What makes an outfit look cool to you? - YouLookFab Forum

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What makes an outfit look cool to you?

MovingFashionForward

Nicole's recent post about 'how to get the cool girl look' is fascinating to me, because it highlights for me the idea that different individuals have very different ideas about what constitutes 'cool' in a look.

Perhaps it's my age (to say I'm middle aged would be flattering!) but I would not feel cool wearing a rocker chic sort of outfit, and wearing vintage is as likely to make me feel, well, vintage, rather than 'cool' (unless very carefully chosen and balanced with up-to-the-minute pieces); and whilst I have a million silk blouses and pencil skirts they do not strike me as cool particularly (especially not worn together) -- though a silk blouse and pencil skirt worn by a young girl might be, because wearing such a classic outfit would be unexpected amidst the usual sea of jeans, so would require confidence, which is 'cool'.

So -- what makes an outfit look cool in your own eyes? Do we all have wildly different ideas about this? Are there any common threads? Is coolness more about a certain kind of manner and attitude? If I or anyone else were to ask YOU how to create 'cool' in outfits, what suggestions would you yourself give?

Sarah

General

50 replies

Latest reply was from

Anonymous

Ah, Sarah. The nebulous Cool Factor. I think Angie might have written a post on this a while back. We at least had a conversation going on in the forum about it; I'll try to dig it up. Some people say "Cool" is an attitude and you're either born with it, or you're not. (I definitely wasn't born with it, lol!)

Two outfit elements that say cool to me are usually booties (the right kind, of course) and a leather jacket. But just putting them on anyone would not make them Cool, IMO. It's a complicated subject!

ETA: There are more threads, but here's a start.

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....d-for-cool

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ool-action

Astrid

Veteran

I also think it's hard to define. I just know that I don't have it. As a teenager I wanted to be cool desperately - as an adult I decided to stop trying, for sanity's sake. In Berlin there's a certain kind of look that I can emulate to a degree - so a few of my outfits might seem cool to others. I guess it's more urban than my usual look.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Here are my thoughts on the subject:

http://youlookfab.com/2011/06/.....tfit-cool/

I'll also add how overused I think the world "Cool" is, and try desperately not to use it.

catgirl

Veteran

I'm not a big fan of the term "Cool Girl" which I find off-putting and defined by a specific aesthetic that is set by the young and eternally hip. I do love Snoopy's alter ego Joe Cool, though! So I'm going to say sunglasses and attitude.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I'll further my thoughts: the attitude with the outfit is a must. That said, you can't have the attitude without the outfit either. That makes you a cool person on the inside - which is not what we are discussing here. Style is visual, and the outfit is definitely part of the cool-factor.

deb

Veteran

I have never been cool in my life. Nerdy, yes, but definitely not cool. I think the 'cool' look changes from generation to generation. Beatniks in the 50's, Beatlesque in the 60's, etc. I agree coolness is an attitude not just a look. in some way, I think an arrogance about it.

Anonymous

I think your article is extremely helpful, Angie. I've never aspired to look cool, but I do try to do something to make my outfits look more personalized so I don't go around looking like I bought my entire outfit from one place. It's hard to explain, but I just don't want to look exactly like everyone else.

catgirl

Veteran

In addition to attitude the "coolest" people I know are cool because of who they are and what they do with their lives. It isn't always arrogance. One of my coolest friends is a marine biologist studying Weddell seals in Antarctica. She has a killer haircut and incredible style, and she makes sub-zero gear look like runway style.

She's the one in blue here:

http://www.thesewardphoenixlog.....28/id-1421?

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Along the lines of Angie's blog post, I think of cool as reflecting current trends, but in an insouciant , effortless sort of way. It's the effortless part that I never feel like I have personally. I'm too much of an analyzer and thinker to see myself that way. I agree with deb that there's a certain level of arrogance or maybe self involvement that is common, too.

Style Fan

Veteran

IMHO if you have to think about being cool then you are not cool. James Dean was cool. Put his clothes on someone else and they would not necessarily look cool.

