I Want to Be Chic

For the past few days, I’ve been trying to think of three adjectives to describe my personal style. 

I got this idea from listening to Gretchen and Elizabeth discuss it on the Happier Podcast a few weeks ago. 

They were talking about how you might begin to go about describing your style or aesthetic. They suggested picking three adjectives: practical, aspirational, and emotional. 

The practical one for Elizabeth was Clean. For Gretchen, it was Simple.

My practical adjective was easy. Comfort all the way. All my clothes, especially my shoes and waistbands, must be comfortable. End of story.

The aspirational adjective was harder for me. For Elizabeth, it was Current. Gretchen picked Sophisticated. For me, Chic came to mind. I like the word because it’s French, but it comes from the German word for “to be skilled.”

Chic is very much aspirational for me because I don’t feel skilled in selecting or putting together clothes. More importantly, I’m oblivious to what, if any, effect the way I dress or move through the world has on anything whatsoever. So, this whole fashion journey of mine is an attempt to be more intentional and aware of this aspect of my life.

I began to hunt down definitions of chic and found this cool essay by Isaac Breese about what it means to be a chic man. He focuses exclusively on man-chic, but I think this also applies to women. It’s called: What It Really Means To Be Chic.

In brief, he says chic isn’t about how you dress. Chic is about your character and your attitude. It’s also about how you hold yourself, walk through the world, and treat others. 

Clothes can add to your chicness, but they can never define it. 

Assholes can never be chic.

Here’s one of the quotes he includes. 

Chic is…

An effortless style. But it is not about what you’re wearing; it’s how you hold yourself and how you behave; it’s about style in everything you do…Chic is a way of being. ~ Ben Cobb

Chic is a way of being—yes, I like that—not a way of dressing. 

When I think of chic women, I think of Audrey Hepburn, 

Jackie Kennedy,

 or, in more modern times, someone like Cate Blanchette,

 Emma Watson, 

or Tilda Swinton. 

They all embody smart elegance and sophistication and have an uncomplicated look put together with little or no effort.

The emotional adjective I picked to describe my aesthetic is Confident. (Elizabeth’s was also Confident, and Gretchen’s was Saturated because she’s into color.)

I picked Confident because it’s the emotion I want to feel but don’t right now when it comes to my clothes. But I do feel confident in my inner being. My sphere of concern doesn’t include trends, fashion, or clothes, but it does include the way I put myself out there. And I think the way I walk through the world and what kind of vibe that sends is very much under my control.

I know now that Chic isn’t about fashion; it’s about respect, awareness charm, and how you treat people. When I dress for the day, I want to put myself together in such a way that it expresses respect for the people and the places I encounter.

A few months ago, when my eye doctor commented that I looked like a TV news anchor, I wanted to tell her that my clothing choices that day reflected my respect for her expertise and her profession, not to make an impression on her or show off.

My fashion may have missed that day, but I was still confident in my intention, and I will continue trying to refine my clothing so my look syncs up with my inner being.

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