What does CHIC mean to you?

[softgrey]

..
i guess you're not chic......
and don't want to be...

that's ok...
no one's judging here

 

[ChloeFrancoise]

Actually most of the people whose style I like and who have similar taste in clothing as me would be considered chic. I just don't think the concept of chicness should be forced down people's throat if it doesn't happen to suit them or that they should be criticized for it.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I remember being very young and despairing of ever being elegant. I suppose there are children who are elegant, but I think there's a certain maturity/worldliness that often goes along with being chic and/or elegant. So I was quite pleased as I got older that it was suddenly so much easier. Certainly there's a beauty to being young that may not be either chic or elegant ... I would agree with you that it's not the only way.

There are also boisterous personalities, people who light up the room, who are neither chic nor elegant but who have amazing presence ... and whom you might quite prefer under many circumstances to someone who is both

 

[softgrey]

whatever...i don't know who is forcing anyone to be chic......
we're just talking about how to define it...


maybe that's a whole other thread...
we have one about changing your style for someone else ...and so on..
but it's kind of off topic here...

 

[softgrey]

chloeF
your avatar reminded me...
i think baby bangs are chic...
...

edit...maybe bangs are chic most of the time, actually...
especially when they are straight...

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I think Chloe is saying that's what chic means to her ... just another way of looking at it.

 

[ediewho]

I gotta admit i had to think about it... i always related the word "chic" to some kind of posh minimalism... don't know why...

 

[vogueness]

Cool
Hip
Independent
Classy

 

[pucci_mama]

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.

I completely agree with this... So well said, a pleasure to read.
Which is why IMO it can't be easily bottled like a sellable formula, I think it's more about the woman than anything... the way she wears her jacket, her hair, the length of the jacket arms...

it's like knowing all the rules then bending them without really offending anyone.

Chic is something one exudes for me, you either have it or you don't but I know it when I see it... I think many do.

 

[Tatika]

its when you wear something, a simple frock as simple can get, and you wear it in such a way, that any other woman would feel they could never pull it off, i think its the confidence that comes from inside, that stregnth that just ripples out from you, and everyone envys.....just my humble opinion

 

[Sea Of Love]

To me chic is no uniform, it has no rules. Thats what makes it inspiring.

What I think of when I think of chic is being able to put together an outfit that hasn't been thought of for days in advanced or planned by someone else.
It is the combination of elegance, luxury and thrifty combined. It is sensual not sexy.
it is comfortable yet well made, detailed yet nonchalant and NEVER self-concious.

 

[Godot]

The dictionary defines CHIC as follows

1. Conforming to the current fashion; stylish: chic clothes; a chic boutique.
2. Adopting or setting current fashions and styles; sophisticated: chic, well-dressed young executives.

At some point, maybe around the 1930's another element seemed to come to the word. It seems to involve a simple-clean-element. In 1975 there was a book called Cheap Chic and it showed a number of inexpensive items that embodied an element of chicness. One of the items presented was a Timex Easy Reader watch. It's simple stainless steel, with no frills but somehow as design it seemed to work. I took a look at the Timex site and the watch still holds up.

It's an interesting word/concept.

 

[labellevie]

To me Chic is when one contains a certain sophistication and confidence, whether they are dressed in the latest fashion or not. I think, it's when one is comfortable in their own skin, and aren't afraid to be themselves.
And it shows, because other people take notice of it too, which is obviously a good thing.

 

[nijuyanah]

i think the word "chic" defenitely contains a certain confidence, but at the same time also carelessness. it's when you are aware of who you are, what you want to express and know exactly how you want to look like (but without trying too hard when putting together the outfit). for me, being chic isnt only about clothing and someones appearance (of course, this is the main-point) but it is also about the way you present yourself.

 

[Bella_Lass334]

^ 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.

I completely agree. Also, to add to that, I think being chic implies effortlessness. You can always tell when someone is trying too hard to look good; although their outfit might be stylish, it is obvious that they are trying to look perfect. Someone chic, to me, never tries too hard. They, like empaulio said, have details that are never over done and subtle.

 

[Bella_Lass334]

For me, it means being well groomed, classy, well put together, sophisticated, and confident. To me, Carrie Bradshaw is the epitome of chic.

Oh, how I've changed.

Carrie Bradshaw is definitely NOT what I think personifies "chic" anymore.

 

[fashionista-ta]

I completely agree. Also, to add to that, I think being chic implies effortlessness. You can always tell when someone is trying too hard to look good; although their outfit might be stylish, it is obvious that they are trying to look perfect. Someone chic, to me, never tries too hard. They, like empaulio said, have details that are never over done and subtle.

And not brittle ... to me there is an ease to being chic. Moving like a dancer, that's chic ...

 

[IndayMae]

Confidence, Class, Elegance, and Sophistication

 

[MulletProof]

I could never associate chic with cool.. cool to me connotes (among other things) something new while chic is atemporal, it's not safe, just less concerned on being ahead, more confident, mature.. embracing your flaws and not being afraid of individuality.
anyway, I still relate to my understanding posted 3 years ago.. I still think I sound silly saying 'chic', but some people do embody that word.