It happens to everyone. You’re in an Uber with one of your friends and bravely decide to play your song. The song that has been your anthem, the song that plays the chords you feel in your heart, the complicated feelings that your mouth just cannot muster. The Uber driver finally manages to connect the Bluetooth, and you press play. Every fiber of your being sizzles as you hear that life-affirming start. Your very self is validated. And the friend turns to you, with a demoralizing stare that says what in the literal f*ck is this? Anybody would feel vulnerable under this type of acute scrutiny, since the music we choose to listen to is so closely tied up into our person. It works in the same way fashion does, as they both reveal one’s personality, tastes and influences. One’s soul.
And it’s the same with fashion. The interconnectedness of fashion and music runs so deeply throughout our lives that the two are natural bedfellows. There’s shoegaze and normcore, frat-rap and an obsession with tie-dye and palm-tree prints, and the way you just know that someone with a certain type of Nike Air Force 1 knows all of J Balvin’s Colores. You’ve probably noticed this with friends. You know that the one who loves Taylor Swift and Tory Burch isn’t going to be as into your new chunky platform industrial boots as the friend who’s gotten into Berghain twice.
Science agrees. The most respected measure of personality (and our favorite) the Big 5 model, abbreviated as ‘OCEAN’ for the traits that it measures (openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, neuroticism), has strong correlations with both style preferences and music tastes. For example, studies find that people who score higher on extroversion are most likely to listen to rap/hip hop, soul/funk, electronic/dance music. They’re also more likely to prefer statement styles and shocking bright colors. And it makes sense: energetic music and energetic colors with conversation detailing both facilitate interaction — something the extrovert lives for.
To better illustrate the gamut of possibilities, we’ve drawn up the charts below for each of the personality traits, from low to high, with an ambassador, a representative dress, and some albums. Remember, we are showing extremes here to illustrate the connections: most people fall somewhere in the middle. Your unique taste is also an amalgamation for all 5 scores, not one alone, so try and imagine how the combinations might affect each other.
OPENNESS
HIGH: creative, curious, likes novelty
LOW: traditional, conservative, prefers the tried-and-tested
HIGH MUSIC: Nina Simone, Kavinsky, Mos Def, Beethoven, Creedence Clearwater Revival
LOW MUSIC: Taylor Swift, Spice Girls, One Direction, Selena Gomez, Carrie Underwood
Dresses L-R: Gucci - Wool and Silk Dress, Dolce & Gabbana - Lace Midi Dress, via MyTheresa.com
CONSCIENTOUSNESS
HIGH: hardworking, orderly, follows rules
LOW: disorganized, free-spirited, spontaneous
HIGH MUSIC: Kacey Musgraves, Andrea Bocelli, Norah Jones, Yo Yo Ma, Natasha Bedingfield
LOW MUSIC: Hole, FIDLAR, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Miley Cyrus
Dresses L-R: Gabriela Hearst - Elvis Cashmere and Silk Shirt Dress, Balenciaga - Logo Ribbed-Knit Minidress, via MyTheresa.com
EXTROVERSION
HIGH: active, social, talkative
LOW: introverted, reflective, reserved
HIGH MUSIC: Daddy Yankee, Cardi B, Doja Cat, Outkast, Jennifer Lopez
LOW MUSIC: Cat Power, D’Angelo, Leonard Cohen, Sade, Amélie Soundtrack
Dresses L-R: Versace - Jungle-Print Silk Maxi Dress, Balenciaga - Wool Minidress, via MyTheresa.com
AGREEABLENESS
HIGH: trusting, lenient, team player
LOW: strong sense of self, bold, opinionated
HIGH MUSIC: Hanson, AQUA, Billy Joel, Carly Rae Jepsen, Simon & Garfunkel
LOW MUSIC: Kanye West, KISS, Nicki Minaj, Gesaffelstien, Eminem
Dresses L-R: Dolce & Gabbana - Floral Cotton Dress, Rick Owens - Printed Cotton Dress via MyTheresa.com
NEUROTICISIM
HIGH: sensitive, prone to anxiety
LOW: easygoing, doesn’t get upset easily
HIGH MUSIC: Mariah Carey, 2Pac, Hector Lavoe, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Grimes
LOW MUSIC: S Club 7, Justin Timberlake, Simon & Garfunkel, Whigfield, Baha Men
Photo right: aerin.com
Dresses L-R: Magda Butrym - Silk Satin & Wool Mini Dress, RHODE - Florence Floral Off-Shoulder Midi Dress, via MyTheresa.com
Have your own reflections on personality, style and music? Tell us in the comments!
PS Here’s the video from the Lanvin 2011 campaign, shown in our thumbnail, with models Raquel Zimmerman and Karen Elson dancing to Pitbull.