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This is my take on Romantics

Mochi

Veteran

In my earlier thread today I suggested that I hadn't shown up with my ideal style persona, which I had previously coined as "Romantic Punk." Now I'm thinking more "Romantic Mod," or "Edgy Romantic." Whatever, it's all good, etc etc. In any case, I was heartened with everyone's observations and amused by the association of curly hair with romantic style. (Though actually it is true....I had considered mentioning to Janet that with the artfully wavy locks she could expand her style field, if she wanted to, into more vintage-romantic-glamorous-softer-more exotic looks. So there IS something to the hair that can't be denied.)

Even in my own mind, I am using the term "romantic" in different ways. I am suspecting that many people's association is something like this:

http://www.instablogsimages.co....._unfi7.jpg

or this:

http://aboutabride.files.wordp...../dress.jpg

or if you want to go back in time, this:

http://media.photobucket.com/i.....270389.jpg

(I actually have a framed print of this.)

I do find aspects of all of these appealing. But they're not exactly what I'm trying to get across with my own version. Here's my take on Romantic:

http://fullonlinebooks.com/med.....3095dd.jpg

Lord Byron--hey, he looks a little like me....

Updated by some decades :

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/se.....nt+PNG.png

(Remember, it could be as much or even more of a feeling than a visual.)

For a modern take, it would be the trench on the right:

http://cdn2.youlookfab.com/fil.....Trench.jpg

Even Giovanna works it here (I want to duplicate this!):

http://images.thesartorialist......808Web.jpg

So yeah, then what is my take on Romantic? It's like a foppish male poet. Or a semi-masculine 19th-century girl. There's definitely structure, and flamboyancy. Boots and rugged footwear play a role.

What does Romantic mean to you?

With my daily outfits it's not so apparent, but in my mind I'm edging closer to an understanding of my ideal style....I'd like contrasts between a billowy blouse and a super-structured jacket....or a sharp, modern tee and a Smythe equestrian blazer...that's how I'd like the tension to play out. It's definitely a work in progress, but I'm getting some clarity.

Luckily I already have the curls.

23 replies

Latest reply was from catgirl

Deborah

Veteran

All of these visuals say 'romantic' to me but perhaps in slightly different ways. For me it's often more about the emotional response I have to an outfit. I don't always pick up on the details, but I will have a clear and quick response to how I "feel" about an outfit. Does that make sense?

Thanks for the Adam Ant pic:) Ant Music is now running through my head.. those were the days hey lol

Mochi

Veteran

STAND AND DELIVER!

(To me he epitomizes this swaggering, flamboyant energy I would love to capture. Sorry about the earworm My sister saw him in concert just a few months back and said he was completely awful.)

Diana

Veteran

Mochi! Are you maybe a New Romantic a la Duran Duran? Poet shirts and leather pants FTW!

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Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Your visuals were really helpful. So I see muted colors and curls with a certain amount of curly embellishment even on the clothes. I wouldn't have been able to say without the pictures. Will look at your WIWs with new eyes.

Mochi

Veteran

They came to mind, too.

At that point in time, I SO wasn't that aesthetic. It was all about attempting (badly) to be mod. The Jam, Style Council. And I looked really stupid trying on a punk persona, which I aspired to. The ambiguous male-female romantic look is much more doable for me, but I really do have an affinity toward it now if it's not over the top and cartoony.

Mochi

Veteran

No leather pants. Ever. E-vah.

L'Abeille

Veteran

So, what my English prof. defined as Romantic.

I see Pirate. Big white shirt, jacket heavy with embellishment, rough -and-ready pants and boots, tousled hair and Bling. (No parrot though.)

dizzys

When I think of the romantic style, I always think Molly Ringwald...all lacey and soft pastels with lots of details in the clothing.....maybe its because I was a teen in the eighties, but that is what I think of.

I love this look....I am pondering a way to mix romantic style with vintage 40's....I could maybe accomplish this with color choices.....

