Effortless.
Is there a more loaded term in fashion parlance?
If you feel triggered by it, don’t worry. I am not here to talk about what effortless style looks like. The reasons for that will become evident in a moment. I want to talk about what “effortless” means to me in the context of style, and I am going to use an art analogy to do it.
As an artist [and, disclaimer, an amateur one at that], that are certain ways of painting – or, more generally, creating – that feel natural to me. Take portraits, for example. At this time, I naturally gravitate towards realistic, though not necessarily photo- or hyper-realistic, portraiture in my own work. I enjoy looking at and appreciating more abstract portraiture, but it would be a challenge for me to do it. I would have to look at other artists’ work and try to figure out how to replicate it. It’s not that I am not capable of it; it just isn’t what comes naturally to me when I put a brush on canvas, so to speak.
And I have tried it – replicating others’ style of painting that is. There are some abstract landscape painters that I really admire, and I tried in the past to paint in a similar style. My results weren’t terrible per se, but I was never satisfied. It was obvious, to my own eye, how much better the originals were. I think my dissatisfaction came from the fact that they felt “inauthentic”. Those experiences convinced me that I needed to always stay true to whatever felt natural and unforced to me as an artist. The results might not always be the type of paintings that I wish I could produce, but they would be pleasing to me because they are my style, and what I do best.
The same, by the way, applies to my other craft pursuits too. I love metalwork and stone jewelry made by other designers, but that is not what I can create best as a jewelry maker. My métier, so to speak, is working with felt, beads and thread – not metal, plastics, and stone.
At least not at this time.
People evolve. We learn, we grow, we try new things. Who knows how my work will evolve?
Which brings me back to style.
Effortless style, to me, is a gut feeling – much as it is when it comes to art. When I wear an outfit, does it feel like a natural extension of (my concept of) myself in that moment? There are many outfits I admire on others, but know that, were I to recreate the outfit and wear it for myself, I would not feel “natural”.
One of the reasons I admire other people’s outfits even though I might not necessarily want to wear myself is because they are “effortless” for that person. I recognize a pure expression of self in them, and that is always a beautiful thing. I am seeing someone expressing and being their true self, and there is usually a confidence and a joy that radiates from that, which is very attractive.
So, to recap, effort (to me) relates to the nature of the expression. Getting dressed, whatever you choose to wear, requires more or less the same physical amount of effort. For me, putting together the outfit below is no more effort – mental or otherwise – than putting on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. For lack of a better word, it comes naturally:
You might wonder: ok, but show me something that doesn’t.
This did not feel effortless to me. I didn’t just “throw it together”. As I mentioned last week, this outfit is on the fringes of my personal style, so to speak, and it was an example of me experimenting with the boundaries of my style. I don’t consider it a bad outfit; on the contrary, I quite like how it turned out. But again, liking an outfit visually is divorced (to me) from the idea of effortlessness. And this outfit on someone else could very well be effortless by my definition.
Here is what, to me, effortless is not:
One, effortless is not a particular type of style. It bothers me a lot when the fashion industry uses this terminology to sell a specific aesthetic, especially one that is deeply rooted in classism, racism, and ableism. Think about all the images you see attached to the term “effortless”: chances are they all look very similar. If you’re seeing “effortless” crop up in fashion magazines, social media, or wherever, ask yourself: is this being used to sell me something? If so, ignore it. The subtext, at that point, is no longer about style at all; “effortless” is a code word used to create a perceived lack or need on the part of the audience, which can then be filled by capitalism.
Two, effortless is not a virtue. I am a person who views style as a form of self-expression, and as a Type 4, I value authenticity. When I am wearing something that feels like an authentic expression, that feels effortless, and that is a feeling that I personally enjoy. That being said, not everyone feels the same; nor do I think that my experience is the only valid one or the most valuable. Consider the concept of sprezzatura. It has nothing to do with effortlessness, in fact the opposite. At the end of the day, it is okay to care about clothes, to take time with your outfits, to put effort into it. Whatever that means or looks like to you.
An outfit is an outfit whether the person feels authentic/effortless wearing it or not. If you’re not a person for whom that added dimension is important – and, again, it’s not a universal value so it’s okay if it’s not important to you – then whatever amount of effort went into putting together that outfit doesn’t matter. You’re wearing something appropriate to the occasion, or something you think looks nice: mission accomplished. Don’t let anyone tell you that anything (that elusive “effortlessness” element) is missing. They’re probably trying to sell you something.
Alright, that’s enough blathering from me. I would love to hear your thoughts on “effortless” – see you in the comment section!
Effortless seems to be a repacking of French girl style, for both we are all supposed to spring for a set of expensive basics. And then Marie Kondo fold them. The whole thing is just another excuse to clear out your closet and then spend a bunch more money to set it up again.
Yes, I do think that’s what “effortless” means in common fashion industry usage. Which is not great, for the reasons you stated. But I think the term resonates with (some) people for some reason and I wanted to dig into why it did for me. I know that my “why” is going to be different than others’, but I think it’s a good exercise. If a person’s “why” (as in, why do I care about effortlessness in style) is “because the fashion industry tells me it matters”, then they can revisit whether that makes sense for them or not.
