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To twee or not to twee

Anonymous

I just found out what "twee" means on Angie's blog today. It's not a word I grew up with or encountered in everyday conversation, and wasn't too sure what it meant. I'd noticed it in reviews of various things, and it usually seemed to have a somewhat negative connotation, but Angie says she's a twee dresser, which means that it can't be bad, right? So I'm wondering what items of apparel and accessories do you consider twee, and do you embrace the twee look? What's your feeling on the whole twee thing? Is there a right way and a wrong way to do twee? (Hey, it's fun using "twee" in sentences, now that I know what it means!)

FYI, twee definition, supplied by Angie:
“excessively or affectedly quaint, pretty, or sentimental”.

Dressing

44 replies

Latest reply was from Kaelyn

catgirl

Veteran

This wins the post title of the day award!

I am as far from twee as it gets, but I have a weakness for whimsical-witty Kate Spade or Betsey Johnson bags abd jewelry and some cutesy prints like cats. It's like a spoonful of sugar in my otherwise black coffee.

rachylou

Veteran

Forgot about Kate Spade. Zooey Deschanel is what I think of as good twee.

milehighstyle (Linda)

Veteran

I do twee at times. Short-ish flared or pleated skirts, whimsical prints, hello kitty earrings, ruffles, bows at the neckline, Harry Potter cardigan, hair clips with little sparkly butterfies. Sometimes it's a total twee look head to toe, sometimes just a sprinkle of twee. I don't think of it as being a right or wrong way to do it - we're all individuals who can choose what works for us.

Shake It Print Mini Dress

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viva

Veteran

I definitely have twee moments, although I have to admit that at 52 I kind of hate the thought that I ever have twee moments. It's a bit like admitting that I love cotton candy, which I do, but whatever. There is a part of that word and the look that to me feels wrong and juvenile and unsophisticated even though I do it myself....

I have a short grey wool shift dress from Madewell that, for me, feels twee. It's sweet and young and when I put it on, I always have a moment of, am I too old for this? It could be worn by a teenager just as easily; it definitely has youthful (dare I say little girl?) connotations. I have to consciously sophisticate it up. I have real ambivalence about this item and about loving it, but I still do and I cannot seem to let it go.

I am much, much more comfortable with boyish twee: straight blue jeans cuffed, with high-top sneakers and a button down plaid done up at the neck. I will probably still have brisk fall days in this kind of outfit when I am 75. hahaha!

PS I love the title of the post and agree with Una: Xtabay for the win!

Sal

Veteran

For me I feel twee if I wear a headband/Alice Band. I always have. And I am selective with bows and matching items.

I have a 50s-esque summer floral frock - it is lovely. But if I wore it with Mary Janes and a structured bag and hair up in a bun I would feel twee. If I wear it with wedges and funky sunglasses and messy hair I feel much more like me.

But you can be subversively twee - Goldenpig could be a great example here. She nails the matchy look and makes it fierce.

And I also like the title of this thread!

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Anonymous

Thanks for the post title compliments, ladies (and abject apologies to Mr. Shakespeare).

Una, I like the spoonful of sugar analogy. I could never pull off full-on twee, but a pop here and there could be fun!

I like the idea of boyish twee, Viva -- that one I think I could do head to toe. I'll bet you look great in it.

Sally, that dress is gorgeous on you -- and I like the non-twee way you're wearing it.

Rachylou, how about doing a Zooey Deschanel style icon for us? I know you can do it!

I know I've had twee interludes in the past, particularly during my boho phase, but I had a huge style upheaval when I got a big promotion, and purged all the tweeness out of my closet, to be replaced with serious big-girl stuff. Well, c'est la vie. I think there's a bit of twee still skulking around in my lizard brain, though!

minimalist

Veteran

What a fun thread title and topic!

In hopes of educating myself further on the history of the word, I googled around a bit. Now there's a recipe for further confusion!
http://www.theatlantic.com/mag.....on/372273/

Like AG, I like a good dose of sentimental, pretty, and/or quaint. To varying degrees throughout my life, but it's never been the foundation.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

The most twee dresser on this forum is Natalie (goldenpig) and she ROCKS her killer twee look like no other. It is utterly delightful and CHARMING. Refreshing too.

