Who are the mood dressers? You know who we mean: the women whose ability to dress successfully for the day is dependent, at least in part, on their feeling in the moment, on some piece of information that can only be obtained as they are getting dressed.
These are the women who may have an idea (or even something resembling a plan) in advance for how they will dress – but they give themselves permission (or simply have to be able to) change their mind when the moment of getting dressed arrives.
Watch The Video
Watch the video as Jill and Imogen discuss what we discovered in our research about who the Style Types are who are most likely to dress on mood:
There can be an assumption that “mood” dressing is related to the Feeling function, as many words commonly associated with Feeling are often used to describe what it’s like to mood dress.
Our research discovered that it isn’t a Feeling function necessarily that correlates with needing to dress for mood. That, in fact, it is the women who have iNtuition (N) in their four-letter type code who are more likely to want and need to dress for mood.
There are eight (8) of the 16 Style Types who have N in their four-letter type code. So, yes, half of the women in the 16 Style Types system are highly likely to get dressed using a process where, in some way, mood is used as either a barometer or a resource.
What is Mood Dressing?
The way mood dressing works goes something like this (if you mood dress, your process may differ in some ways, but you may find the patterns of tendencies, some behavior and/or inner experiences and motivations are similar):
There may be some consideration in advance – the night before, or earlier if it’s a special or important occasion – about what the day’s outfit could or even should be. On the day, however, when the moment of getting dressed arrives, that pre-planned or pre-thought out outfit may not feel right.
Right then in the getting-dressed moment, the outfit isn’t come together – something about it isn’t gelling, isn’t synthesizing, isn’t happening.
And it may not be easy to work out why, and how to fix it.
Why it Isn’t Feeling
Feeling is what is referred to in the world of psychological type, as a decision making process. Along with Thinking, it’s psychological opposite, Feeling is a basis on which decisions are made.
Feeling is about values and priorities relating to people (self and others). And very important to note that Feeling does not mean emotional. It is a larger concept related to decision making.
People who prefer Feeling can be just as intellectual as those who prefer Thinking; those preferring Thinking can hold caring values just like people who prefer Feeling.
Key words relating to Feeling include: relationship building, values and discerning what is important, sympathize and empathize with others, subjective decision making (it’s all personal), driving need for harmony (internal and external).
Mood dressing in this context isn’t about those things.
And this is why iNtuition is a much better correlator for mood dressing within the 16 Style Types approach. iNtuition, along with its psychologically opposite function Sensing, is about information gathering.
Key words relating to iNtuition include: inspiration, ideas, hunches, possibilities, ideal, vision, abstractions and concepts.
And it is this information gathering stage where mood dressing snares a woman who has a tendency for it.
Why Mood Dressing is Important to N Women
Mood dressing is especially important to women who prefer iNtuition because if the outfit isn’t right, it’s a distraction. It’s an annoyance. It requires too much work and effort throughout the day (or event) to make the outfit perform, or you fiddle seemingly constantly with some aspect of the outfit. It takes up important ‘space’ that needs to be freed up.
This ‘space’ is valuable to the iNtuitive woman. She needs this space free and clear to get on with her day, so she can turn her attention and time to the important tasks, issues, ideas and possibilities that require her attention. And so she needs to be able to forget about her outfit, have it meld into the background – knowing it’s right, it’s correct, and it’s showcasing her at her best, she feels and can say “this is me” (or “this is me today”).
Getting the right outfit on your body is thus a “freeing” exercise for many women who prefer iNtuition (N). To know your outfit is right, is correct, is “you” allows you to let go of your outfit.
And thus space is opened up and clarity is achieved. Ahhhh – the N woman can breath! She can think. She can feel. She can ponder possibilities, intregrate hunches, connect with others, and live her values.
Inner Vision – NJ Women
For half the women who prefer iNtuition (N), those have N and J in their type code, there is an “inner vision” that defines their iNtuitive function.