I like the feeling of “effortless” style for myself, but it’s also not an end all and be all. I wear effort-full outfits all the time because they’re part of my exploration of style.
I think it requires a lot of planning to end up with an “effortless” wardrobe. I have set up my closet and my husband’s so we always have something to wear for whatever occasions come our way, but it requires a thorough checking in a couple of times a year to see what gaps we have, and keeping a zillion lists. Before I started planning we had closets full of random purchases and often nothing to actually wear out the door.
That sounds way more organized that my system. My husband is hopeless – he can’t get rid of stuff he wore in college even though it doesn’t fit anymore. I’ve given up the battle. For myself, I do try to “edit” my closet at least once a quarter – it’s not a very organized process but it does cull the herd and help me better visualize what I have.
As always, you are articulate and pull so many aspects of culture/life together.
I also find that effortless outfits are those that feel like me – and I’m learning to give up the idea that outfits I love but that don’t feel like me are just not for me – but I can enjoy them on others. It really helps when you connect capitalism/$making to the ads. Thank you for that!
For me, it’s a fine line. I feel best wearing outfits that feel authentic (and, hence, effortless) but I realize that growth happens through experimentation and stepping outside one’s comfort zone. So effort-full outfits are important too. I say that as an artist, though.
If clothing is more utilitarian or pragmatic for someone, they might be well served to stick to what they enjoy wearing and then just appreciate different styles on others. But, at the same time, that may be harder to do when the fashion industry promotes a narrow range of aesthetics at the best of times — it’s natural to want to feel included even if you don’t care about style as an art form or whatever.
I don’t know, man, this is all so complicated! And I know for sure that I am missing some key aspects of identity politics because I’m coming at this from my own blinkered perspective as a cis het woman, etc.
And, to reply to myself, this is why I want to hear from you all about what effortless means to you (if anything). My hope was to start a discussion, not merely bang out a screed. I should probably change that post title 😜
Effortless to me is having all my clothes fit. I’m not very expressive, more classic. So if I have all my clothes clean, can fit into them, all in my style, I’m ready to go! I love your style!
I hear you. Can’t underestimate the importance of fit to feeling comfortable and overall happy in/with your clothes.
One can be effortless and yet come up with horrible outfits! Effortless and having style are not necessarily the same.
I see your point. I think style is a very subjective thing, but I agree that not every aesthetic is going to have universal appeal.
Effortless is about how your face and posture look wearing or doing something? Like I swear I look amazing in certain t shirts just because they make me feel good and stand straighter. Effortless dinner parties don’t mean I spent no time, just that the time was spent ahead so now we can chat while dinner bakes. Or we are all chopping together. Maybe effortless is baked potatoes. Get a crispy skin, put some cheese and salt on it, you’re good.
Apparently I think of clothes in terms of food.
I don’t know, but now I’m hungry and I want a baked potato 😂
I really enjoyed this post. I see effortless dressing as an outfit that gives me energy. Non-effortless dressing results in outfits that take my energy, either to put them together or sort of suck energy from you all day as you fiddle with them or think about how they aren’t quite right. (And there are also outfits that fall right in between and are neutral).
I can tell, even though it is a photo, that the Dries skirt on you gives you energy. I also completely agree that when you have those outfits they are as easy to put on as anything.
That’s a very interesting way of looking at it – thanks for posting. It comes down to a feeling for me as well, but I hadn’t thought of it in terms of energy.
This is like the idea that your strengths are what give you energy!
Also now I’m replying to my own comment but I wanted to add that I’m not saying non-effortless dressing is bad simply because it requires or takes that extra energy and sometimes that is what you want to do. It just is a way to distinguish it from the feeling of effortlessness.
Totally unrelated: did you read this?
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/06/magazine/fashion-sweatpants.html
Curious about your thoughts, if so. It’s a month or two old.
Thanks for posting that, I hadn’t seen it. There is a lot to unpack there for sure. I don’t feel qualified to speak on the industry issues because I haven’t been paying a lot of attention in the last few years. I have only indirectly witnessed the developments, through what I see trickling down to thrift stores. Yeah, definitely a lot more consumption than before. It’s pretty routine now to see recent pieces, some even still available online. And lots of barely worn designer stuff. So it makes you wonder what’s happening higher up in the food chain, so to speak.
On the flip side, as a consumer, I am all about fantasy right now. I don’t want sweats – I want sequins. I’m fortunate to still work from home so I am not limited by dress codes anymore. I want comfortable clothes, yes, but fun ones too. I want clothes that make me smile because everything else is stressful. But who knows what others are looking for right now.
I would hate to be working in the fashion industry right now because it does seem incredibly fragile/at a tipping point due to all of these unforeseen circumstances coming on top of years of excess. It may be a reckoning. But it also may not, depending on when the pandemic ends, consumer behaviour after, etc.
It will be an interesting decade to come, for sure.