I love pretty things - in fact, I really don't want to wear an item or an outfit if it doesn't look pretty, or make me feel pretty. My boyish hair - (and all the waves have been cut off as off last week, btw) - is a good juxtaposition with the twee, modern retro and prissy style that I like. My strict personality is another effective complement to a twee look.

I am the opposite of of Hard Edge, RATE, and Bad Arse. Give me quaint, pretty and sentimental a hundred times over.

Anonymous

minimalist, WOW. That article really blew my mind. The concept of twee runs wide and deep, apparently, encompassing everything from coconut-flour pancakes to anti-bullying. It's clear I need to do further research on this burning topic, because I thought twee was limited to things like rainbows and ruffles.

Angie, you and goldenpig could be spokesmodels for twee, which (according to the article minimalist referenced above) also includes standing up for pretty in an ugly world. Stay strong, twee sisters!

Dee

Veteran

I always admire "pretty" outfits on others, but rarely go for it myself. My mind associates twee with young though, too. And I'm still young enough that I don't want to be mistaken for even younger or less experienced than I actually am. So while I know there's zero correlation between what you wear and your maturity/capability, I'm at a stage in my career where I tend to stay away from overly pretty or young garments.

viva

Veteran

minimalist: fab article. Wes anderson, of course!!! How we could have gotten this far down the thread without mentioning him is simply shocking.

Diana

Veteran

Although I certainly like pretty things and own many of them, I rarely dress head to toe pretty or twee. Part of this is just that I like contrast and juxtaposition and a 100% sweet or pretty look doesn't appeal to me. But a larger part is exactly what Dee mentioned. I look young and there's only a limited amount I can do about that. Nobody ever believes I'm 36. And I am routinely mistaken for a student at work (by people who don't know me well) and professional events. I finished my PhD in 2007 for the record. So I really, really don't need my clothing to make me look even younger than I already look, especially now when I am trying to make the jump from a post doc position to an independent researcher/professor position.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Heh, fun thread and title.

I can't do twee. I feel ridiculous. I think people who can pull off "gamine" can also do twee well.

I do like and wear pretty things -- hello, floral prints! -- and even do a touch of "whimsical" once in a while, but it doesn't feel like me unless it's tempered with something a little tough or dark.

Brooklyn

Veteran

I am with Janet, I can't do twee. I am big boned and it just looks silly on me. I can't wear anything too pretty or dainty or girlie. The most twee I get is by wearing some floral. But even then I have a preference for dark floral to toughen it up a bit. I agree with Janet that if you can do gamine you can do twee.

I think twee is staging a come back after years of dark sleek minimalism. I am seeing lots of A line skirts and pastel florals and traditional button up cardis around.

Style Fan

Veteran

I am not twee. I don't feel like me. I prefer a different style. I do have some pretty clothes but I don't wear them.
I never wore anything close to twee when I was working. I was more RATE.

Runcarla

Veteran

i wonder if it is the influence of Alice in Wonderland, Anime/Manga. Maybe a little cosplay infiltrating the real world?

Anonymous

Hmmm, that's an interesting comment you made Janet, about gamine and twee.

I like twee a lot, and lI *think* I can pull it off. I don't need to look that serious at work, and I don't mind people thinking I look young (which doesn't happen that frequently anymore anyway!)
I like scalloped hemlines and miniature florals on a light background. Round collars.
Pink is good too.

Anonymous

I like RATE and I also love twee, pretty and whimsical. I nod yes to things both Una and Angie like.
I have always been as apt to like studs as rainbows and glitter. I also feel a bit of what Diana said because no one ever thinks I am in my 40s, sometimes I question being too girly but ultimately, I am who I am and I wear what I like.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

This thread is really interesting, because I thought "twee" had a negative connotation. As in, the style equivalent of treacly. Angie's definition says "excessively or affectedly," which suggests to me that twee is by definition too much of what some of us obviously think of as a good thing. So twee is not a look I aspire to at all. "Pretty" is a look I'd like to achieve, but I don't want to look "cute," which I think doesn't really work with my features.
To confuse matters further, I don't mind it if someone says my outfit (or shoes, or whatever) is cute, as I don't really take it literally. I just take it as a general compliment. If someone said I look twee, though, I would probably not repeat that outfit.

