What makes someone look cool/edgy?

[upperdown]

I wear similar clothes to a friend, she looks cool, I look ok but a bit dull. Is it down to hairstyle? She has short funky hair, I have shoulder length.

What do you think makes someone look cool, edgy?

@SocksAndTheCity

I agree *@Bagelsandbrie*, and I'll happily be the first person to bring Beth Ditto to the thread .

Yes! Love her.

@TottersBlankly Just don't think it would work- one would end up wider than one is tall I speak as a fat person who absolutely loves the sort of looks you're posting and has tried very hard to make them work- I always end up looking like an item of furniture or else Grayson Perry

Totally agree about Zaha Hadid.

Okay - I’ll take your word for it!

I saw a lady the other week in a pub, there was a wedding nearby and she was one of the guests, she was wearing a black jumpsuit with short cropped hair, make was immaculate and she looked absolutely amazing, couldn't take me eyes off her, confidence was oozing off her.

My daughter is under 5ft and always looks cool and edgy. I'm not sure what her secret is. she wouldn't wear white trainers or skinny jeans, that would be very uncool in her set.

My sister always looks cool and edgy too, fifties, but looking much younger, with an extremely trendy mullet hair cut. She's only about 5 4 too, but very slim

Loved reading through all your answers, thank you for sharing your knowledge and thoughts on this subject.

Certainly given me lots to think about, I'm going to focus on shapes and pushing my boundaries and work on my confidence!

Rather than focusing on being 'cool' or edgy, why not just find some things you like, and make you feel great without adhering to what you think it will look like to others.

Have you got a Pinterest board? I find a good place to start is just pin a lot of outfits I like, and then find the common themes. Lots of wide-leg trousers with platform trainers? Lots of 80s knitwear? Colour palettes?

Then you have a shopping starting point.

@upperdown > "My hair is boring, can shoulder length hair ever be cool?"

Most definately, as you can do so many things with it. Short hair does look great on some people, but there's only so much you can do to change it up. If I come up with a new way to style my shoulder-length hair I do a little sketch so I don't forget to do it that way some time. Also, with longer hair you don't need to think so much about face shape, head shape, etc, as you can adapt your hair in ways that suit you and whatever you're wearing.

I'm in no way edgy, but now I'm older I've stopped worrying 'Can I do this?' If I like it I adapt it to me. I tend to think I'm not being judged because I'm an older women who has started to become invisible. That's in no way a good feeling, but it's freed me to wear what I like even if it's age-inappropriate. If you don't care how people are judging what you're wearing there'll always be those who think, 'That looks good'. It's the lack of self-consciousness and worrying about how others are judging you.

Those dresses are making me think of Villanelle who often looks cool and edgy (although not so much recently!). Agree that a red lipstick with no / nude makeup looks cool if you can pull it off. It makes me look like a clown!

@Divebar2021

If your style is classic then your style is classic but maybe you can subvert it with an element or play with proportions.Size up on clothes so they’re slouchy for example. My friend is cool in an arty way not a tattooed way. She cuts her own hair ( because she doesn’t want that blow dried look you get at the hairdressers ) - it looks good. She wears clothes that are wide and loose with trainers. She wouldn’t wear anything too obviously nicey nice like Vejas. She wears charity shop clothes but also shops at high street shops like H&M and Zara but she has a knack of picking out good bits that work with her aesthetic. It would look shit on me but I have a different look. Sometimes the unexpected thing makes the look - the very strong red lipstick on a bare face, the sequinned jacket in the daytime or big oversized earrings on a minimalist outfit. Try to think about things you actually like rather than what is cool.

This sounds exactly like a friend of mine. She always looks great - she wears a mix of charity shop stuff, eBay and high street but has an eye for materials and shapes. She’ll wear a massive oversized cashmere coat she’s found on eBay with big sunglasses and no make up and look amazing.

She cuts her own hair and everything looks quite low key - not too done.

It’s often the general easyness of it - she looks like she’s chucked it all on and not thought too hard and looking great comes naturally to her.

There was an article in the guardian a few days ago about the little extras to fashion that make the difference. Not the big ticket items, but more how you wear them, it mentioned things like to tuck in or not and how much, to button up or unbutton shirts, socks showing or not with trainers etc - basically the little bits about how you wear clothes that make them look modern/fashionable/interesting.

I think this is the issue, not what clothes you own, but how you style them. (Am also not cool)

@upperdown

As an example, me and my friend both have all the components of this outfit. She makes it look cool, I don't!

I'm missing the confidence and the hair but will also try and push myself out of my comfort zone more. I've started a new job and this is my chance to reinvent myself a bit, it's very casual and quite fashiony. I've always loved clothes but I suppose I'm quite a classic style.

I can't think of a celeb I like, it's more just every day people I see in the street.

Thank you!

I don't know about cool - but to me that outfit is so full I wouldn't even notice anyone wearing it.

@Hairobsessed123

Edgy outfit

The third possibly- the other 2? No. I wouldn't give either a second glance.

@TottersBlankly

Arianya, the woman in your photo appears to me to be exactly the same shape as these Cecilie Bahnsen dresses, which, as I said above, are so edgy as to provoke actual outrage.

If I ever suggest this type of clothing to a non-thin woman they react with revulsion. All anyone wants is skinny jeans and a nice top, so they’d rather feel annoyed about not suiting that outfit than try something new.

Those are by far and away the best outfits posted. I'm a 14 and have dresses from & Daughter which are similar.

Hello Op
I am mid 40s and will never be cool either

Great cheekbones, plus being underdone rather than overdone - i.e. good hair but slightly messy; clothes not too tight, low-key make-up, if any.

I was at my bedroom window today and saw a woman pass by who looked so cool - grey angular bob, dark glasses, loose jeans with a narrow turn-up, and a dark, swingy coat. I could never look like her in a million years. Those same clothes would just look dull on me. You've either got it or you haven't.

Oh, also - great posture and a cool walk.

If you want so inspiration, try watching Karenbritchick on YouTube. Her series What Everyone Is Wearing In New York is full of cool, edgy people. The way the people she stops, put outfits together is just so interesting and different. Even if it's head to toe Zara, it's how they style each piece and adaptations they make to it that makes their whole look come together in a unique way. A lot of YouTubers have 'what everyone is wearing ' series, but for me hers are the most inspirational and well done.

Body type plays a part, I always think. I have too many round parts to wear any of that Studio Nicholson stuff. Too short as well. This might sound bonkers but if you have some big scarves or a pashmina you could try figuring out what shape clothing suits you by draping, pinning, using a belt etc and then take photos. Make them black and white if that helps. Roll trousers up, try diff widths etc. I've totally given up, I'm still not sure wtf I'm supposed to be wearing- I suit fit and flare dresses but feel about 15 years too old for them. Finding people whose look I admire is useless because of the round bits. Leggings genuinely look better on me than a lot of things because getting well fitting stuff is a bloody nightmare. My husband once walked into a semi fancy suit shop and one of the shop assistants almost had a moment because of his classic body shape. Genuinely thought she was going to need to sit down and sip water, silly old bat. I'll never forget it because I'll never, ever be that person. Maybe it's not that for you but I've stopped caring so much. I'm about to launch into another round of daft hair dye and experimentation after a long hiatus. Gone round in circles long enough now, bored, gonna do what I like.