Yes I like the contrast between grown up and fun. Both are good but the former is sophisticated. I went sandal shopping with DD and she picked out a plain leather strap sandal instead of a shiny pair with little flowers. I told her I love them - they are so sophisticated!

Amen, Rabbit! And that playful "cheekiness" (great word!) is what makes your posts so appealing for me. You understand your look perfectly, and you have fun with it.

Ok wait...sophisticated outfits cannot be fun or playful? I am in trouble then! I do want to look sophisticated, but I don't want to take myself Too Seriously. What about matchy matchy or whimsy? I generally consider Kate Spade a sophisticated brand but does carrying a fun purse or clutch automatically make an outfit unsophisticated? Just wondering!

OK examples 1-5 don't have any whimsy in them. (ETA: whoops, a dragonfly cuff sneaked by in #5 and koi fish in #4, LOL).
6-7 are super matchy.
8-12 all with whimsy. Beetle/dragonfly, camera clutch, Star Wars, ice cream truck clutch.
Would you consider the first five outfits more sophisticated than the rest?

@Goldenpig - that bag in #11 is calling my name. I love to have whimsical details in my outfits, so I'm really wondering about your question. My first thought is that whimsical touches are not sophisticated, but interested to know what others think.

Whew, what a great discussion! I don't know about the rest of you but I have really learned a LOT from this. Here is my attempt to summarize what y'all had to say with a few of my own thoughts added. I think for me this would be just ONE of my style descriptors, my lifestyle is not suited to being sophisticated all the time.

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Sophisticated is just one approach to style (of many); it is not better or worse than any other style. Adding a little whimsy or boho etc can still leave you with a basically sophisticated style.

Here are the general guidelines....not hard fasts rules

- grown up and somewhat serious
- Well-fitted, suited to body type, tailored, looks comfortable
- Streamlined shapes
- fit the wearer in terms of personality and lifestyle
- Polished high quality fabrics; mostly solids with limited prints
- Modern and well-groomed hair, nails, face/makeup (although does not require nail polish or a lot of makeup etc) plus good posture and self confidence
- Most people think of neutral colors but not really limited to that
- Shoes and bag that are stylish and go well with outfits and are of high quality (or look it), and generally meet the other descriptions
- Nothing that reads too strongly like a particular career/job or trend (unless it reads "sophisticated fashion stylist" )
- Modern or classic...with just a little trendy
- Deliberate, effortless, elegant, timeless...although I'm not sure how to be deliberate and effortless at the same time

I think it's the opposite of my own style. :-). I used to want to dress more sophisticated. I think it's very helpful when you are striving for success. Now I want to dress like I'm on vacation at the lake.

I think of sophistication as having a serious tone to dressing that is stylish and a little less approachable - professional, pulled together, attention to detail in hair style, nails, skin care, stylish clothing without trying too hard, a little classic maybe even formal I guess.

Chris987 -- about the seeming oxymoron of "deliberate" and "effortless": it's not, really. People who are good at a particular thing make it look effortless, but it's almost always the result of years of deliberate practice.

Aziraphale, that makes sense. Getting good at things mostly does require practice

For me, it means beautiful fabrics, clean, uncluttered lines, minimal but well-considered accessories - pearls come to mind - and a sleek hairstyle.
Angie has pointed out that any colour can be sophisticated, but I think that neutrals and darker colours are more likely to convey sophistication than,say, baby pink. It all depends on the wearer, of course.

@goldenpig, of all your outfits (beautiful, by the way), #2 says sophisticated to me. I tend to agree with Heather that whimsical is not generally included in sophisticated.

@Goldenpig, I love all your outfits! That dress in photo #1 is outrageously gorgeous on you, especially when matched with that clutch. Love how you can make something sophisticated & playful at the same time although the first word out of my mouth after seeing your outfits is "gorgeous!"

