“Joy is an intense momentary experience of positive emotion, one that makes us smile and laugh and feel like we want to jump up and down.”
Recently, I listened to a TED talk about the feeling of Joy. The speaker was Ingrid Fetell Lee, who, as a young aspiring industrial designer had brought about feelings of joy in her professors after showcasing her designs to them. Intrigued by this reaction, she ended up devoting a large portion of her life’s work to discovering the meaning behind joy and what brings upon these emotions. How do tangible things make us feel intangible joy?
If you don’t have time to watch the full 13 minute video, I encourage you to watch the section from time 5:38 to 6:25.
This got me thinking and relating it to my own life. Who wouldn’t want to wear a race day outfit that makes someone jump for joy? Perhaps this is the secret to placing in Fashions on the Field! And perhaps ladies already incorporate this concept into their race day outfits, consciously or subconsciously. I wanted to investigate more.
So, when you think of joy, what is it that you think of? Personally, I think of balloons, dandelions, rainbows, a big bunch of flowers and brightly coloured beads.
Ingrid asked hundreds of people what brought them joy and she started to notice some commonalities. There were cherry blossoms, bubbles, swimming pools, tree houses, hot air balloons and fireworks.
Ingrid managed to categorize the most common answers into the following 5 categories:
- pops of bright colour
- round things
- symmetrical shapes
- abundance, multiplicity and repetition
- the feeling of lightness or elevation.
Excited by her theories, I decided to look for race day outfits that brought feelings of joy to me, and to see if they too, embodied these characteristics. Here’s what I found…
Pops of Bright Colour
Pops of colour are pleasing to the eye, whether it be through an array of brightly coloured prints paired together, or through just one or two colours creeping through a base colour.
I especially love Ian Bennet’s 2016 winning Myer Millinery Award piece which features not only pops of colour, but is created out of feathers to look like fireworks- something that brings joy to many people.
Image credit: @richshawphoto
Image credit: @thelittlegeorge, @alicebright__
Image credit: @kerriecarucci_
Image credit: 1: @wendellt photo of @brooke.prince
Round Things
Round objects make us feel safe, calm and happy. In racing fashion, I always find that a full skirt twirling down a runway makes me feel joy, as do beautiful round brims on hats and polka dots or curved prints.
Image credit: @kerry_mcglone29
Image credit: @wendellt photo of @kerriecarucci_
Image credit: @belcappello
Image credit: @opulentlifestylecollective
Symmetrical Shapes
It is a natural human instinct to be drawn to symmetry. We are hardwired to organize chaos. Through prints and shapes that repeat themselves, we create a feeling of order that evokes feelings of joy. In fashion outfits, a bold symmetrical print can have a very visually appealing effect on anyone who sees it.
Image credit: @wendellt image of @stacie_galeano
Image credit: @crystalkimber
Image credit: @allie_guy
Image credit: @marshmillinery
Abundance, Multiplicity and Repetition
I found this characteristic very interesting. I loved the analogy that one confetto does not bring about joy, but a copiousness of confetti does! A print that is repeated in abundance, or that is carried on through to the millinery and other features in an outfit whether that be a fabrication, shape or colour, has this effect.
Image credit: @sarahhopeschofield.studio
Image credit: Sarah Schofield – flemington.com.au
Image credit; Chloe Moo – flemington.com.au
Image credit: @crystalkimber
I also found abundance to be visible in things like this sleeve below; the abundance of fabric designed to look like petals which is also carried on into the millinery.
Image credit: @richshawphoto
Or the repetition of flowers on Alice’s dress replicated in her hat.
Image credit: @alicebright__
Abundance could also be the full feeling of Em’s outfit, through the extra fabric in her bodice ruffle and voluminous pleats in her skirt.
Image credit: @wendellt photo of @emscodellaro
The Feeling of Lightness or Elevation
This would have to be my personal favourite, the feeling of lightness or elevation. Who saw Philip Treacy’s ‘jellyfish’ hats he made for the Valentino Haute Couture show? The way the ostrich feathers floated from the hat, billowing behind like long stringy jellyfish tentacles had me totally captivated. And brought a smile to my face. This feeling of lightness can be found in outfits through fabrications used; tulle and crinoline are fantastic examples, and through feathers and transparency.
Image credit: @styleheroine
Image credit: @philiptreacy
Image credit: @wendellt photo of @milanoimai
Image credit: @sarah_vasey92
Image credit: @crystalkimber
Have you ever seen an outfit that has brought you immediate, immense joy upon seeing it? I challenge you to hunt down a photo and post it in the comments below to share the joy! Also let us know if you think there are other elements or features that can bring joy to an outfit!
