More dopamine dressing!

I have already written a blog about dopamine dressing, centering on the accessories and jewellery. I love this quote.

My previous blog was a nod to lovely artists who I have bought gorgeous, handmade jewellery from. Fab people who make original pieces that make me smile when I put them on. The dopamine really working its stuff when others compliment your jewellery! So, bring on the good vibes!

I have always accessorised brightly, from way back when I was a teenager with my bright red dockers and tartan laces, to now. I was the teenager who didn't really care too much about fashion. I did love the 80s and 90s style but I always had my own thing going too. I volunteered at a charity shop and got loads of student grunge clothes for our Wedneday Indie nights. I loved wacky earings and necklaces and combined loads of colours and textures. 

Looking back at photos, all my friends were doing the same, wearing what they were comfy in and what they liked, so we all embraced our own little flare and ran with it. I love this quote of how we were back then and feel like now, in my early 50s, my unique radar is back on!

Like most teenagers, we did try to emulate some of the stars and singers but we were very lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky to have Madonna and Cyndi Lauper to follow! I loved Carol Decker and Belinda Carlisle too. Even the lace clad Madonna was singing about dressing up! I did love wearing my bowler hat with my double denim, homage to Debbie Gibson! 

Such bright, bold statement clothes, jewellery, make up and hair of the 80s. But then, 'girls just wanna have fun'!

So, please read the first blog if you haven't already! I do love the pinterest quote that states, 'No matter how much chocolate I eat, my earings will still fit.' That does ring true with me. I confidently wore anything as a size 10 student. Bright and patterned with loads of denim. Then the weight gradually went on. My friends and I were still frequenting the high street shops but as they went to the clothes, I wandered off to the bags and jewellery. I would happily leave with a bag of earings, knowing they would fit!

So my dopamine then began to come more from my accessories, rather than my clothes. Gone were the days of excitedly grabbing tiny frocks off the rails and sharing the communal changing rooms in Chelsea Girl. Now it was the era of safe dressing and buying the same frocks in dark colours. Bright colours made you look even bigger. The idea now was to hide behind floaty tops and dresses. Some even called them 'tents'! And the duller the colour, the better! I no longer got excited about what I was wearing for a night out. Oh the black dress again! 

So I would wear my blacks and browns, whilst craving the multicoloured tops and waistcoasts of my past. The odd time I did purchase something brighter, I would then feel too much on show and it would go to the back of my wardrobe. I loved patterns but felt they made me look bigger so went for more plain clothes too. Only now, am I back to realising that 'life is better in colour'.

This is a lovely quote. Need to get sone leopard print socks! 

I remember watching Rosemary and Thyme on tv and loved Felicity Kendall's clothes and accessorising. I have just come across a few episodes this week and still love her feminine style. This is lovely of her and Pam Ferris from the episode I watched today. I love her layering of different colours.

Well, I was inspired to write my first blog by my lovely friend and her jewellery and now she has inspired me to write this blog on dressing as she has introduced me to the wonderful clothing range Scamp and Dude! I do love the brand name. We always used the word Dude in the 90s at school. Cool Dude!

I did say to her that I was already into leopard print before and have worn it for years. Not as long as Bet Lynch or Scary Spice though! It's funny how, over the years, there was a bit of negative connotation with leopard print but now it is really positive. Two strong women owning their trademark print!

Decades between them but that dopamine dressing was in action before the term was even coined. Throw in a bit of wild and confident too!

When you are happy in your clothes, you are definitely more confident.

And, as the quote goes .....

There is something very satisfying about animal print, in different colours and patterns. Come and 'take a walk on the wild side'!

Another good quote for living is this one too!

I had already started buying the Love and Roses range in Next, which blends floral and animal print, with bold and pastel colours really well. I also had some Blue Vanilla animal print dresses in most colours! So now I wear them all and feel so much brighter and confident! And the animal print isn't just leopard but other animals too, as shown here in this pinterest post.

