A retired civil engineer in Cornwall has made yellow his signature color for the past decade, turning accessories into a daily wardrobe staple that he says helps him connect with strangers. Andrew Geldart, 65, said he began incorporating yellow after moving to Bude with a camper van, and now wears sunflower-yellow items from caps to shoes nearly every day. He noted that the bright color allows his grandchildren to spot him in crowds and encourages passersby to strike up conversations.
Geldart said he adjusts his approach depending on context, avoiding full yellow at solemn occasions like Remembrance Day parades while embracing it at funerals of friends. He added that when he wants to blend in — while helping run a food bank or serving as a church leader — he wears beige instead. The color choice, he said, serves a practical purpose: it signals approachability and opens doors to meaningful conversation in a world where many people remain isolated.
A London psychoanalyst takes a different approach, favoring genderless silhouettes and slogan tees as part of what she calls "quiet surrealism." Anouchka Grose, 56, said she deliberately avoids dressing as an authority figure, instead aiming for a balance between comfortable and characterful. Her typical uniform consists of oversized black jackets, men's shirts, loose trousers — often from secondhand sources — and Ugg boots.
Grose said her slogan tees reference psychoanalytic theory and history, with her favorite bearing the words "Dress for the male gays," which she said alludes to Laura Mulvey's concept of the male gaze and serves as commentary on psychoanalysis's past treatment of homosexuality. She noted that unconventional clothing choices deliberately subvert expectations about how therapists should dress and that she has worn the same style to both professional conferences and clinical sessions.
Both professionals said their wardrobes reflect broader beliefs about identity and human connection. Geldart said he hopes his bright appearance encourages others to step outside conventional norms and spread positivity. Grose said psychoanalysis taught her that clothing transmits meaning and that personal associations with garments are too fractured and individual to fully control.