Anonymous

Interesting conversation. Like others here, I think it's completely subjective and in the eye of the wearer or viewer, as it were. What is cool and hip to one generation or group is not to another, right? I agree that it seems like a feeling, attitude and vibe one gives off - and I admit it's a style descriptor I have in my head that I strive for myself when I can. You pick what suits you and what you can work with - and in my case, I'm not bombshell-ish, not long-haired and elegant pretty, and not necessarily sporty and ultra casual. It seems to be the word that describes the look I feel best in. Sorry if I'm just talking to myself here - this is interesting , because to a lot of people, "cool" can be something to mock, as in "don't YOU think you're cool", etc. I'm rambling.

Style Fan

Veteran

I just read Angie's post on "cool". I like it. We are all "cool".

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

High five, Style Fan. James Dean goes down as the epitome of cool in my book too.

thimblelina

(website)

Veteran

Yeah, for me it's an attitude. Emmanuel Alt invariably strikes me as cool because she really looks like she doesn't care too much. Conversely, Victoria Beckham almost always looks tasteful & flawless but also white knuckle try hard and that's just not cool in my book. (Ironically, that American vogue editor who snubs her looks equally try hard! Maybe that's the rub there... hahaha)

krishnidoux

Veteran

Coolness apart, I think it's interesting, MFF, that you should bring up the fact that "vintage" looks only "cool" on younger pple. And it's so true, it does! As one ages, the vintage thing doesn't work anymore. And the "Classic" becomes dangerous territory. Where is the limit between Greta Garbo and Frau Fabrissina?

Although I don't necessarily think of fashion and dressing directly in terms of cool, it is interesting to stop and think about it. I find that cool could be wearing something that looks a bit worn, torn, ruined in a way that makes it sexy, chic even. A play on texture is cool too.

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krishnidoux

Veteran

Thimblelina, I so agree about V. Beckham, lol!

rabbit

Veteran

I'm thinking about it, and one of the ideas that first pops up is that cool is about being fully present in your body. To me part of it is a kind of physical animal confidence, grace, and ease that reflects outward into your clothing in all the ways Angie mentioned in her blog post. The other part of cool to my mind is the stoicism part, the part that can roll with all the hardships, absurdities, dangers of life and let it roll off, or not outwardly show discomposure. It's perhaps the appearance of being fully grounded, unable to be shaken from a zen state of poise and solidity.

So in clothes some of the things historically associated with cool are things like boots (grounded), leather jackets (animal suppleness and a tough hide), mirrored sunglasses (the stoic front), a certain individual twist, androgyny, comfort or RATE-ness (can communicate confidence, ease and a strong self-image and disregard for convention).

I think there can also sometimes be an overlap between feeling cool and sexually confident which can express through dress as well.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Rabbit, you TOTALLY hit the nail on the head with your first paragraph. I agree by a billion percent with what you wrote. Sooo eloquent and concise. I bet you were a brilliant English teacher.

EA is cool. Great example. And wears Classics with a good dose of Modern. Classics can be extremely cool to my eye.

Please remember that we are ALL trying to find our style - and most importantly, have fun along the way. That's why we participate on this forum. There is no harm in trying. Ever. Hard, or not so hard. It's all good.

I worry about RATE-ness as a factor of cool. It can do what Rabbit describes - impart a level of "thrown together dramatic nonchalance" that is desirable. But it can also go horribly, horribly wrong. RATE-ness also generally photographs a lot better than it looks in real life.

kkards

Veteran

i think for me, a cool outfit is one were the wearer and the outfit are in sync with each other. both the outfit and the wearer have a relaxed, effortlessness to them. a cool outfit is always current, yet it need not be trendy.

Anonymous

Rabbit - very well put. Good food for thought.

MsMary

Veteran

Great comments here! I love Angie's blog post on the topic and totally cosign it!

I also think a "cool" outfit has an element of the unexpected. I am wearing my new booties today with the cut-out to show my toe cleavage, and they are making me feel kind of cool.

But on the topic of the word itself, I'm kind of over it, too, and more so after all the kerfluffle about "cool girls" in the book and movie "Gone Girl:" https://www.goodreads.com/work.....-gone-girl

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Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

So, James Dean: cool because he was essentially flouting established social norms. I mean, he was basically wearing an undershirt as his regular shirt, right? Plus the sex appeal (I guess... not really my thing).

I think that's the essential tension of 'cool' - it's so situationally dependent. James Dean had edge, in 196-whatever. Some kid wearing a white t-shirt and a leather jacket today looks derivative, or at least not edgy.

