What Is Chic?

Kempner

What does fashion’s favorite word actually mean?

Etymology-wise, chic is a French word, likely derived from a similar word in German, schick, with a similar meaning, and dating back to the 1870s.

So what is this most ineffable of qualities?? The American socialite and couture client Nan Kempner, subject of the Costume Institute’s 2007 retrospective, Nan Kempner: American Chic was thought of as the epitome of chic in America. At various times in her life Kempner worked as a contributing editor for French Vogue, a fashion editor for Harper’s Bazaar, and a design consultant for Tiffany & Co. She has amassed the largest private collection of haute couture clothing featuring classic designers like Mainbocher and her favorite designers Yves Saint Laurent. I loved her quote, “I want to be buried naked, I know there’s a store where I’m going.”

Chic takes on the aura of stylishness, but if you really want to understand it, ask a French woman. They are chic through fashion, style, and elegance personified. The French say tres chic or “je ne sais quoi” meaning that intangible quality that makes something distinctive or attractive.

You can also define “chic” by what it is not. VideoJug asked a lovely young French woman which accessories, people, jobs, foods, and activities were chic. See her answer here:

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So what do French women do to look “tres chic.”  I searched several definitions of “chic” and found only one that gave the most proper definition.

Chic is one of the few things which, refusing to bow down and worship fashion, is not crushed under the wheels of that Juggernaut. Chic is to fashion what poetry is to prose, cold veal to roast partridge, a gad-fly to a bull. What is chic may, in a sense, be fashionable, but what is fashionable cannot be chic.

Anybody can wear and do what is fashionable. It is not fashionable unless a lot of people do it, and have it on — until, in three words which grate rather hard upon the ear in this connection, it is common. Chic cannot be common. You cannot put on another person’s chic, as you may her boots or her hats. You cannot copy it. You never know where to look for it.

“Fashion is incessantly trying to catch chic, but chic won’t be caught. If fashion is the monarchy, chic is the revolution. It is the revolution whose watchwords are Liberty, Fancy, and Diversity. And remember, expensive stuff is shoddy. Not Chic.” — Quoted and modified from The New York Times Article Archives 1977.

After reading the proper definition of chic, I believe you already have a picture about chic in your mind. And now, we are going to find out, how to do it in a Parisian way.

1. Chic is about personality.
To express chic is about liberty, fancy, and diversity — about personality and uniqueness. You can always find a Parisian lady with layers of clothes and looking comfortable, or a lady effortlessly chic in a simple camisole, wrapped with layers of dramatic scarf. It has always been about the taste and the style.

2. Chic is about culture.
Most people agree that chic usually refers to Parisian and some European country. It is said that Europeans are rich in culture and have a higher understanding of their own skin. This is reflected best in their  appearance. You will never find a middle aged lady in a fitted dress and mini skirt, in Paris. You will never find a young lady in a grown up dress and make up. What you will find, mostly are people who use their own style and look graceful in their own age. Kids act like kids. Middle age women look elegant and graceful. And the young women look chic and not shoddy. We know what we buy, what suits us well, and what will look good on us. What celebrities wear is not an issue, no impulse buying, and trendy is not even a word here.

3. Be Chic effortlessly.
We always look natural and effortlessly chic. You will find our hair drops naturally, goes well with the wind blowing, and curly or straight it always looks and feels natural. The makeup will always be natural and plain. We use make up not to change our face to look like a celeb and or a model, but to enhance our own natural beauty. Simply said, it is much better to look natural and effortlessly casual and chic, rather than too much effort for something that looks too much.

4. Be comfortable in your own skin.
This means understand more about yourself. Don’t be a fashion victim. Parisians are never too ashamed to show their cellulite. We understand and are  proud of our aging signs. We are never too ashamed to let others know how old we are. You will find a Parisian lady in her white hair – loose skin, and still look as elegant and graceful as a younger woman

5. Pay attention to details.
The clothes are mostly in a basic cut and plain, if not then focus on the motive and or the color which usually is not more than 3 colors. Pay more attention to details, such as the hat, the scarf, the bag, the boots, the shoes, the coat, the belt, and the jewelry.

