Clothes Dream Interpretation: Insights from 25 Unique Sources

Clothes in dreams often represent the facade or persona we create for other people. They depict the roles we adopt in response to others' reactions. The clothes others wear in our dreams can set the scene for acting out some of the confrontations that take place.

Protection and Vulnerability

Clothes can act as a protection against being touched or having the real self violated. They can conceal or reveal. By covering up nudity, they conceal our perceived imperfections and disguise our sexuality. Revealing certain parts of us in dreams may show in what ways we are vulnerable. Getting undressed can suggest the shedding of old beliefs and inhibitions. Losing one's clothes or being naked highlights our vulnerability and fears.

Dressing Inappropriately

Wearing formal clothes on a casual occasion, or vice versa, indicates our difficulty in fitting in with other people. It depends on the dream scenario whether we are surprised or distressed, and often the emotion we experience gives us the correct interpretation. We may be deliberately not conforming to others' perceptions of us, or trying too hard to conform by adopting a certain role.

The color of the clothing is often significant.

See Colour.

Specific Clothing Scenarios

• Clothes worn by someone they do not belong to: There is confusion in the dreamer's mind about which roles are appropriate for each character.
• A man wearing woman's clothing: The dreamer needs to be more conscious of their feminine side.
• A uniform on a woman: Highlights the need to be aware of the more disciplined and masculine side of her personality.
• Changing clothes: Attempting to change our image.
• Clothes that have been cut short: We may be outgrowing former pleasures and need to look to new experiences for entertainment.
• Pretty clothes: We have much to appreciate in our lives.
• Clothes belonging to a particular person: We are being reminded of that person, even though we are aware they cannot necessarily be with us.

Symbolic Meanings of Specific Articles of Clothing

• Coat/Shawl (especially a cloak): A coat can suggest warmth and love, but also protection—physical or emotional. In the case of a cloak, it can be the spiritual protection of faith. A sheepskin coat may emphasize this significance.

  See Sheep in Animals.

  Fear of losing the coat can suggest the fear of losing faith and belief.
• The coat may be too short or not thick enough: We may fear that our love or protection is not adequate for our needs.
• Gloves: The meaning of gloves can be ambivalent. They can represent covering and protecting oneself, but also 'showing one's hand' and challenging the status quo.
• Hat/Cap: A hat is a symbol of wisdom and intellect, and also of protection. It can signify both spirituality and sexuality, depending on other aspects of the dream.
• Pyjamas/Nightclothes: Suggest relaxation and openness.
• Raincoat: Symbolizes protection against other people's emotional onslaught. Occasionally, it may suggest a wish to return to a womb-like state.
• Shirt: Can suggest appropriate action, but also, as in a hair shirt, grief and penitence.
• Shoes: Signify our ability to be grounded and in touch with everyday life. Recognizing strange shoes that we or others are wearing alerts us to an adjustment needed in our attitude to life. Lacing up shoes in a dream is supposed to be a symbol of death, as are shoes on a table.
• Tie: Can represent correctness and good behavior, or signify the phallus due to its shape.
• Underclothes: When we dream of underclothes—whether our own or others'—we are considering hidden attitudes to self-image or sexuality.
• Veil or veil-like garments: When we or others are wearing a veil, we are either trying to hide something or are only partially accepting knowledge about ourselves or our relationship to others.

Spiritual Protection

Clothes can suggest spiritual protection. Certain types of clothes will highlight roles and status.

See Colour, Sheep in Animals.

Clothes in dreams can represent various meanings depending on the context. They often symbolize our feelings, attitudes, and how we present ourselves to others. Below are interpretations and examples that shed light on the symbolism of clothes in dreams.

Example Dream Analysis

Example: "I am packing for a holiday, surrounded by a lovely selection of all sorts of clothes. I am matching outfits, shoes, scarves, handbags. It gives me great pleasure. I am wearing an old navy blue dress which is too short for me. So short I feel panic because there will not be enough time to change. I am now on the top deck of a bus. I have one battered suitcase and am wearing the same dress, trying vainly to pull it down over my knees. The suitcase bursts open and it is full of old clothes fit for a jumble sale." (Valerie H)

In this example, the clothes represent feelings of pleasure and confidence, as well as discomfort and lack of confidence. The dream reflects Valerie's attitudes toward herself and how she believes others perceive her.

General Interpretations

In general, clothes in dreams indicate the stance or attitudes we use to meet other people or special situations such as work or danger. They symbolize protection, such as feelings of reserve, shyness, anxiety, or aggressiveness in fending off advances. Clothes depict self-respect and how we see ourselves in society—the difference between what we want and what we feel others expect of us. The color of our clothes can also express our emotional condition and moods.

