Here's what Webster has to say:

1: deprived of native or original simplicity: as a: highly complicated or developed : complex <sophisticated electronic devices> b: having a refined knowledge of the ways of the world cultivated especially through wide experience
2: devoid of grossness: as a: finely experienced and aware b: intellectually appealing

I think of "sophisticated" as meaning that something is subtle, not obvious in a hit-you-over-the-head way. Something that takes a little education and/or effort to appreciate. This is why understated bags are, to me, very sophisticated, while a bag with tons of bling and doodads on it is screaming at you.

Excellent tailoring is sophisticated. Plunging necklines are not, because they beg for attention. Beautiful fabrics are sophisticated, whereas tons of sparkle is not. (Talking about everyday wear, not Oscar-night gowns where sparkle would be totally sophisticated.) It's grown-up.

http://youlookfab.com/2008/09/.....ted-style/

These are such good definitions--they're exactly what I mean by sophisticated. Whew.

For me, "refined" is the key word.

(Bless you, Maya).

Well done April and Cathy.

Looking sophisticated is about LESS IS MORE. Simple yet STRONG lines and refined items. Lots of impeccable tailoring. It’s about a very clean, crisp and polished look. Not necessarily severe. Not necessarily edgy. And that includes the hair style! People who have lots going on in their style do not look sophisticated imo, even though their style works and is totally fun and playful.

I have to reiterate that you DO NOT have to look sophistcated to have style.

Ah, sorry; I didn't see that this topic was already tackled. Thanks for posting that link, Maya. This is one of the hard things about being a newbie...

I don't agree with InStyle's definition. I think sophisticated style is absolutely not necessarily feminine. And I think bling, in the right circumstances (a stunning vintage cartier diamond bracelet at a ball, for example) can be very sophisticated

I always think Cate Blanchett is one of the ultimate sophisticated dressers. I have total admiration for the looks she (or her stylist) put together.
In my mind, the word sophistic speaks of an intelligence, of a complexity and of a desire to look "interesting" over "pretty." But, I realise it's not necessarily a quality I'm trying to achieve.

Here is Cate looking particularly sophisticated (as defined in my head).

In "normal life":
http://img2.timeinc.net/people.....nchett.jpg

At the Benjamin Button premiere:
http://media.photobucket.com/i.....nchett.jpg

And on another red carpet:
http://stylefrizz.com/img/cate.....emiere.jpg

Hmm...I think of Cate Blanchett's style as more arty/avant garde than sophisticated. But that brings up an interesting point--is "sophisticated" a style on it's own, or is it an adjective that can be applied to other styles? Does that make sense?

I think of Cate Blanchette as avant-garde, too (the last two pics are what her style is all about). But she looks sophisticated in the first picture. Does that make sense?

Penelope Cruz is extremely sophisticated.

Yeah, Cate is arty, but it's a very upscale, polished, intellectual arty... and that -- to me, at least -- is sophisticated. I see a lot of arty that is great but not really sophisticated. So yah, I totally get what you're saying about the term sophisticated being used as a sort of modifier of other styles. I guess that's why I was trying to understand how everyone else here was using the word, because it seems to span a lot...

I also meant to add that CB is 120% sophisticated! It's just that her avant-garde side is a more dominant element of her style. IMO anyway.

Even if I had a completely sophisticated outfit, I fear I would never look completely sophisticated. Because I do not have the stature, the figure, the bone structure. I have a certain asymmetrical quality to my face which doesn't jive with that picture, a softness/slouchiness to my stature, my hair is more prone to frizziness... I may be crisp for the first hour (ahem enough time for a YLF photo) and then humidity and wrinkles and shiny foreheads hit!

No, I am too imperfect ...no, I am possibly doomed to be more cute, than sophisticated. :-)

NOT that I am complaining.

Okay, only a little! I do admire sophistication.

Though I wish I could be sophisticated, I have come to think you have to work with what you have, and I can only go so far.

Wow. Thanks so much. I'm so new here, and asking lots of questions, because I clearly have a lot to learn. I think I was confusing sophisticated and avant-garde a bit, and now I am going to dig up all sorts of photos of Penelope Cruz and get a sense of her style (which I'm not really familiar with). This is extremely helpful.

Shiny,
I think MANY of your posts have a great amount of sophistication....not red carpet perhaps...but sophisticated none the less...perhaps to a lesser degree than you aspire to, but don't think that hasn't been achievable for you.