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I get this. When I hear "romantic" I see John Keats. And Byron, yeah. And Beau Brummel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beau_Brummell

Your romantic icons are more androgynous, less "pretty." You require the darkness. Also, I would bet, the humour. (For those who don't know his work, Byron was a very funny guy. Keats, too, actually, though it's not as clear from his poetry. Shelley, not so much.)

I think you already embody this look to a large degree and it is a question of adding a few statement pieces to bring you further into it. You have been looking for footwear - I think that's a brilliant place to start. Jackets are another obvious choice, but you might want to wait until you've lost the weight you want to lose before making investments on those (consignment finds could be a different matter!)

Deborah

Veteran

Mochi, completely OT but I LOVED the Jam. I was a Mod (style wise anyway) for a time lol! Then moved onto New Romantic... lots of parental eye rolling.

rae

(website)

Veteran

Ah, loved seeing your inspiration images - your aspirational style is much more clear in my mind now. I think it really suits you! Looking forward to seeing how you bring this out in your wardrobe.

fern

Veteran

What fun inspiration photos!
Yeah, kinda knew you didn't mean lacey sheer dresses for Romantic. Love your tough tortured poet take on it.
Do you have a poet blouse?

ManidipaM

Veteran

Hmm, I thought too it was more 'romantic' as in pirate hero/ine than 'romantic' as in Victorian maiden (Late Romantic seguing on to...).

Also, from an abstract perspective, I see a tension of the rigid structural underpinnings (boots?) vs the pushing of boundaries (gender? register?), the privileging of individuality that characterizes the European Romantics even more than the English --- though Suz is right that the later key Romantics are more useful in this than Wordsworth (::shudder::). Actually, stylistically, your preferred looks remind me more of Coleridge than Keats though

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I also have a romantic bent to my style and will sometimes use the term Romantic Rock n Roll if pushed to define my aesthetic in a few words.

The first set of photos are romantic in an ethereal sense, it is quite a detached and delicate look.

The second set of photos are more romantic dandy to my eye. It has more structure and less wisp.

There is drape, colour and volume in both sets of looks though.

I very much recognise the romantic dandy from your post last week with the long jacket over the grey tee.

http://lewallflower.wordpress......ndy-girls/

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Fabulous link, Julie! That is great.

And yes, Manidipa - Coleridge! Now THAT is a character. Completely OT, but I LOVE his biography by Richard Holmes.

Vildy

Veteran

Romantic is definitely passionate adventurer to me and not any way committed to softness, flowing, fragility. Heathcliff. I don't think much about the hair at all, since in my mind it would as likely be tied back out of the way in order not to interfere with the dueling.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

At first glimpse, the word "romantic" strikes a little fear in me -- in the thread I started about straight vs. curly hair, I found I shied away from the suggestion of "romantic" maybe because my natural hair and the curviness of my body already have enough of that quality (for crying out loud, even my spine is all curve, sigh). Maybe that's why all my life I've gravitated toward things to add (literal) edge to my look: structure, angles, geometry, etc. Then it becomes a balancing act, so I'm not just fighting my own physical nature, so maybe I need to embrace a little romance too.

So I really like your take on it. I like contrast and juxtaposition, and I gravitate toward looks that hint at an era or mood without going full-out, so the idea of the mix (poet blouse with structured jacket, etc.) is very appealing to me and intrigues me much more than outfits that only take a glance to pinpoint style wise. Hmm, I'm kind of thinking out loud here, so to speak, but that realization resonates with me: even when I was young, I always resisted the idea of being quickly pigeonholed, so I guess that's something I still aim for: a twist that keeps the viewer guessing just a little bit.

I can already see the romantic/rocker influence in your style, and I can't wait to see where it takes you!

BTW, I love Paul Weller!

