Background

What are clothing dreams about?

Clothing refers to anything item that we put on our bodies. These can be shirts, pants, sweaters, scarves, hats, and so on. Clothing is interesting because it serves a few funtions. It protects us from the elements. Clothing keeps us warm when it is cold outside. Clothing also allows us to express our personality and taste. The DreamWell Dream Dictionary is based upon insights from 1,200 dream symbols in over 200,000 dreams. Let’s see what the data has to say about clothing dreams.

The word cloud above shows the words that are specifically associated with clothing dreams. These are the words that make clothing dreams unique compared to all other dream symbols. Just examining the graph and reading the words of clothing dreams can be illuminating about show clothing affect our dreams. Be sure to check out the example clothing dreams at the bottom of the page.

The circular bar chart above shows how clothing in a dream will affect dream content as compared to other dream symbols. Higher bars indicate that clothing is more related to the specific symbol in the graph. Lower bars indicate that clothing is less related to the specific symbol in the graph. Specifically, clothing dreams have more touch than 88.8% of dream symbols, more strangers than 87.8% of dream symbols, and more embarrassment than 87.8% of dream symbols. On the other hand, clothing dreams have less death than 79.0% of dream symbols, less recurring dreams than 67.1% of dream symbols, and less fantastic beings than 66.9% of dream symbols. Notably, clothing dreams are associated with going to the bathroom! This may or may not be surprising. Going to the bathroom is a basic human need, so it makes sense that we dream about it sometimes. Still, this might hold some meaning in the dream. It all depends on the context. Every dream is unique. These are general patterns observed in an analysis of over 200,000 dreams. This analysis is a tool to help you make sense of your dreams. It is best to look at the differences. See how your dream of clothing is different than dreams of clothing in general.

6.5%

of dreams have clothing

How common are clothing dreams?

6.5% of dreams have the clothing symbol within the dream. That's about 1 out of every 15 dreams. Considering all the dream symbols, it is common.

Identification

How are clothing dreams identified?

This symbol is identified by the presence of other dream symbols such as hats, jackets, pants, purse, scarves, shirts, shoes, socks, underwear, and wallets.

Most related

What is most related to dreams of clothing?

Clothing dreams are notable because they have substantially more Hatman, verbs, cowboys, being barefoot, undressing, Finland, toenails, dressing, Lebanon, Han Solo, beggars than 95% of other dream symbols.

Least related

What symbols least related to dreams of clothing?

Clothing dreams are notable because they have substantially less abscesses, Somalia, Serbia, Princess Leia, ovaries, Luke Skywalker, Laos, Kuwait, Kenya, Haiti, Guatemala than 95% of other dream symbols.

Deep dive into clothing dreams

Get an overview of characters, emotions, places, events, dream events, and senses in clothing dreams.

Who is in dreams of clothing?

Who is in dreams of clothing?

Dreams of clothing are more related to unnamed people, more related to strangers, and more related to peers than dreams in general. They are less related to fantastic beings.

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What are the emotions in dreams of clothing?

What are the emotions in dreams of clothing?

Clothing dreams are more related to embarrassment and more related to confusion than dreams in general. They are less related to fear.

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Where do dreams of clothing take place?

Where do dreams of clothing take place?

Dreams of clothing are more related to home, more related to work, and more related to human-made places than dreams in general.

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What happens in dreams of clothing?

What happens in dreams of clothing?

Dreams of clothing are more related to friendly acts and more related to sex than dreams in general. They are less related to disasters and less related to death.

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How do dreams of clothing related to the type of dream it is?

How do dreams of clothing related to the type of dream it is?

Clothing dreams are less related to recurring dreams, less related to vivid dreams, and less related to sad dreams.

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How do dreams of clothing related the senses?

How do dreams of clothing related the senses?

Dreams of clothing are more related to smelling, more related to taste, and more related to vision than dreams in general.

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How can you make sense of clothing in dreams?

Clothing dreams are common. Among other things clothing dreams are associated with going to the bathroom. Do you think this is true for your dream of clothing? How might your dream of clothing be different?

All dreams have meaning

All dreams have meaning

You can gain insight from thinking about any dream, no matter how strange. Only you, as the dreamer, have final say on what your dream may or may not mean. Each dream is unique.