Here are some examples of Penelope Cruz's style:

http://www.stylebakery.com/cel.....peCruz.jpg

http://www.stylebakery.com/cel.....e001-2.jpg

http://stylebakery.com/celebst.....estyle.jpg

And Bob's your Uncle, Mac. LOOOOOVE Penelope Cruz.

Shiny, I think you can look sophisticated too.

Penelope Cruz is gorgeous and the fact that she has that beautiful face and hair is sophisticated in itself to me. It doesn't matter what she wears, to a certain extent, as in the picture of her in faded ripped jeans, she brings the level of them up to sophisticated. So some people have a head start.
Thanks for posting the pictures of PC, and pictures of the beautiful Cate Blanchette. I can see the difference in a sophisticated look and an avante-gard look clearly here.
I would love to see an example of sophisticated style with some twists to it. I suppose that would be with an edge to it. Someone who is more mature rather than very young. I am curious to see different types of sophistication.
And I would like to add that Shiny is very sophisticated in her stretch satin blue sheath dress!

And I was thinking of Shiny in the very same outfit, Sandy! Ha! With the giraffe printed shoes. I think it was for a holiday party or fund raiser.

Alright! We're on the same wave length. I'm so happy that I was correct in my assesment, and that shows how much I am learning here.

Okay. Now I'm interested in finding photos of sophisticated, 50+ year-old celebrities. How about these:

http://images.askmen.com/galle.....ture-5.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9FDH.....mirren.jpg

http://www.theage.com.au/ffxim.....00x308.jpg

This thread has taught me a lot too, Mac; thanks for starting it!

I had sophisticated as one of my future goals, but I didn't put a lot of thought into the word, because in seeing the examples and the discussion here -- the Penelope Cruz photos crystallized the concept the best for me -- I realize that's not really the direction I want to go with my own style. "LESS IS MORE", as Angie so succinctly put it, is not for me, I think.

What I'm looking for is more of the "complex" as I described in the other thread about Ana's style: where every piece of the outfit works with the other, building on top of each other to create the look she is seeking, and yet each piece also stands on its own and has great personality/interest. I am thinking of her period pieces, as well as Angie's superb global looks. Greenglove does it too, very well.

What would you call that, I wonder? That's the type of style I would love to achieve.

I like the idea of "sophisticated"as Angie described it, but think it would be hard to maintain for everyday. I also completely agree with San and Shiny that some people have the face and figure which seem to lend themselves to this style.

At 5"4 and at the slimmer side of the non-celebrity weight scale I think I could just about carry it off on that basis! But how much easier if one were tall!

I don't know Jane Birkin at all apart from that one photo but I think that outfit only looks sophisticated because of how it looks on her figure. I loved the photo of Helen Mirren but not the one of Glenn Close (haven't worked out why).

But I hasten to add that while some people seem to be predisposed to sophistication because of their height etc there must be many people who look sophisticated without those advantages and look forward to seeing the examples put forward.

Please forgive me if this topic has already been discussed, but could someone please help me now understand the difference between sophisticated and elegant? Thanks.

Heh, shiny, I can relate! In college, my tall-and-thin roommate told short-and-curvy me: "You're the cute one and I'm the elegant one." Why is cute so often associated with short! Sigh. But I have seen you be sophisticated in your outfits, definitely working what you have!

Mac -- I've been wondering about the difference between "sophisticated" and "elegant" too!

Well, I'm almost 6 feet tall and I can tell you that even when I was slim (not at the moment, that's for sure!) i had such a hard time finding clothes that fit properly that I rarely felt truly sophisticated. Try finding size 6 pants that are long enough for a tall person!!! And now that I'm a size 16, it's even harder to find clothes that help me find sophisticated. So yes, while I imagine it's tough for my more petite YLF sisters, please don't imagine that it's a bed of roses for those of us who are taller.

Hmm....I don't think height has that much to do with sophistication. Case in point--Penelope Cruz is only 5'4" or 5'5" (depending on which source you check). That doesn't seem very tall to me (probably because I'm just barely 5'4" and I feel fairly short). It probably has more to do with proportion, fit, and fabric of clothing (to Angie's point). That's something anyone can have done. Some people need more tailoring than others (I have to tailor almost everything I buy).

Kristen, I've been thinking about your comment on "complexity." I'm still mulling it over, figuring out how to cement the idea for you. I still need to think about it a little bit. Could you start a new thread with that question? I bet other people have some ideas for you as well.