On "Chic" -- some food for thought

Always enjoy reading Tish Jett, this post is particularly useful.

http://tishjett.com/2016/04/fo.....guide.html

#5 and #7 are the ones I'm carrying around in my head right now.

I fell off the perfume wagon a couple years ago while I was pregnant and couldn't tolerate any smells except peppermint and sweet orange. Now I'm missing my signature scent(s) and think it might be time to pick up where I left off.

The age factor is intriguing to me. I just turned 30, and a year or two ago the word chic was not part of my aspirational vocabulary. Perhaps for the young there is no particular need to be chic, one's youth is power enough? I think even if I'd aimed for chic it would've come off as cute, or ironic. It may still, at 30. The whole concept of chic seems intertwined with those of adulthood, maturity, and gravitas, and perhaps has something to do with situating and formulating women's power, post-reproductive-age, in a male-dominant world. I dunno, just some quick lunchtime thoughts.

8 years ago

Anonymous

I very much enjoyed reading that. Chic is such an intriguing concept, with many layers of meaning and nuance. For a while, I wondered if you simply had to be born and raised in France to understand and achieve the status of chic. But now I think it's more about one's attitude, a peace with yourself, a confidence that is reflected in your personal style. It announces itself quietly, but can magically fill a room with its power. All hail to the chic!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

An interesting read! Thank you.

The points I agree with wholeheartedly are #5, 6, 8, 10 and 14. Not that they necessarily capture what I think of as "chic", but I like the sentiment.

on #9 - I believe in good posture because it's healthy and looks good. Confidence though, has little to do with good posture. I know plenty of confidant people with bad posture (my Papa!). And plenty of people with great posture who are not confidant.

I disagree with #11. I believe that elegance is a very visual thing. It's about what you wear, how you move, and how you speak. Men can be very elegant too.

I've seen chic teenagers - go walk around Hong Kong and Japan. You can absolutely be young and chic.

On perfume, I have been wearing Kenzo Flower daily for 20 years and feel naked without it - it's an integral part of my style. Greg loves it, and that makes me extra happy.

RoseandJoan

Veteran

From what is written about chic you would expect to find it in the common middle ground yet chic is quite rare.

To be groomed without artifice, to allow fashion to influence your style. I don't know where the line in the sand is?

I also find the scent thing odd, I love perfume and wear it most days. I would argue a bad smell forfeits chic but can chic be found at the bottom of a vial?

Gaylene

I find always find Tish's observations interesting, even when I don't share them. What stood out for me was her point about fashion enhancing one's style. I'm thinking that one over because of the implication that style is for the long haul, while fashion is fleeting.

The older I get, the more I realize the core elements of my style have more or less stayed the same over the decades but how I've expressed my style has changed as fashions and trends have come and gone.

I suspect, though, that the definitions of "chic", "fashionable", "stylish", and "elegance" are as variable as the people who use those terms.

rabbit

I agree with several of the sentiments, although I also agree with Angie's caveats, and that the sentiments might not all be about 'chic'.

- Simplicity and appearing effortless, I agree this is chic, but I also don't always want to be chic in my style. Sometimes I want to be fun and playful, and that can be a less minimalist look. Narrowly defined chic (French chic) can be pretty conformist/uniform dressing to my eye.

#3 yes in terms of care/grooming. No in terms of a lot of money -- I think French women were looking chic long before the rise of plastic surgery and expensive facial treatments. Sometimes money is required to figure out what works best (hairstyle, cosmetics, skin care etc.) however, since there is an experimentation period.

#4 yes

#5 I think young people can look chic if it's a style goal

#6 yes

#7 interesting. My sense of smell has been eroded by anti-allergy medications, but my DH has a good sense of smell and really likes when I wear perfume. It would be fun to do try-ons with a more attuned nose nearby to give feedback.

#8 yes

#9 yes, although it's not directly linked to confidence, taking up greater physical space is though.

#10 yes

I agree that manners, kindness, intelligence, and enthusiasm are all very attractive and elegant qualities.

Bonnie

Thanks for sharing. Great read!! Too bad perfume makes me sneeze.

Nodding along with Jules. And high fiving, rabbit.

I forgot to add that I wear perfume daily because it makes me feel lovely - the same way you wear a wardrobe item them makes you feel fab. I LOVE scents - they are so very memorable - and I love them on other people too. (One of the most vivid memories I have of my Mum is how gorgeous she always smelled throughout her life - wearing Opium and First. It always comforted me when we hugged, both as a child and as an adult.).

Gaylene, fashion is an important component of style, and the level to which one dabbles with fashion is on a continuum. You can be fashionable and lack style, but I don't think you can be stylish without a certain element of fashion in your style.

LaPed

Thanks all!

On perfumes: I've read studies saying that scent is our most powerful memory trigger, more so than any other sense. And I agree with Angie that familiar (or familial) scents can be very comforting. Certain smells, like certain songs, have the power to bring me back to very specific moments in my past. I also think perfumes, like make-up, are a matter of walking a fine line. None at all (to me) is better than too much, or something that doesn't suit you. Both involve a balancing act and knowing a lot about oneself. My perfumes come from these wonderful folks: https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/

Rabbit -- I agree that there's a tension between some definitions of chic and conformity. And also a potentially very white, heteronormative, eurocentric view of beauty, attraction, status, etc. But still worth thinking about and identifying how neatly you wish to fit into a given mold... and I like to be conscious of what's influencing my perception of people.

Gaylene -- I too enjoy reading Tish's thoughts but always take them with a grain or two of salt.

I think, for me, the aspiration that I pin to the word chic is to convey the opposite of shallow: to give people a sense that there's more going on below the surface, so to speak. And I think this is where poise and bearing and attitude can all play hand-in-hand with the aesthetic choices we make about how we adorn ourselves. For instance, I'd say starchy, practiced manners can come across as terribly super/artificial, while a more natural sense of calm, restraint and generosity goes further in most situations. Like the difference between going out in full stage makeup vs a touch of powder or what have you.

Category