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

Self aware twee is fine, but accidental twee could be another story.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Firecracker, I saw your sweet comment in the blog post. Thank you. I think many think of twee as a negative style to emulate - half of my clients do - but I don't! That said, many clients fall into the camp of, "I like twee on others, but not on myself". I expect that to be the same on this forum.

High five, Jen. (I have been doing that a lot these past few weeks. Great to have you back on the forum).

Janet, you make an interesting correlation between gamine and twee. For my own style - that makes sense.

Smittie, I expect to see some twee in your style right away.

Diana, you definitely have a twee style gene. So do Tanya, Aida, Roxanna, Vicki and Mary. (There are others, but I am drawing a blank).

Xtabay, I don't think of myself as a spokes model for twee - but I will stick up for the word pretty till my last breath. I am bored with people giving the word pretty a bad wrap, and thinking of it as a euphemism of sorts. You aren't weak when you look and feel pretty. That in itself is a dated stereotype.

crazyone

Veteran

I like a bit of twee, I prefer the word "whimsy" though. I don't think of Angie as twee or whimsical in the same way I think of Goldenpig or Zooey Deschanel as being.

I'm glad that Angie values pretty--sometimes it has a negative connotation as the euphemism for "not beautiful enough".

Anonymous

Yes, Firecracker, I tend to agree that "pretty" isn't the same as "twee." Two different styles, in my mind.

catgirl

Veteran

I have no objections at all to anything about "pretty" - although as we've discussed in other threads, it's not a personal style goal of mine - but I think it's one of those words, like "fine", "nice" or "good", that has come to have either a generic or an ambiguous connotation in modern parlance. All you pretty fans need to keep owning and rocking it to shift that paradigm back to where it should be. Take Back The Pretty!

I covet the bag below, for instance... but not the Kate Spade bags with little bows.

Kate Spade New York 'boombox' satchel

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rachylou

Veteran

Maybe I *should* have a flashback moment and do a Zooey I love twee a little too much is my prob. I run the danger of becoming scary Baby Jane, lol.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Love the title of this post!! You definitely win the YLF award of the day, as Una said!

I do a touch of twee. For sure. I like Janet's association between twee and gamine. My gamine (and my twee) is less ruffly, little-girly, rounded, Peter Pan, and a bit sharper -- a pixie or sprite vs. a fairy? Still pretty, definitely not RATE, but sharp or crisp at the edges. If that makes sense.

I also like some Romantic dandy. Love the pussy bow blouse, and soft silk button up shirts.

Also love a bit of whimsy now and again, like a kitty print.

What I have to guard against because it comes so easily, and can look so dull on a woman of my age, is dressing too "nicely" in a boring matchy-matchy way. (Note: I don't mean like Goldenpig; as Angie says, she does it and it is fierce!!) On me, it ends up looking really dull but I was taught to dress this way growing up and it is a difficult habit to break.

Summer

Veteran

Love the title!

I have to admit that the word "twee" has always had negative connotations for me, but since Angie is using it in a positive way to describe her style, I'll have to reconsider!

As an older woman, I think I'll give the twee look a wide berth, but for those who can carry it off, enjoy!

viva

Veteran

For me, the essential part of twee is "quaint." It's a slightly off-kilter pretty or retro pretty. That's why Wes Anderson is so associated with twee, and Alice in Wonderland, and Zooey Deschanel, and all those old fashioned barber shops that are the rage with hipster dudes and my husband. Haha! For me, twee is definitely not interchangeable with pretty.

And when we wear something quite young, like my dress or Sally's headbands, it can veer in the twee direction. IMO, anyway.

celia

Veteran

I do sometimes twee. I like pretty and have certain items that might take some twee tendencies when paired with certain items.
However I do not see myself as twee, too many grown up curves for that.

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