I’ve long turned to wearing colour to brighten my mood. Mainly because when I feel a bit meh, wearing grey or black flattens my mood even more.
My go-to for this is a bright red skirt with a cheeky ruffle at the hem, paired here with my favourite pink Uniqlo: C T-shirt.
Pink satin half sleeve T-shirt by Uniqlo: C
The first time I wore this skirt, I met the love of my life. Every time since, I’ve had fun, and so have the people I’m with. Which got me wondering: is it me, the skirt, or the fact it’s such a fabulous shade of lipstick red?
Science says it might be the colour.
Orange Puff Sleeve Zola Midi Dress
I learned this thanks to the no-nonsense fashion psychologist Shakaila Forbes-Bell, who talks about “wearapy” on her YouTube channel. This is the idea that certain colours and styles can positively influence how we feel, not just how we look.
So, in the name of style director-ing, I spent a week dressing in “happy chic”, and loved it almost as much as wearing them again for this shoot.
Cotton and linen red double breasted blazer
Matching red trousers, £120
Does dressing in "happy chic" work?
A swishy orange Nobody’s Child dress with giant puff sleeves made a dinner party more fun. The tomato-red trouser suit from Mint Velvet gave me an almost absurd level of confidence on an overcast Tuesday morning. A pale yellow linen trouser suit from Hobbs, a colour I’d never considered and didn’t expect to suit me, made me feel as polished as I looked.
Adalee Linen Jacket, available in petite and regular sizes
Adalee pale yellow linen wide-leg trousers, £119
Turns out, there’s real science behind why colour affects our mood. Colour connects quickly to the parts of the brain linked to emotion, memory and pleasure. Certain bright colours literally activate a good mood. Hello, dopamine dressing!
If you’re considering colour but fear looking like a jolly children’s TV presenter, don’t worry. Deploying one bright piece, like my skirt - (which is out to stock, but I've shared similar midi-skirts here), is enough to do the trick. My advice? Wear it with a pink top, and discover the best colour combination of all time.
Haley Shirred Waist Maxi Skirt, Barbados Cherry by OMNES
Haley Shirred Waist Maxi Skirt, Barbados Cherry by OMNES
If you needed further proof that uplifting colours are back in fashion look no further than Chanel, the most influential collection of summer 2026.
For his debut collection, Chanel's Matthieu Blazy's made a compelling, and very beautiful, case for bright red, sunshine yellow and vivid green softened with coral and icy blue. His models even… smiled.
The mood is definitely catching.
As for me? I’m converted.
Photographs: Jonny Storey.
Makeup: Lindsey Poole
