An Ode to The Messy Chic Girl
PC: Pinterest
Earlier, I wrote about what to do when trends don’t match your personal style. I always preach staying true to yourself, regardless of what the internet tells you to do. But I don’t think I ever wondered what it would be like to actually fit the aesthetic du jour, and that’s exactly what’s happening right now. I’m talking about the messy chic girl. It’s a style that embraces the imperfectly perfect way of living; The undone hair, the beat-up bag, the late-to-everything-and-left-the-breakfast-bowl-in-the-sink kind of vibe.
I work in a very trends-driven industry where your personal taste might not always align with what’s on the internet. I often find myself writing about looks that don’t actually speak to me, but this latest trend feels different.
I’m a woman of moderation. I’m neither a morning bird nor a night owl (I sleep between 10:30 and 11:30, and wake up between 7:30 and 8:30). I’m neither messy nor a neat freak. I like socializing, but I also need my alone time. I love dressing up and looking cute, but in comparison to the influencers who show up in impossibly sleek hair, makeup, and styles, I pale.
That’s why this messy chic girl aesthetic hits so nicely. It’s a category I actually fall into. In fact, I believe the majority of women do. While I’ve always aspired to be the girl with the perfectly slicked back hair, mine is never brushed and rarely done. I’d love to wear ironed, crisp shirts. But I bought a steamer for the first time at age 30 and have only used it once. I like my space to be clean, yes, but the inside of my bag is rarely organized. There are knick-knacks around my bed and piles of beauty products under the sink. My life is rolling out of bed, begrudgingly, and needing two black coffees to awaken any redeeming qualities in me. If I feel like it, I’d get dressed. But otherwise I’m in sweats until I’m called to leave the house. And while that always felt a little shameful, compared to the girlies who get up at 6:30 for pilates, now I feel like I can embrace this as “chic” and get on with it.
My bed.
Seeing the internet embrace the more realistic (at least to me) woman of moderation is surprisingly doing a lot for my confidence. In fact, just the other day I told my partner that I like the imperfections around the house: it makes our home feel lived in, a little artsy, even. I want my kitchen, my bed, and my coffee table to look clean. But anything hidden in the fridge, drawers, and bags can collect a little chaos. That, to me, is my messy chic life. It’s always been this way, except now I can embrace it with pride.
As always, I like to analyze where the latest trends come from, and this particular one feels rather obvious. Our fascination with Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s effortless way of existing, for one, invited us to embrace the more carefree, cool-without-trying kind of look. Pre-Instagram, before everyone tried to one-up another in how clean and precise they could get. But I think this trend has been bubbling up since before Carolyn. In a world perfected by AI, we’ve all begun to seek a more human touch to life. A kind of creativity and messiness that can’t be replicated. Our hyper-online presence also prompted the pendulum swing back to favor a quiet, careless lifestyle. Our muses have shifted from the picture-perfect model to the more quiet, artsy personality (think Rama Duwaji or Solange Knowles).
We’ve definitely been here before, back when Serena van der Woodsen (aka girl who never owned a brush) was everyone’s favorite it-girl. The viral 7 For All Mankind catwalk reminded us how much we used to adore the grungy Jenny Humphrey. There’s a kind of nonchalance to this aesthetic that’s picking back up again, and I’m here for it
Seeing the type of looks that influencers perfected was aspirational, but far from realistic for me. I didn’t realize it until now, but it had put a wall between me and what I was taught to believe is pretty, perfect. I’m a messy chic girl, which means finally, I’m part of the trends.
