Similarly, when I think back on my exes, they seem connected to unconnected fragments of my life, ways of living that seem so far away from who I am now. The ambitious artist who’d take me to obscure gallery openings, the thoughtful PhD student who forced me to watch forgotten arthouse films, the outdoorsy doctor who would hold my hand through nature walks – and countless others .Lately, I’ve been thinking that these two things may be connected.
“I played around a lot with sexuality and dressing up,” she recalls. “Getting new clothes that didn’t hold the energy of the relationship and the time passed with my ex helped a lot.” On the opposite side of the spectrum, 24-year-old Nic says that a break-up in April led her to gravitate towards looser silhouettes and muted colours in her day-to-day life. “I’ve started wearing far looser-fitting clothes, baggier jeans and stripping everything back to basics – I now own about seven of the exact same black T-shirt,” she explains.
Laura and Nic’s experiences are relatable in their own way; we’ve all had a friend who has identified with one or the other post-break-up. Wellbeing coach Kamran Bedi says these changes in style reflect deeper identity crises that can occur around a split.