The psychology of colour: How context and mood shape wardrobe choices for middle- and high-class Gen X women in Jakarta

This research focuses on how urban socialite Gen X women in Indonesia, particularly Jakarta, use colour in their fashion choices as a form of identity communication. Achromatic colours (such as black, white and grey) and bright colours (such as red, yellow and bright blue) are essential elements that often reflect the lifestyle, social status and personality of urban Gen X women. This research explores the meaning of colour in a symbolic context, focusing on how preferences for achromatic and bright colours function as a medium for communicating identity and social status. A qualitative phenomenological approach explored personal experiences and meanings of fashion colours within a social context. Symbolic interactionism theory was applied to understand how colour meanings are formed through social interaction. In addition, social identity theory helps identify the use of colour as a symbol of status and group affiliation. These two theories guide in analysing how socialite Gen X women in Indonesia express identity through fashion colour choices in various contexts. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten middle- and high-class Gen X women in Jakarta who are active in social communities, professional, fashionable and have primary and brightly coloured fashion in their collections. Respondents discussed the main factors in choosing fashion, perceptions of colour and the relationship of colour to self-identity and culture. The findings are to provide an understanding of how middle- and high-class Gen X women use fashion colour as an aesthetic and a form of self-expression amidst urban social dynamics.