I think I’ve written about the concept of sprezzatura on the blog before. It came back into my mind recently, as I’ve been thinking about style inspiration. To recap, the term was coined by Baldassare Castiglione in his 1528 Book of the Courtier, who defined it as “[a] certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without thought.” It originally described the attitude of an ideal courtier who could display “an easy facility in accomplishing difficult actions which hides the conscious effort that went into them.” The Oxford English dictionary defines sprezzatura as “studied carelessness”. Sprezzatura was not originally about fashion, but it’s now most commonly used in that context in North America – and, specifically, primarily men’s fashion.
Some general rules of sprezzatura have been promulgated, including wearing of clothes that are visibly well-worn or a bit shabby, wearing vintage clothing, and combining casual and formal dress. I also found this quote instructive:
Theorists and purists believe sprezzatura is an ever-evolving concept of always but carefully going against the grain. When others keep their shirts buttoned all the way up to the collar, the daringly sophisticated man, for instance, always leaves one or two undone. These days, though, with the undone collar being the accepted casual norm, the sprezzatura-inspired guy would find pleasure in the specific formality of an up-to-the-collar buttoned shirt …
But if you search for sprezzatura inspiration online, its popular definition seems to be flattened to what is, basically, a type of dandyism. More annoyingly, from my perspective, sprezzatura as applied to women’s fashion seems to be equated to effecting menswear-inspired looks. While I am a fan of dandy fashion (and its femme equivalent), I feel like this approach misses the point and the potential of sprezzatura. I want to see outfits that embody “studied nonchalance” without resorting to a waistcoat or tie. Searching key terms online hasn’t been very fruitful.
After giving up on Google, I pondered what sprezzatura might look like in women’s fashion. Prairie skirts and combats boots? Satin slip dresses and leather jackets? Tulle skirts and traditional wool blazers? I think juxtapositions can definitely be an illustration of sprezzatura. Mixing vintage and contemporary pieces, or wearing vintage pieces with decidedly contemporary styling, too. I think, for me, the key would be for the outfit to be just shy of “perfectly finished”. The look can be maximalist and accessorized to the max, but not pat. It must have the faintest hint of rebellion, of deconstruction of the expectations which the outfit itself creates.
Now, most of my outfits probably do not achieve sprezzatura and if they do, it’s entirely by accident. Which is ironic. But revisiting this concept at this time has made me want to give more considered thought to how I build my outfits and, specifically, how I can incorporate an element of subversion (that going against the grain) into them. I don’t have answers, but I am inspired.
I would love to hear your thoughts on what sprezzatura means to you.
