Dopamine Dressing: How Colour Can Change Everything
Black is Safe
Black has always been the easy option. It’s comfortable, it’s versatile, and it works in almost every setting - from the slow mornings to engaged evenings out. There’s a reason so many of us default to it... black doesn’t ask questions, it doesn’t get loud, it just lets you move through the world without friction.
It can sharpen your frame, give a grungy edge, or act as the blank canvas where everything else lives. I love black because it never fails. But that safety can also become routine. And sometimes the safest option stops us from playing.
One Piece is All it Takes
The quickest way to shift your whole look isn’t to throw away the black - it’s to let one piece of colour cut through.
Start small. A cardigan in red. A bright pair of shoes. A patterned shirt layered against dark trousers. That single piece changes how you feel when you step out the door — and that’s the dopamine effect. Colour is energy, and energy shifts how you move, how you walk, how you talk.
For me, it always begins with one piece. Add it to the black base, let it spark something, and suddenly the whole outfit is alive.
Accessories Do the Talking
Once you’ve opened the door with that first piece of colour, accessories are where you can start having fun.
Shoes are the easiest entry point — they’re small but powerful. A bold trainer instantly changes a look that’s otherwise muted. Bags do the same. Even sunglasses can become the injection of colour that flips the energy.
Think: neutral top, neutral base, then let shoes, shorts, or a bag carry the colour. Build slowly. Don’t force it. Let the balance feel natural.
Copenhagen Example
When I was in Copenhagen last week, I played this exact formula.
I started with black adidas flared trousers and a Scuffers shirt - simple, sharp, comfortable. Then I layered in a Ralph Lauren vintage cut-off cardigan that had this old-school edge.
To bring the colour, I went for a Uniqlo suede bag, by FREDDIE LONG sunglasses, and A pair of Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66s in yellow. The whole outfit was grounded in black, but the colour pieces gave it energy. That’s the dopamine hit I love.
Black is safe. But colour is alive.