Look for the differences

Look for the differences

The DreamWell dictionary provides information on how each dream symbol appears in dreams in general. Finding how experience clothing in dreams can be a key to understanding its meaning.

Return to the feelings

Return to the feelings

Our emotions in dreams can help us understand its meaning. Pay attention to how you felt in the dream. Pay attention to how you feel about clothing in dreams. See how you feel about clothing now, in your waking life.

An interpretation of clothing dreams

An interpretation of clothing dreams

This interpretation is from ""The Dream Interpretation Dictionary: Symbols, Signs, and Meanings" and is provided by J.M. DeBord aka "RadOwl". He is the author of several acclaimed books about dreaming, the host of The Dreams That Shape Us podcast, and is a moderator of r/Dreams, one of the largest dream sharing communities on the internet. Clothing in general can have symbolism, and certain clothing items can have specific symbolism. Refer to the entries listed below. Clothing is associated with persona, the image you “wear” or project. Persona is your public identity. Shopping for clothes can symbolize making decisions about the image you project to the world or the identity you take on. For example, a man who started a new job dreams about shopping for a jacket for work. He finds one that’s appropriate and takes it to the cash register. The price is exactly how much money he has in his checking account. The dream reflects the man’s thoughts about the personal price he’s paying to do the job. He already feels overextended, and fears that doing the job right will require everything he has in the “bank,” meaning his store of energy and personal resources. The fact that he does not wear a jacket at his actual work and does not need to buy one stands out because it must be symbolism. See: Shopping For another example of clothing-store symbolism, see: Chase. Remember though that dreams create symbolism based on your personal associations. Clothing is closely associated with image, but for some people, shopping for clothes could connect with spending priorities. You might only shop for clothes after all other bills are paid—or shop for clothes despite being unable to afford it—and those associations can be used to create symbolism for habits or priorities, or for willingness or unwillingness to sacrifice. Getting dressed can symbolize preparation. See: Dressing Taking off clothing can be a way of revealing the person beneath, or giving up a role, title, or identity. See: Undressing Dreaming about someone tearing off your clothing can symbolize being self-conscious about your body. Giving your clothes to someone can show willingness to help or provide, like giving the shirt off your back. Nakedness can symbolize lacking something related to identity, job, or relationship. For example, after leaving a job as a newspaper editor, a man dreams he’s in the newspaper office, at his desk, naked and wanting to get back to work. The lack of clothing symbolizes the social identity he lost when he left the job. As an editor, he had an identity that was closely tied to the job. See: Being naked Clothes are used to cover the body, and other words for cover are “conceal” and “hide.” See: Hiding Heavy clothes can symbolize desire to conceal yourself or a feeling of personal heaviness. See: Burying Excessive clothing can symbolize covering the person you are, or feeling weighed down by the expectations and effort of keeping up appearances. It can symbolize trying to protect yourself from emotional or personal closeness, or being overprotective. Wearing athletic clothes can symbolize energy and achievement. It can connect with a personal image as an athlete or active person. See: Athletes Formal clothes can symbolize a formal or cultured image. For example, the girlfriend of a man who just got hired to work at a country club dreams about him dressed in a tuxedo and sporting a fancy pocket watch. The tuxedo and watch reflect her perception that the country club is a fancy place. Wearing formal clothes can reflect thoughts related to an upcoming event such as a graduation or wedding. If the clothes feel constricting, it can mean you feel restricted by formality. Clothes from childhood can indicate holding onto something immature. On the other hand, they can indicate reconnection with the child within you. See: Children A disguise can symbolize a facade, or deception. See: Disguises A uniform can symbolize a role you play, whether formal or informal, or something related to the job performed by a person in the uniform, what it says about a person, and how that can translate to symbolism. Wearing a police uniform can symbolize authority. Dressing as a construction worker can symbolize any subject related to building: renovating a home, constructing your life, building up your self-esteem. For an example dream, see: Cheat (Exam). And remember, action defines the symbolism. Symbolism related to building or construction will show in the action. An idle construction worker is not building anything. Instead, the meaning might have more to do with lack of action or activity. Work clothes can relate to your work life or roles you play that feel like work. For example, wearing a maid’s outfit might express how you feel about doing