This quote is so true. And being yourself is being true to your own individual style. Not wearing what you think you should wear!

Scamp and Dude is so much more than a clothes range. It really is a way of life. The fabulous lady, Jo, who created the company is so inspiring. Her lightning bolts are on every design and you do feel the positive vibes as you super charge your day. I smile when I put my outfits on! 

Accessorising the outfits is so much fun too. Especially wearing my lovely friends' Leopardyemcreative, shown in the photo and Hidden treasures jewels fabulous creations! I love asking for bespoke creations and love these from Hidden Treasures. I sometimes ask for an extra bead or a different colour and they always oblige!

Charity is also a big thing and each scarf you buy, one is donated to a lady with breast cancer. As I am slowly building up my collection, I only have one scarf at the moment but aim on buying the scarf designed by the lovely Alison Hammond. 

Scamp and Dude people have created their own little communuties and I love being part of their facebook group, sharing outfits and stories. I was very lucky to meet up with a few gorgeous ladies for lunch and as well as the lovely welcome, it was fab seeing what they were all wearing! I do take more interest now in clothes and like to see how people put outfits together. I suppose I was dressing unconciously but now I am back enjoying putting clothes and accessories together. I am definitely more thoughtful about my clothing purchases. This quote says it all! 

I do like to open my wardrobe doors and see all the bright patterns smiling back at me. This is a lovely quote. One to live by!

I do feel better about how I dress, like I have re embraced who I was before. I do get more excited about choosing an outfit and accessorising it. In turn, I do take more time getting ready and make more of a ritual of this when I am going out. I get more of a buzz now. The dopamine working its thing!

I love this quote. Sparkle away! 

It is important how we talk to ourselves. Especially when getting dressed up! I had become fedup of getting ready, just throwing anything on. But now I do take time to sort put what goes better with what. I enjoy putting my outfits together again. So be careful how you assess yourself. Keep re starting over too.

It's about going with the flow. Your flow! If you want to wear bling whilst taking out the bin. Go for it! If you want to wear high heels whilst hoovering, who's to judge? If you want to wear your best frock for the school run, add a smile and do it in style. We all have our own things that make us feel happy. Get your sparkle on, wherever you are. Get it on and pass it on!

I love this and need to get dtessed up for shopping a lot more! 

As well as feeling happy in bright clothes, we need to feel comfy too. We all have our comfy clothes we get into when we get home. Bra off, comfort on!

Love this quote for comfort clothing!

I am a bit of a comfort person when it comes to dressing and love my second skin, my denim jacket. The staple of my wardrobe. A great nod to the 80s! 

It is like a comfort blanket to me. Denim is fab because you can own different pieces in many colours and styles and you can still wear badges on them! Every decade celebrates denim. Even double denim!

Vivienne Westwood knew a lot. I loved her Boudoir perfume in the 00s!

The denim jacket goes fab with my floral and animal print dresses. Sometimes the jacket is good to make a look more casual. But then. There is no such thing as overdressed! 

In a way, our wardrobe changes as we change through life. Look at Madonna reinventing herself for each new album. And every one of her new looks worked each time! I love this idea. A good reason for taking photos too to create a visual timeline.

I love the idea of developing your style to personally fit your different stages of life. Follow where it takes you. Be individual. Listen to those who know. In my case, my gorgeous sister in law who has spent hours browsing Seasalt, White Stuff and Fat Face shops with me and my lovely friend who got me into Scamp and Dude! I love this quote. Create your own vibe and play along to your own soundtrack! 

They say everyone has an inner goddess and I like to think that's true! Sometimes we maybe need a gentle reminder of where she is!

I am braver now to dress for me, to make me happy!

So really, forget the rules and go with what suits you and what makes you feel good.

What you wear is clothes and accessories. It is also your smile and your attitude. Even your positive pants! Keep turning up to life with all these things. And when you can't, then just like clothes, borrow someone else's smile for that day!