4

I'm trying to find a word for, just a little undone, as it relates to fashion. For example, you always look very put together but never seems like you've tried that hard and never look too perfect. As if you are done yet undone in some way and can't pinpoint how but the look is envied.

She was admired by everyone for how she looked,_______, like she didn't even try but was styled impeccably.

Her look was so ____, like she didn't care to look perfect but somehow still did.

8
  • 3
    Like "effortless" beauty? Feb 12, 2017 at 6:00
  • yes! but is there a less common word or more interesting word for that? i'm trying to come up with a name for a fashion company
    – skoon
    Feb 12, 2017 at 6:14
  • 1
    Listen, with the SWR tag you must specify how the word is to be used with a sample sentence. Feb 12, 2017 at 6:15
  • She was admired by everyone for how she looked,_______, like she didn't even try but was styled impeccably.
    – skoon
    Feb 12, 2017 at 7:00
  • 1
    That idea reminds me of how the painting crew at the College of William & Mary was tasked, in preparation for a 1981 visit by Prince Charles, to repaint all the fences on campus but without making them look as if they’d been freshly painted! They eventually decided to paint the fences & then immediately “freshen-up” the new paint with whitewash. I certainly wouldn’t recommend “Whitewash” as a name for a fashion brand, but with the idea of “freshen” in mind, maybe “Freshen-Easy Fashions [for that 'freshened-easy look']” could work (& maybe even withstand claims of trade mark infringement).
    – Papa Poule
    Feb 12, 2017 at 18:27

5 Answers 5

2

I am taking C. Z. Guest as the personification of the quality the OP is describing. In a comment, the OP said he wanted a word for a fashion company. Instinctive would fit, and Instinctive by Skoon has a ring to it. Instinctive, defined by Macmilan Dictionary

done without thinking, because of a natural tendency or ability

In the OP's sentence:

Her look was so instinctive, like she didn't care to look perfect but somehow still did

See C. Z. Guest, Photos; Photo below by Slim Aarons; Book by Susanna Salk

Just look at C.Z. Guest. She is not wearing shoes, her shorts are wrinkled, her only adornment is a narrow pink belt, but she could not be more perfect. She may have put a great deal of thought into that outfit and to her more formal clothes, but the effect was of instinctive ease and elegance.

enter image description here

0
1

Granted, it would sound a bit redundant in your second example sentence, but I think carefree would work well overall, including in your first example:

She was admired by everyone for how she looked, carefree, like she didn't even try but was styled impeccably.


carefree
adjective

  1. without anxiety or worry.

  2. requiring little care : carefree fabrics.

(from Dictionary.com)

As for its use as a name for a fashion brand, be careful, though, for “Carefree Fashions {of Scottsdale, Arizona}” might already exist (from etsy.com) and it could possibly risk confusion with “wash and wear"/"wrinkle free” fabrics.

1

Perhaps the word you need is insouciance. Merriam-Webster says it means lighthearted unconcern and is synonymous with nonchalance.

She was admired by everyone for how she looked, insouciant, like she didn't even try but was styled impeccably.

Incidentally, back in the 1640s when I was but a wee lad, Robert Herrick captured the sentiment you're describing in his poem Delight in Disorder. The poem ends:

A careless shoe-string, in whose tie
I see a wild civility:
Do more bewitch me, than when art
Is too precise in every part.

Wild civility is a magnificent oxymoron, and you could do worse than to choose that as the name of your firm.

1

I think "natural" fits your description best. It's a humble word, but all beauty in nature is arrayed in that way.

She was admired by everyone for how she looked, natural, like she didn't even try but was styled impeccably.

Her look was so natural, like she didn't care to look perfect but somehow still did.

https://www.thefreedictionary.com/natural

0

I'm surprised no-one has proposed what I'd say is the "industry standard" term in the fashion world...

casual - selected definitions from the full Oxford English Dictionary
3: Occurring or brought about without design or premeditation
-- coming up or presenting itself ‘as it chances’
6b: Showing (real or assumed) unconcern or lack of interest

...in support of which I would cite Google Books claimed 80,400 results for casual dress.

I assume everyone would agree without design or premeditation implies without making any effort.

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.