chores. See: Jobs Clothes that belong to someone else can symbolize wrapping yourself in his or her identity. For example, wearing your boyfriend’s shirt can be a way of saying your personal identity and public image are connected closely with him. Disheveled clothing can symbolize a negative perception. Your reputation or self-image is tattered. If keeping up appearances means caring for one’s appearance, including social appearance, not keeping up appearances means the opposite. You don’t care how you are perceived or put no effort into maintaining appearances. Torn clothing can symbolize arguments or fighting. It can mean that someone “tore into you,” or a situation is “ripping you to shreds.” Stains on your clothes can symbolize stains on your character, self-image, or reputation. See: Clean The fit of clothing can have symbolism. For example, wearing a stiff suit can symbolize stiffness or rigidness in personality. Ill-fitting clothes can symbolize playing a role or adopting a persona that doesn’t suit you. Tight clothes can symbolize the feeling of being constrained or hampered. A tight clothing fit can connect with the idea of freedom to be the person you want to be. Trousers or underwear that are too tight can symbolize restricted sexuality. See: Underwear Coats, jackets, and heavy shirts can symbolize protecting your emotions, because these articles of clothing only cover the top part of the body, including the heart. However, a full-length coat or trench coat can symbolize the desire to hide yourself or go unnoticed. Or it can connect with certain personality types: mysterious, dangerous, private. Gloves can symbolize hiding something, particularly an action taken, stemming from the hands being used to take actions and fingerprints used to solve crime. Gloves are used to protect the hands and keep them from getting dirty, and “get your hands dirty” means participate or be involved in some action—particularly an action that you might describe as dirty, difficult, protective, or underhanded. See also: Fingerprints Period clothing in a dream can connect with certain personality types, or be used to refer to the past. For example, if a dream drops you into a scene where everyone wears tie-dyes and bell-bottoms, it might symbolize something related to a loose attitude or personality. Or maybe it’s related to being a slacker, since some people associate the hippie lifestyle as an excuse to avoid work. Clothing is associated with certain time periods. If you were a young child during the hippie era, the hippie style of dress might be associated in your mind with your childhood. The color of clothing has many possibilities for symbolism, especially in connection with emotions. For example, a blue shirt can symbolize “feeling blue.” Shirts are worn over the chest, and the chest is where feelings such as sadness and depression are usually felt. Then again, blue is associated with deep thoughts. A deep-blue hat is particularly likely to symbolize deep thoughts because thoughts are associated with the head. To learn more, look up the entries for the color of the clothing in a dream if it sticks out to you. See: Colors How you see yourself—the real “inner you”—can be symbolized with clothing color, too. For example, red is associated with aggression and is an apt color to symbolize an aggressive or assertive personality, while green is associated with creativity and establishing yourself in the physical world. The symbolism of clothing is usually related to the “outer” you, but it’s only a rule of thumb. Dreams can make connections between people based on clothing. For example, if you dream about your husband wearing your dad’s clothes, or your wife wearing your mom’s clothes, it can mean they’re connected in your mind. Perhaps your spouse is like a parent to you, or exhibits some of the same behaviors, qualities, and traits. Along this line, a dream character can represent someone in your life and be identified by the clothing it wears. For instance, if your brother usually wears a baseball cap backwards, a character wearing a cap backwards might symbolize your brother. Finally, always keep in mind that dreams can use certain details to set the scene, and those details are not as important as how they connect with other details. For example, you dream about thoughts of the future as time traveling forward to a futuristic world. The dream needs the scenario to be believable, so it might dress the characters in futuristic clothing. Otherwise, the discrepancy might jar you out of the story instead of following along with it. See also: Athletes, Burying, Children, Clean, Closets, Colors, Disguises, Dressing, Hatred, Hiding, Jobs, Lockers, Masks, Being naked, Shirts, Shoes, Shopping, Shortness, Underwear, Undressing

Examples of dreams of clothing

Reading dreams is one of the best ways to understand dream symbols. Even though the DreamWell Dream Dictionary is based upon data, it is grounded in the experience of reading thousands upon thousands of dreams. We invite you to read examples of clothing dreams for yourself. These dreams are actual dreams people have had. As result, they may contain racist, sexist, violent, or otherwise offense language and imagery. This can be true even for clothing dreams. Read at your own risk.

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