We’ll show you how to wear bold and bright coloured dresses (and more!) to lift a grey day - with a bold dress or a pop of colour added to a monochrome outfit with a bright accessory. Bright colours are proven to boost your mood; looking at bold, warm colour releases dopamine, the feel-good hormone. Wearing the shades of the rainbow through bright uplifting clothing impacts both how you feel and how others perceive you, kick-starting a chain reaction of happiness. In this post, we take you through the paint-box in our simple guide to wearing bold colours and bright coloured dresses.
Here comes the science part! Chromatics, the science behind colour, dates back to the 1660s when Newton began his experiments splitting sunlight through the glass prism into what we see as the rainbow. Fun fact: the rainbow used to consist of five shades of red, yellow, green, blue and violet, before Newton added orange and indigo in 1704.
Wear the Rainbow
Dopamine dressing in one easy step. The rainbow has become a symbol of hope, the triumph of the sun appearing after the rain has gone. Combining all the colours in a bold rainbow stripe dress is one sure fire way to spark joy. Wear your arches of colour with pride, be it through full cotton shirt dresses or cheerful rainbow motif separates.
Karlie Rainbow Print Dress, Bungle Rainbow Jumper (coming soon), Montana Rainbow Stripe Dress
Wear it with: Even more colours, the bigger the better. It might be ‘a bit much’ for some - they are not your people.
Red
The colour red triggers feelings of warmth, energy and stimulation – famously the colour of passion and love. Fire up your look in our fiercely proud ‘Mother’ slogan jumper or choose a ’burning’ red day dress; remember, you’re cooler in the red dress. Vamp it up with a red lipstick for classic vintage style.
Natalie Red Summer Dress, Theresa Mother Jumper, Basil Gingham Dress
Wear it with: Denim, black & white. Forget the old mantra, red and green should definitely be seen.
Yellow
The colour of happiness, optimistic yellow brings the warmth of sunshine; wearing cheery yellow bright coloured dresses gives off positive energy. Historically speaking, yellow is also a colour of defiance, through the yellow ribbons of the women’s suffrage movement in the US. Today, the shade has become a shorthand for Gen Z. Perk up a basic denim look with a yolky yellow cardie or be the sunshine in bold yellow sun dress.
Gemma Yellow Sun Dress, Linda Knit Cardigan, Bessie Dress
Wear it with: Navy, denim
Pink
Romantic, feminine and bold, hot pink is basically shorthand for confidence - whether it’s head-turning fuchsia pink dresses that steal the limelight or show-stopping electric pink sweaters that pack a punch. Embrace the power of pink in a ‘60s -inspired mini skirt or sprinkle the pink in a slogan sweater. Here are our perfect pink picks to pep up the dullest of days.
Concetta Cioa Jumper, Anne Pink Dress, Deborah Call Me Jumper
Wear it with: Paler pinks or green (see The Beverly Hills Hotel for style notes)
Green
Get serene in green, the colour of nature and the earth. Supposedly the easiest of all the colours for the eyes to process, green makes a great first impression. Make them green with envy in a bold block-colour dress, or simply show your green shoots in a botanical green print.
Anne Black Dress, Lotta Green Dress, Alexis Clover Print Dress
Wear it with: Black and white
Blue
Soothing, tranquil blues calm the mind. Blue is said to promote the release of oxytocin, the ‘cuddle hormone’, the one that gives you all the warm and fuzzy feelings - perhaps because of its connotations with water and nature, like looking at the sea, lakes, rivers, or clear blue skies. Statistically the world’s favourite colour, blue consistently tops the list, probably down to its easy wearability through denim and its versatile spectrum of shades.
Tamara Polka Dot Denim Dress, Birdie Sailboat Print Dress, Hysteria Floral Print Dress
Wear it with: Red, orange
Add a pop of colour to your day shop our Rainbow Edit now!