But then I don't quite get the swooning over Emmanuelle Alt. I mean, she's gorgeous, and she always looks nice, and refreshingly undone. But edgy? Maybe it's edgy in her particular crowd not to be done to the nines.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Some really astute comments here by Rabbit and others. "Cool" is in the eye of the beholder, it is made by an individual. I agree that what one person makes cool falls completely flat on another person. I know because I've tried it.

A friend and I had a conversation about "cool" many, many years ago. As someone who has spent a lot of time around the music scene, I have seen a lot of the "too cool for school" people: the ones who are carefully cultivating their cool. (I suppose today's hipsters would qualify?) People who won't dance at a live music show, people who won't drink a certain drink because they'll be teased for it, etc.

But then there are the people who truly are cool in my eyes because they are NOT trying -- they're just carrying on with their lives and their tastes. They're doing interesting things and living their lives in a way that inspires other people (and that includes fashion choices). People who take a style and make it their own -- THAT is what is cool to me. It's a sense that someone is not only comfortable in their skin but that they're celebrating who they are, regardless of what everyone else is doing.

Gaylene

Veteran

Life is beyond hectic right now, but couldn't resist popping in on this topic.

I love Angie's thoughts and Rabbit's eloquent definition, but I suspect that my definition of "cool" might be a bit of an outlier. I've only ever though of using the word as a descriptor for someone (or something) that draws me in and makes me want to linger in its presence. Cool does not overwhelm me the way that beauty does, nor does it ask for my admiration--or even my interest. I don't have to even like someone,or something, to label it "cool". And "cool" can't be dictated to me by others because it relies solely on my internal reaction. Wearing something might make ME feel cool, but whether or not my feelings are shared by others is entirely out of my control.

Final thought--this discussion has reminded me of a op-ed piece that I read years ago about the Charles, Diana, and Camilla triangle. The writer opined that Diana was beautiful, but Camilla was "cool"--at least within their circle of friends and acquaintances. Interesting...

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I feel kind of silly even saying the word "cool." But I do know people who are kind of "cool" people - but not really so much fashionable. More admirable. I wonder, isn't there a newer word to describe people who have a great sense of themselves and their outward persona? Seems about time for a new word to me. I'm not ____ enough to come up with one though.

citygirldc

(website)

Veteran

I also agree with Janet regarding the definition of "cool."

To me cool = confidence. That's why when yo use someone like James Dean or Elvis Presley or Gwen Stefani, they just exude that confident attitude.

Classically Casual

Veteran

For me personally, to be cool includes some elements that are unique to the cool person...i.e. not just a thin body and current clothing. But it's just my personal take on it. FWIW, my Pinterest feed includes EA every day. All I can say is, does the woman ever go indoors and get some work done?? It seems impossible that anyone can have that many photos of themselves taken walking the cobblestones.

So my definition skews more towards Alaska Girl's...accomplishments/ skills are part of the total package. In school, the boys I thought were cool were the ones who could make me laugh. Smart and funny is way cool to me.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

Cool:
Keith Richards
David Bowie
Bob Dylan
Bob Evans
Emanuelle Alt

They all have a fearless honesty that is at the core of "cool" that comes through. These are all style inspirations for me, even if I don't have a particular outfit to copy. It is a mood and attitude that inspires me. Bob Evans is new to my list. I watched his movie and it was the brutally honest way he described his past failures that I am wowed by. No rationalizing or back pedaling.

So to me "cool" is an inside job. I think my definition is grounded in the 60s and 70s, today cool seems to mean something different.

Reading up on the Gone Girl "cool girl" tirade -- that a cool girl is basically a beer-swilling man in a size 2 supermodel's body -- it made me realize that cool has masculine properties. I mean, look at my list of cool -- it's men, aside from E Alt, she's like a cleaned up version of Patti Smith who was super androgynous. This begs the question, if cool is masculine or at least androgynous, is womanly / feminine uncool?

Just rambling thoughts here.

catgirl

Veteran

Oooh, now we're taking off! Let's throw a little word fuel onto the fires of discussion: authenticity. Does being cool require an element of authenticity (or at least the illusion of authenticity so well done it's indistinguishable - and try to get your head around that!), or can it be overtly artful?

And how about the beholder. Some people think guns are cool, others not so much. Who's the arbiter of coolness?

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