What does CHIC mean to you?

[briones122692]

i think "chic" has more to do with the person than clothes-ex clemence poesy could be chic naked but someone like miley cyrus couldn't ever be chic even in the chicest simple chanel dress...

but if were talking strictly about clothes..."chic" is never being about fashion like carrying an hermes bag (Posh you are not chic, sorry), its wearing whats appropriate like teenage girls in shoes that look their age and dressing for the exact occasion (no heels at school-tacky and trying too hard) and wearing what flatters yourself best....

but has anyone noticed that it's the people who dont really care about fashion that are the chicest ie. Charlotte Gainsbourg, Charlotte Casiraghi, Kirsten Dunst-sure theyll wear couture dresses to a red carpet but anywhere else it's jeans, sneakers, and tshirts-CHIC!!

 

[helloearth]

chic- a sense of effortlessness.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

I always think black when I think chic.
Sort of art deco confident lines, crisp silhouette and few accessories.

Simplicity is the key for chic in my head.
Though chic doesn't really appeal to me - I'm either extravagant or minimalist.

Chic is born confidence and class.

Black dress, string of pearls, gloves, heels, up-do and a cigarette holder.


It looks pretty dated now but Lady Diana wearing this Christina Stambolian dress at the Serpentine Gallery was always how I'd describe chic.

www.jamd.com

 

[eternitygoddess]

Every definition of chic I have seen so far has be an indirect definition, where people define it through scenarios and examples. I have yet to see an explicit definition.

I think just the sound of the word chic alone conjures up the sensation of it.

Chic is chic. You either get what it means or you don't.

 

[empaulio]

^ i agree.
To me chic means a discrete elegance, details are perfect and never over done. People look at you and they are intrigued you have an aura that is confident but subtle.

 

[Lina5]

chic... high heels. bows. black. looking classy, girly, pulled together. that's what I think of. 'chic' is the opposite of juicy couture, distressed jeans, matted "Mary kate' hair, etc. the way things used to be, basically.

I think distressed jeans can look chic if worn in a chic way if the jeans are of the right colour and material and paired in a nice way

 

[coldlunch]

this is my first post. thank you fashion spot!
To me, chic means
C omfortable
H appy with what you are wearing
I rresistible
C onfident

 

[SingFrAbsolution]

To me it is simplicity and elegance

 

[CaitlinC]

Chic to me is someone who is fierce, spunky and has class all at the same time. Can wear almost anything and look good while doing it.

 

[softgrey]

this is my personal definition of chic...

 

[pucci_mama]

It's interesting how people can have very different perceptions of what chic is...

 

[nijuyanah]

^ Indeed!

I don't use the word "chic" very often, but to me, it's actually just another synonym for elegant/ classy.

 

[EvaIntl]

refusal, mostly. saying no when it's necessary.

 

[BerlinRocks]

this is my personal definition of chic...

oh ....
i hadn't seen the other pictures ...
just love the 2nd the BEST !!!!


* btw is that a rabbit or a cat behind you ? coz i can't tell ... *

it's actually just another synonym for elegant/ classy.

not sure ...
that would be hard to tell what's the difference btw all these ... but elegant and classy miss the "sex" touch chic has for me ...

for instance ... let's take soft outfit ...
the second pic is chic, coz the skirt is "front leg-opened" (i don't know the technical english word) ... we see some skin, just enough for you to fantasy ...
the elegant/classy version would be more puritan ... no leg-opening ... and would have left the coat on the shoulders ...
* i hope the "leg-opening" won't be understood the other way .... *

elegant /classy remains in the traditional ... chic is more "in the air", contemporary ...

 

[Charponnaise]

i have a very defined idea about 'chic'.

to me chic is the perfect balance between simple and achingly cool. if it's half-arsed, even slightly fussy, tries too hard to be modern or retro, or looks uncomfortable, it isn't chic, though it might look tremendous. if it's boring, it isn't chic. chic has as much to do with the woman as the clothes. chic is being able to wear ballet flats and a short black longsleeved dress and NOT look like any other woman on the street. chic doesn't care what other people think of her, not because she's defiant about her looks, but because she has more important things on her mind. she just looks... better, and it can't really be explained why or replicated. chic is audrey hepburn in paris when it sizzles, but it isn't another girl dressing up to emulate the look. it is certainly not heroin-chic, boho-chic or any of the other misuses of the word. chic is not the same as cool, stylish, sexy, elegant, classy or fashionable. to me it's abbreviated, no-nonsense, unassailably clean and indifferently gorgeous. i see many beautiful and stylish women in the city i live in but to see someone truly chic is rare, because it simply isn't inherent to today's fashion, which either dares, flatters or changes day-to-day, chameleon-like.

 

[softgrey]

i agree with berlinrocks...
elegant and chic are not the same to me at all...

chic is FLIRTATIOUS...impish, girlish...coquetish
elegant is more classic, womanly...more serious

even when you say the two words aloud you get this feeling...
this is the feeling i get when i say the two words

CHIC!---fun, flirty, adorable
it pops...

ELEGANT...---classic, tailored, mature
it lingers on the tongue...

BR-
it is my cat Mochi......
i like the pic with the glasses on my head the best...
cause it's just not all posed and 'trying to be chic'...
it just IS...


and somehow- hair up in a twist always screams 'chic' to me...

 

[softgrey]

refusal, mostly. saying no when it's necessary.

hmm..that's is from that quote by chanel right...
elegance is refusal...

but that's not chic is it...?...that's elegance...
and i think that miss coco would have certainly said chic if that is what she meant...
i mean..
she WAS french, so she would certainly know how to use the word properly...
and i don't think she was at all casual about her choice of words...
i think she meant EXACTLY what she said...

so ...from my point of view..
this is NOT what chic is...
at least not according to coco chanel...
and it's hard to argue with coco...

 

[fashionista-ta]

It's interesting how people can have very different perceptions of what chic is...

Definitely

With regard to chic vs elegant, just a couple hours ago I had to run by the mall to pick up hairspray, and saw a tall black woman with beautiful posture and the word that came to mind was 'elegant.' What she was wearing was nothing special, it wasn't the hair or jewelry, it was simply the way she carried herself. So to me, elegance may or may not have anything to do with clothes.

To me, chic does. It's not a word I really use much, but I like Charponnaise's idea of it.

 

[softgrey]

that's interesting ta-ta...

i have to agree...even though i hadn't thought of it until you mentioned it just now...

chic is not about attitude so much as it is about appearance...
it's more about the way one looks and presents themselves...
elegance can be either...



very good point...


my fave is when they go hand in hand...
it's always a goal of mine...
to be elegant and chic...

 

[ChloeFrancoise]

I have to admit I get tired of words like chic and elegant, which might sound odd but I have a reason for it. Not everyone's personal style and/or personality is going to fit into either concept/ideal and I don't think that's always a bad thing. People love these ideals so much, they impose them on others and assume it's everyone's goal to be consider either of those. I notice it sometimes when someone gets criticized because people consider them stylish. It gets kind of old and it's really boring.