5 minute read

Some fashion trends are worth paying attention to, even in midlife. Not second-skin sheer, I’ll admit, or micro minis, or spring/summer’s penchant for fishnet tops (yes, that’s tops not tights?!). The trend that’s dominating catwalks, Instagram, celebrity style and TikTok (apparently trends are now set on this video-hosting platform – doesn’t that make you feel old?) and which has got me itching to fill up my virtual shopping cart again, is optimism. It’s the new black, and like a classic LBD, it’s something every woman should have in her wardrobe.

You’re thinking I’m talking about bright, bold colours, right? Highlighter pen-style or crayola chic, and yes, that can be part of it, although this is more akin to dopamine dressing, which is an unapologetic grinning-squinting-face emoji kind of happy. Dressing like an opal fruit isn’t for everybody, no matter how joyous you might be feeling, but more than that, it seems a little out of step with the current zeitgeist of post-Covid hopefulness tempered by the uncertainties of war in Europe.

‘Optimism chic’ is less about hilarity and effusion and more about hope, something that seems to have hit a nerve with designers and consumers alike. The trend is subtle and understated, implied even, through emblems of positivity such as rainbows, butterflies and tigers (a motif of good luck in the Chinese zodiac calendar), as well as soft, calming shades like pink, representing harmony, and Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2022, Very Peri, described as offering the wearer a “courageous presence”.

While we’ve come to understand mindful shopping as buying fewer and better, optimism chic is a kind of mindful dressing. Like carrying a water bottle to avoid dehydration, choosing a rainbow shoe or butterfly brooch can help guard against despondency.

It’s that ‘enclothed cognition’ theory again, and here comes the science bit… Enclothed cognition is the theory that if the clothes we wear have a symbolic meaning, they can affect our thoughts. For instance, in a 2012 experiment, some participants wore a garment described as a doctor’s coat and others an identical garment described as a painter’s coat. Participants wearing what they thought was a doctor’s coat performed better in a task than those who thought they were in a painter’s coat.

At the recent Cannes film festival, celebrities showed us how optimism chic is done, red carpet style. Turkish-German actress Meryem Uzerli looked as much like a butterfly as is humanly possible in a gorgeous winged dress by Yanina Couture, with Very-Prei coloured sequins defining the deep V neckline and hemline. Similarly, the exquisite rhinestones on Helly Shah’s Ziad Nakad gown mimicked the silhouette of a butterfly beautifully.

In real life, this trend will translate equally well through accessories. Lucky for us midlifers, a lot of these positive motifs were popular in the 90s, so any hoarders out there are in for a fashion win this summer. If not, browse the edit of optimism chic below. If you only buy one thing this summer, make sure it lifts your spirits as well as your look.