Mochi

Veteran

Working backward here....so true, Janet! I identify with what you're saying about balance. OTOH, it's precisely because I'm rounder/curvier that I feel that I'd look odd with straight hair (this only applies to me, not you). And the type of style Angie has, I love SO MUCH, but I just don't feel like that level of crispness and angularity would work on my body even if I could fit into the clothes....(remember, also, how Sveta had mentioned a book from the '80s about finding your style? I checked it out at the library...it literally said, for my body type, "You're curvy so sharp, structured looks wouldn't work on you." It was like personal aesthetics didn't matter at all! Needless to say, he didn't win me over. But there you have it--how much do you go with your body type, and how much do you try to "balance it out"? Another post!)

You also preempted me in saying that this is a look where Less Is More. I don't like costumes. I like subtle flavorings. It's like a homeopathic remedy (if you're familiar with that): the more it's diluted, the more powerful it becomes.

It's also not the only style leaning I have. I still want to figure a way to make Angie-style Mod work for me, and have fun with a lot of different things too, including steampunk, western, Asian-influenced, retro, even some grown-up women styles (imagine!).

So yes, ahem, Suz: I feel like a total fraud in my bringing up the Romantic Poets! Truth be told, I am really not that familiar with them! But I'm captivated by this image I have of them writing, salon-ing, drinking absinthe, having love affairs, expanding the language. I will need to read up.

RoseandJoan, you have nailed it: more structure and less wisp. Perfect. Thanks for the dandy link! Fascinating! As this is all an exercise in clarification, I realize that of course there are all these famous women like Dietrich and Hepburn who have been trailblazers with their androgynous look. I've liked a lot of aspects of menswear, but that specific type of look isn't quite what I'm going for. I think there's a bit of femininity in my version of Romantic. Or maybe it's more boyish than "man." More (ideally toned down) whimsical.

Manidipa, this applies to all of your posts: I am certain you are a lit professor not only for the breadth of knowledge, but because your language flows with beauty, musicality and insight.

fern: no poet blouse yet, but this is idling in my shopping cart:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/jo.....op/3349964

rae, it was so helpful to comb through the 'net and find images to back up my vague musings. I've only held off joining Pinterest because I'm afraid I'd never surface for air

Deb, STILL love The Jam and Style Council and I lurve how Paul Weller dressed. I think his style is really timeless. I have not seen him in concert Yet.

ds: yes, Molly Ringwald back in the day! I can't wait to see some of your outfits here. I really do love girly retro glamor-feminine style. I just feel not myself in it, that's all.

l'abeille: Pirate? You mean like this? (I love this look too. Those are Vivienne Westwood pirate boots, btw):

http://www.alreadypretty.com/w.....89a3_o.png

shevia: I'm happy if I could make you see my or anyone else's style in a new light. Thanks!

Oh, I also forgot that this really clinches it for me too. Blue jacket above all, and also the black vest, together with the boots--all so perfect!:

http://youlookfab.com/2011/10/.....ful-style/

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

A fun read and nice pics

Nancy, I have a romantic streak to my style. I love lace, pearls, soft fabrications and flared skirts that move.

I respectively disagree with Vildy about Heathcliff - he would be edge in my book!

I think Jules nailed how the two styles that you love can be married - Boyish Romantic, or Romantic Edge.

Mochi

Veteran

Angie, I think Vildy said Heathcliff WAS edgy. (Heathcliff--I think I had a crush on him when I was twelve.) Vildy, you are just too fabulous for words. I would hopefully be dueling more with words than with swords!

Romantic Edge. How. Cool.

catgirl

Veteran

Love Adam Ant as inspiration! I think Jack Sparrow is his modern incarnation... metrosexual swashbuckler!

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

I had such a crush on Adam Ant and thought he was the hottest pretty boy in those day!

"Romantic Edge" - that's got a great sound to it Mochi!

BTW - do you still have the white roses skirt? That's definitely the romantic side. Pair those with Docs and you have the edge side...

catgirl

Veteran

Okay, what about that guy from INXS (Michael Hutchence?)... I am thinking of words that describe your inspiration and coming up with:

dashing
swashbuckler
courtly

I'm sure there are others....