Specific Clothing Symbolism

• Overdressed, unable to get clothes off: Too cautious in relationships; difficulty in changing attitudes or self-image; self-protectiveness; avoiding intimacy.
• Naked or see-through clothes: Desire to be attractive and noticed; being open about what you really feel; fear of others seeing your true feelings and desires; anxiety about not being adequate socially.
• Ragged or inappropriate clothes: Feelings of inadequacy; depressed feelings; rebellion against authority or society.
• Armor or protective clothing: Defenses against internal anxieties, past hurts, and external intimacy.
• Other people's clothes: The social attitudes and responses we have adopted from others.
• Children's or teenage clothes in an adult's dream: Youthful or immature attitudes or behavior.
• Undressing: Revealing one's real character; moving toward intimacy.
• Dirty, untidy clothes: Difficult or unpleasant feelings; one's inner condition, such as an untidy mind or questionable values.
• Worn out or old clothes: Attitudes ready to be left behind; old habits no longer useful; feeling worn out or tired.
• Tight clothes: Being too restricted in attitude; emotional constriction.
• New clothes: Change in attitudes; new feelings about oneself.
• Someone else's clothes: Could represent feelings from that person; their attitudes or memories.
• Man in woman's clothes: Unacceptability of the male role; connections with breadwinning, aggression; possible homosexual tendencies; desire for mother.
• Woman in male clothes: Unacceptability of the female role, motherhood, housewife duties; possible lesbian tendencies; desire for father figure.
• Clothing inappropriate to dream surroundings: Attitudes or behavior inappropriate to one's situation.
• Changing clothes: Altering one's mode of behavior, role, or mood.

Additional Dream Examples

Naked or See-Through Clothes Example: "I am at the doctor's being examined. It is always the same. I have all my clothes off, and he examines me from the roots of my hair down to my toenails. I am just at the point where I am going to ask him for his diagnosis when he fades away." (Miss L)

This dream reflects a desire to be attractive and noticed, enjoying an acceptable form of intimacy. It also indicates being open about one's true feelings and fears about others seeing one's vulnerabilities.

Idioms Related to Clothing

Common idioms include: "dress to kill," "dress up."

See nude.

To dream that you are constantly changing your clothes represents the need for change and your need to fit into a new situation.

To dream that you can’t find anything to wear indicates anxiousness or nervousness about fitting into some social group or situation - you’re not sure who to be these days.

To dream of putting on or wearing multiple layers of clothing suggests that you are feeling vulnerable and under attack by others.

To dream of wearing the same clothes as someone else could mean you wish you had certain qualities that person possesses. It can also mean you are feeling close to that person.

To dream that your clothes fit too tightly suggests that you feel smothered in a relationship.

To dream that you are shopping for clothes represents your anxieties about trying to fit in.

To dream that your clothes are wet, suggests that you are drenched in emotions. It also signifies spirituality.

To dream that your clothing is torn or ripped, indicates that there is some flaw in your thinking or thought process. Your logic is not making sense. You need to alter your reasoning.

To dream of faded clothing symbolizes lost hopes.

If you dreamed of you or someone else wearing old-fashioned clothing, this suggests that you are letting go of outdated childhood ideas and moving on.

To dream of wearing your clothes inside-out suggests that you need to protect your reputation by cooling down your romantic activities.

A dream about designer or expensive clothing suggests that you are overly concerned with impressing others. This dream symbolizes the act you put on in front of people. Alternatively, it may be an indicator that you are “well suited” for a new role you are taking on.

To dream that you forget to put on an item of clothing, suggests that you are not seeing all sides of a situation. You may be missing important facts, or not understanding a crucial point, that would make things much more clear to you.

To dream about clothes that are too big for you, indicates that you are lacking confidence in some situation. You may have been placed in a role that you don’t feel ready for, or are unsure of what to do next in a relationship. Also see “Dryer” and “Washing Machine.”

Dreaming Lens: What articles of clothing were in your dream? Were you wearing them? Did they belong to you or to someone else? Were you shopping? Were there many articles of clothing, or just a few? Where were they being kept, or thrown away? What time period were they from? Were they old or new? Were they costumes or street clothes?

Personal Focus: What we choose to wear has enormous implications for how we feel about ourselves and how we would like the world to perceive us. Symbolically, they represent creative personal expression. However, clothes can also represent the ways in which we cover up who we really are and alter what the world sees. Additionally, the clothing we wear at any given time can reveal things about our moods and emotional states that might otherwise go unnoticed.

The quality and style of clothing in a dream will provide you with different shades of meaning for your interpretation. Old clothes might represent old ways of being that are resurfacing. New clothes could indicate a desire or need to match your inner growth and shifts with your outer presentation. A costume might illuminate roles you are playing in your life that are false, whereas your own clothes indicate that the issue at hand is with your present sense of Self. Being inappropriately dressed represents your concern about fitting in with others. Wearing too many clothes can sometimes indicate a lack of comfort with your sexuality or body image. Having to deal with many layers of clothing denotes that there are obstacles between where you are and a deeper level of authentic expression. A desire to take clothes off may mean a need to break out of the stereotype you find yourself in; while adding more clothes could mean putting on a few more layers in order to protect yourself from perceived outside harm. No clothes usually reflects feeling very open and, therefore, vulnerable.