I also think sophistication has a bit of graciousness to it -- an awareness of the environment. I once heard someone describe sophistication as the ability to fill any vessel one is poured into with grace and ease -- Audrey Hepburn on her UNESCO trips, for example.

What about using Jackie O as muse, and adopting little elements of her style into your outfits. Her glasses, a polished hairstyle, classic turtlenecks. It doesn't need to be head to toe, since it's not about copying, but rather about inspiration.

This will not help you if you never hang out with little people, but one of the best descriptors I can provide of "sophisticated" is this: a sophisticated look is not likely to be immediately adored by four-and five-year-old girls.

Now, of course not all preschool girls are the same, but I taught preschool for a long time and I can tell you that at that age, most little girls respond better to glitter and sparkle, flounciness, pink and/or purple. They want Betsey Johnson, not Helmut Lang.

That's just how they roll.

Not helpful? Yeah, well, I try.

What makes an item, or outfit, "sophisticated"?

Simple answer: the woman wearing it. It's perfectly possible to put exactly the same outfit on two different women with one looking utterly sophisticated and elegant--and the second looking like a poor imitation. Sophistication (and elegance) are in the eye of the beholder; it's the impression a woman creates by the WAY she wears her clothes, not the clothes themselves.

Gaylene, well said!

Of course, Gaylene has the right of it In my mind, it's the difference between Emmanuelle Alt in skinnies and heels and Olivia Palermo in the same.

But gosh darn it, one still wants desperately to find an item of clothing that says 'sophisticated' all by itself.

(Oh, ok...argue with me about whether Olivia is sophisticated )

What a great topic to chew on. If Pinterest were not such a pain,. I'd want to look for examples of casually sophisticated looks. I suppose Emmauelle Alt is queen of sophisicated casual. She can wear double denim and look sophisticated.

Sophisticated clothing has a high level of refinement and polish, and so should the one who wears it.

Ok, I'm finally going to chime in here. I composed a response days ago and then it got lost when I went to post.

It's interesting to read some of the more strict definitions of sophistication. But considering that it's one part of my aspirational style rubric, I feel the need to give this a little thought.

To me, "sophisticated" can be a modifier. Obviously, I am not an all-over pearls and pencil skirts and sleek hair kind of woman -- it doesn't suit my lifestyle or my personality. However, I strive for (not sure if I attain it as often as I should) an element of sophistication in my rock'n'roll, casual style.

What that means is that if I'm going to wear jeans and a tee and boots, at least one component of that look needs to lend some element of sophistication -- a grown-up style that makes it clear that even though I am a casual, creative, "young-feeling" person, I am still most definitely a mature, responsible, pulled-together adult. To me, that means the following:

- an overall color pallette that is mostly neutral or fairly tonal. I default to outfits in neutrals plus one color at most.
- streamlined silhouettes
- perfect fit
- not wearing too many trends at once
- including at least one "modern classic" piece
- not much embellishment or extraneous detail (not too much hardware etc)
- avoiding any "girlie" elements -- no ruffles, bows, etc.

So I think sophistication can exist in a look along with other things like an element of whimsy or toughness. I don't believe they have to be mutually exclusive. However, I do believe there is a tipping point where such elements can change the balance so the overall impression is not so much one of sophistication. But we all have different goals and needs when it comes to this, right? So it's only natural we see it In varying ways.

A sophisticated woman dresses in a way that allows her to move freely and comfortably through her own life but also through unusual and unfamiliar territory.
I don't think it's item specific or necessarily expensive, and it's not always elegant, although it often will be.

Coming back to read more and add that I think whimsy can be sophisicated if it is subtle and educated. Not everyone will see it or "get" it.

I think so many of the people featured in Advanced Style radiate sophistication--Beatrix Ost, Jenny Hirschowitz, Linda Rodin --- as well as lesser know subjects of Ari Seth Cohen's street photography. Maybe it's the character and self-knowledge that comes with aging combined with a continued desire to dress well.