined to wear it again. “Some clothes may hold nostalgic value based on visual aesthetics, such as vintage designs or fashion trends from specific eras,” says Mair. “Visual elements can trigger feelings of nostalgia, evoking memories of different periods in our lives.” This goes some way to explaining why we’re still sold on Y2K fashion, viewing the period as a somewhat gentler time before Covid, a cost of living crisis and another war. 

These memories and attachments to clothes are evoked through our senses, Mair explained. “Visual cues such as colour, pattern, style and design are likely to have sociocultural associations (such as pink with feminine and suits with professionalism) that influence our clothing choices, and ultimately, our behaviour.” We’re already making associations with items before we’ve necessarily even worn them. But with pieces we have worn, it’s not just all about their appearance either. “Although we may consider vision the most important sense, our sense of smell evokes memory faster than any other sense due to its spatial closeness to the amygdala (emotion centre) in the brain. Smelling a familiar scent on a piece of clothing can take us back to a specific time and place very quickly, triggering memories associated with that moment and evoking feelings of nostalgia, allowing us to relive cherished moments and experiences,” Mair explains. This may explain why we can feel more comfortable wearing a partner’s clothes or hesitate to wash an item after a particularly great day.

Just as we have clothes linked to happy memories, we also have pieces that we put on through the bad ones too, and for some, it can be just as hard to part with these. “If you’re not ready to part with the clothes but don’t want to see them, store them away and revisit the decision when you feel more prepared to handle the emotions associated with the items,” suggests Mair. “If the memories are particularly distressing or traumatic, consider seeking support from a therapist or counsellor who can help you work through your emotions and guide you on how to cope in a healthy manner.” 

If you do have some positive nostalgia-filled pieces but can’t bring yourself to wear them for whatever reason, Mair suggests upcycling them into home decor or a memory blanket, so you can keep the memories while giving them a new lease of life. 

Images: Getty