Holding On, Letting Go: The Emotional Weight of Unworn Clothes

There’s a checkered dress in the back of my wardrobe. It is sophisticated. Mid-calf length,puffy sleeves, but structured, body-hugging bodice. I haven’t worn it in years. It doesn’t fitquite right anymore. But I can’t seem to let it go. I bought it when I moved to New York City in 2017—a time when everything was […]

The MYND EDIT – Wearing Emotion: The Psychology of Color in Fashion

I was standing backstage at a TV shoot in Germany—nervous, unfamiliar with the space, about to step into the bright lights of a live set. It wasn’t the first time I’d spoken about fashion psychology, but something about the moment felt different. Bigger.  And yet, I didn’t shrink.  I was wrapped in burgundy, my power […]

When Clothes Speak First: What We Wear, What We Mean

You walk into a room. You haven’t said a word. But in less than seven seconds, the people in that room have already made up their minds about you. That’s the psychology of first impressions—and fashion is one of its fastest triggers. Before a handshake, eye contact, and speaking for yourself, your clothes speak first. […]

The Mynd Edit: How Fashion Shapes Identity, Emotion, and Well-being

Introducing: The Mynd Edit by Fashion Psychologist Jennifer Heinen is Eletom Magazine’s newest monthly Saturday column. Each month, Heinen explores the impact of fashion and how it intersects with conversations and power dynamics across all industries, whether it’s in film, society, and pop culture. When I tell people I’m a fashion psychologist, the response is […]