6. Wear Gold and Pearl instead of Silver.
Paris is always about romance and elegance. Too much silver will make you looks like a rock star or even a hippie, but too much gold and pearl will only make you much more elegant and richer. Nowadays, rose gold is quite popular among Parisians and Europeans. And the most important thing here is the quality of the materials. The better the quality, the simpler the style, the greater its value, and the higher the price will be.

7. Combine Vintage Stuff.?
We value our lives and our memories through some of our stuff. Combine vintage piece with your modern pieces, and create a romantic touch on your appearance. Though vintage not always means romantic, it does have memorable value and more personal touch.

8. Create Something Romantic.
The drape of the dress, the layering of tops, flowing scarves, just create the dramatic and romantic effect. Choose fabrics that are smooth and light for the flowy effect, or are heavy and drop perfectly. Choose a knitted cardigan and long coat over a jacket and blazer.

9. Play Up a Little Bit.
Lines blue-white polo shirt, Scotland square pants, red scarf with flower motives, wool coat, and flat pink boot. Oh don’t bother about the mix and match, just use your senses and play up a little bit.

Are you ready to look as chic as a Parisian?

So, how do we translate that wonderful Parisian lady into the world of American fashion today. Let’s listen to Jennifer Scott.

As a college student, Jennifer Scott was a laid back California good time girl for whom moseying down a high street in sweatpants with a bag of sugary snacks was nothing remarkable.

But when she embarked on a year abroad in Paris, the petite brunette was exposed to a lifestyle that changed the way she approached her own life forever and now she has a book about her experience.

Lessons From Madame Chic: The Top 20 Things I Learned While Living in Paris is part tribute to the effortlessly glamorous Parisian way of life, and part tutorial for suburban women in America on how to emulate the French je ne sais quoi.

At the outset of her Parisian sojourn, Ms Scott, who is now a chic and perfectly turned out mother in Santa Monica, California, was initially shocked by the formality of her host families.

Nicknaming the matriarchs of the two households in which she lodged, Madame Chic and Madame Bohemienne, Ms Scott writes about how they influenced her transition from a ‘potato chips out of the bag’ kind of girl to one who took her meals ‘with a knife and ‘fork.’

Reformed and refined: The author blogs about her French-influenced beauty tips from Santa Monica, California where she has also written her first novel

In a chapter entitled, Look Presentable as Always, she recalls an evening during which she horrified her host by strolling into the kitchen wearing the pair of ripped sweatpants she slept in.

Madame Chic, she remembers asked: “Why would you keep them?” So, shortly afterward the young Ms Scott threw them out and replaced them with new pajamas.

JENNIFER SCOTT’S TIPS ON HOW TO BE MORE FRENCH

• Ditch the potato chips on-the-go and sit down for a satisfying three-course meal
• Throw away the sweatpants and invest in chic sleepwear
• Curate your wardrobe and keep only ten key pieces for a season
• Opt for a versatile and ladylike neutral-colored manicure
• Accept a compliment graciously to retain an air of mystery
• Keep make-up simple with emphasis on eyes or lips but not both

Deciding that West Coast style was “way too casual,” she writes, “was the first time I respected myself enough to realize I deserved to wear beautiful and feminine articles of clothing — at all time — not just during the day or on special occasions.”
From Le No Make Up Look as characterized by Madame Bohemienne and countless French women who looked “polished but not in an overt, contrived way,” to the idea of a well curated wardrobe, Ms. Scott has harnessed the very essence of the French woman for her American readers.

Before self-publishing her book, she began to impart advice to her peers through a blog she called The Daily Connoisseur — Explore the Fine Art of Living, which has received over a quarter of a million visits.

And despite its success and her soon-to-be released first novel, the Francophile still posts videos and offers tips on how to live in what she believes to be a sophisticated and refined manner.

Fashion is all about finding yourself and your own style and being chic will make you stand out from the crowd in a very positive way. Let’s be the leader and not the follower. Let’s be “CHIC”

Thanks to www.style.com and www.thechicfashionista.com.

Tags: fashion, featured, style

Category: Style, Transgender Fashion, Transgender Opinion