They use this inner vision in the process of getting dressed in this way: an ideal outfit is imagined and is ‘held’ as the optimal outfit for the day or event. There are four (4) Style Types who have NJ in their type code – INTJ, INFJ, ENTJ, ENFJ.
The process of getting dressed is about matching up this inner vision with outer reality. And sometimes they don’t mesh – in the moment of getting dressed, this inner vision can’t be realized with the physical items in the closet, they simply aren’t there or can’t be coordinated.
This can be frustrating for an NJ woman who keeps trying on more and more options (creating that “floordrobe” of discarded items which haven’t made the cut) trying to get this inner vision to manifest.
Outer Possibilities – NP Women
For the other half of women who prefer iNtuition (N), those who have N and P in their type code, they are all about options and possibilities – what might be created?
This ‘flavor’ of iNtuition is about noticing these possibilities and somehow weaving them together or connecting them in a way that isn’t immediately obvious. It’s often thought of and referred to as brainstorming, which is a fairly accurate description of how this shows up in the lives of these N women. There are four (4) Style Types who have NP in their type code – ENTP, ENFP, INTP, INFP.
The process of pulling the day’s (or event’s) outfit together can result in overwhelm for the NP woman. The possibilities may seem almost infinite – the conceivable outfit combinations are incalculable! They can end up almost paralyzed with indecision because they are so caught up with all the options facing them.
And this is when outfits are pulled together in a rush – time is a’wastin’ after all and one can’t leave the house without clothes on – that aren’t quite right and feel wrong all day.
And Now For Something Completely Different – Sensing Women
So what about the remaining eight (8) Style Types – the women who prefer Sensing? Sensing (S) is the psychologically opposite function to iNtuition(N), and they approach getting dressed a little differently to their N sisters.
There are two kinds of Sensing (S) women – those who prefer SJ and those who prefer SP. These are quite different to one another, although they both prefer Sensing.
SP Women
Women with S and P in their type code (there’s four (4) – ESTP, ESFP, ISTP, ISFP) are great at juggling practical realities in the moment, and so they can sometimes believe they are “mood” dressing. This may be what’s happening, but if that’s so, it’s in quite a different way to how iNtuitive (N) women approach mood dressing — either matching inner vision with reality (NJ) or entertaining possibilities (NP).
Women who prefer SP are great at playing with pragmatic realities in the moment and in this way, they may change up any prefabricated ideas they may have had about what to wear right now. They aren’t attached to the past or prior experiences, and will be happy to juggle what’s happening in this very moment, including new facts and data, to compose the perfect outfit for the experiences they’re about to have.
SJ Women
Women with S and J in their type code (there’s four (4) – ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTJ, ESFJ) are the planners of the world. They are great at pre-thinking through the practical steps required to get to a particular destination (literal or figurative), and at finessing the details to ensure that destination is not only arrived at, but within any pre-set timeframes and using the resources at hand. They draw heavily on past experience – if an outfit has worked before, it’s going to work again – so why mess with a successful approach, formula or plan?
Women who prefer SJ will draw on an exceptional attention to detail. Our research indicates they rarely change up pre-thought through or pre-imagined outfits and prefer to stick to their planned outfit. Sometimes will actively resist making any changes to pre-imagined outfits, even if the facts have changed and it’s obvious that a new outfit is required for the day or event.
What About You?
Do you mood dress? If so, what relationship do you draw been that tendency and your Style Type? We’d love to discuss this more with you, so drop us a line or leave a comment below.
And if you haven’t already discovered your Style Type, now is the moment! Our custom-made Discover Your Style Type Best Fit Process will guide you through an exploration of what your preferences are, including your preference for Sensing or iNtuition.
After you confirm your Style Type preferences, you’ll receive your very own 30-page, gorgeously designed, and in-depth Report (and if you already know your four-letter type code preferences, you can Download your Style Type Report immediately).