The colour of the clothing is often significant. Clothes being worn by someone to whom they do not belong indicate there is confusion in the our mind as to which roles are appropriate for each character.

If a man is wearing woman’s clothing it shows that we need to be more conscious of our feminine side.

A uniform on a woman highlights the need to be aware of the more disciplined and masculine side of our personality.

If we are changing clothes we are attempting, or perhaps need to consider how, to change our image. Clothes that have been cut short indicate that we may be outgrowing former pleasures and need to look to pastures new for our entertainment, whereas particularly pretty clothes show we have much to appreciate in our lives.

If we are aware that clothes belonging to a particular person then we are being reminded of that person, even though we are aware that they cannot necessarily be with us.

How do the clothes feel? Are they itchy or uncomfortable? If so, this reveals discomfort with yourself or a situation in which you’ve been placed.

Old or tattered clothing indicates self-neglect or feelings of inferiority.

Changing clothes: A transition in status, jobs, relationships, and the like.

A statement of individuality and how you see yourself (e.g., “clothes make the man”).

Rejecting or throwing away out-of-date clothing: New enterprises, loves, characteristics. Forsaking outmoded ways of thinking and living.

Each color of clothing has different oracular value. Yellow indicates financial progress, blue portends success from tenacious efforts, red reveals a timely deliverance from a difficult situation, green is prosperity and happiness, and mixed hues foretell swift changes.

Each item of clothing also has slightly different meaning, much of which is dependent on your perception.

For example, a businessman dreaming about tying his tie again and again might interpret this as too much attention to his appearance at

work instead of the work quality.

Dreaming of tightening your belt probably relates to financial struggles.

Dirty clothing sometimes represents the soiling of someone’s virtues.

Cross-dressing represents a figurative “trying on” of masculine or feminine attributes that you wish to develop. This can also reveal a greater balance of the Yin-Yang energies within you (See Hermaphrodite, Homosexuality).

(2) If you are wearing old and worn-out clothes, this may indicate either anxiety about your attractiveness or feelings of inferiority, or that you need to discard some habitual way of meeting life, some set of (negative) attitudes or beliefs.

(3) If old and tattered clothes are worn in the dream by someone else, this probably means there is some part of you - some capacity or aspect of your potential self - that you are neglecting or keeping locked away in the cellars of your psyche.

If the person wearing the tattered clothes is of the opposite sex, your anima or animus may be in need of attention (for anima / animus).

See Brother/ Sister, Cinderella.

(4) Changing your clothes might indicate a change of lifestyle or of attitude; changing your persona or becoming a new person. (For persona)

It is a dream of contrary with respect to quantity, as the more clothes you had in your dream the more urgent is the warning to prepare for difficulties ahead.

However, if you were only partly dressed, or stark naked, money luck is on the way.

On the other hand, the act of putting on clothes in a dream signifies success ahead, whereas undressing is a forecast of reverses.

Shabby or soiled clothes are a warning against business dealings with, or through, friends.

Tight, uncomfortable, or back-to- front clothes suggest a need to protect your reputation by cooling down your sexual activities.

See Colors, Costume, etc.

• Dreams involving clothes are related to our identities.

The colours and condition of your dream clothes will symbolise how you feel about yourself or how others perceive you.

• Clothes dreams often focus on whether you have the right outfit for the right occasion signifying where you feel you fit or don’t fit in with the people in your life.

• Do you need to change your identity in some way? Are you being noticed for the wrong reasons or perhaps you’re feeling invisible?

Undershirt, slip: expresses your innermost, unconscious feelings. Underpants, panties: your sexual needs, desires, and hopes. Shirt or blouse: all feelings, cravings, or passions. Pants or skirt: your erotic desires. Coat: your “facade,” how others react to you.

Shoes: your present situation, where you are at the moment.

For a woman to dream that her clothing is soiled or torn, her virtue will be dragged in the mire if she is not careful of her associates. Clean new clothes, denotes prosperity.

To dream that you have plenty, or an assortment of clothes, is a doubtful omen; you may want the necessaries of life.

To a young person, this dream denotes unsatisfied hopes and disappointments.

See Apparel.

To put on Clothes is a fortunate sign, but if you make any error, you must not correct it, or you will spoil your luck.

The clothes you wear in your dream are always a statement about your feelings, attitudes and position in life. Consider how the clothes and their color made you feel.

See Pants, Blouse, Bra, Underwear, Dress, Suit, Color.

A costume dream may suggest a past life experience, presented because the lessons you are going through now are the same ones you were confronted with then.

For instance, certain types of clothes will highlight roles and status.

The priest’s habit or judges robes are two such examples.