MIRROR REFLECTIONS™

This course explores fundamental questions about the origins of the art of dressing by looking at how the concept of Fashion Psychology has emerged. Examines the 19th-century illumination of Fashion Psychology and how it was unknowingly interwoven through the fabrics of the 20th century. We ask whether fashion requires the onlooker to view thru an idiosyncratic lens or a collectivistic lens. Seeks to explain why the Fashion Psychology Field is needed in today's 21st Century.

We have all uttered the common adage "I have nothing to wear" while looking at a closet full of clothing. You probably have pulled out half of your wardrobe and tried on several different looks. You look into the mirror at your reflection feeling defeated. You finally relent dressing in the last items you tossed to the side. You go about your day with an underlying feeling of dissatisfaction. This course will introduce the fashion psychological solution to the common adage "I have nothing to wear".

As the weather gets colder and the days get grayer, it’s easy to catch a case of the winter blues, especially when it comes to getting dressed. Gray, black, navy and other deep tones tend to dominate our wardrobes during the colder months, with bright, flashy colors taking a back seat. This course will explore our associations to color and how those associations are linked to mood and behavior.

The reality that the right clothes can help candidates get hired or promoted, dress codes have always been a fraught subject as the world changes. In terms of fashion, the office is an incubator for norms that tends to reflect the corporate culture. Professional attire can become a hierarchical determinant, a cue for interactions with others. Trends in professional dress are set by those in power, whom people wish to emulate. This course explores the psychology of office fashion.