Style is all at Once Whimsical, Practical, & Aspirational
Happy cold weather with some whimsical, yet practical, accessories + a mood board
Whimsical and practical are practically antonyms. To be practical means “of or concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory and ideas,” while to be whimsical is to be “playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way”. Even more specifically, “lightly fanciful.”
And yet, winter is the easiest to see how these two antonyms play together in style. Practical is staying warm: a long coat, warm layers, scarves, hats, gloves. Whimsical is the large fluffy hat, the bright scarf, the earrings, the shoes, the odd accessory (pin, brooch, collar).
Maybe you wouldn’t naturally describe yourself as whimsical, and yet, there’s probably some whimsy—intentional or not—in your fashion decisions, whether it’s the shoes you wea or the haphazard way you do you hair or choose no makeup.
Even if you’re in a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt, if it’s your style, then there’s just something so you about it. Maybe it’s the half-tuck, or your favorite style of jeans. Maybe it’s the shoes you pair with it. Maybe you love headbands or hats or ribbons. Maybe a touch of sparkle is your thing.
Or maybe you’re not practical, which is how I am. I’ll wear high heels, an accessory, or a jacket even if it’s not practical but fits my mood for the day.
I was having a conversation with friends this weekend, particularly around the fact that middle schoolers have so much access to social media that their outfits aren’t all that quirky or weird. Instead, they look like mini adults. Rather than “playfully fanciful”, the outfits are concerned with actual doing: mimicking the influencers and pop culture stars to curate a specific look and persona. At 12 years old!
Part of the beauty of being young is experimenting without thinking practically. You’re not thinking about the trends or what other people are wearing. You’re just wearing what you want to wear. You’re playing around with what you think of yourself, how you view the world, and what you want to be like. It’s a tangent worth a completely separate conversation, but to develop style, I think you have to be left to your own devices at a young age to start sorting everything out—sans social media.
But the flip side is also true. Adults don’t have to succumb to 100% practicality—unless you’re in Canada or the Arctic where practicality must win for survival. Otherwise, experimentation is key to developing your own tastes. Isn’t that true for everything? For the job you like, the recipes you choose over and over, the authors you read, etc.?
Miu Miu often nails whimsy and practicality. Spring 2024 looks were pants-less and very schoolgirl skirt gone very short. One schoolgirl look was then put with a gold coat/wrap. In one word: whimsical.
Yet the collection also showed bags stuffed full of things, almost overflowing. A handbag can only be practical if it can be stuffed to the brim—or at least hold everything we need.
And one of my favorites, the Fall Winter 2021 Collection. Just one look for you and it nails style as whimsical, practical, and aspirational.
The aspirational quality of style is that you can dress how you want to be, not just how you are. Put on a flowing dress and big furry boots and call yourself an ice princess. But in seriousness, put on a suit, and you’ll know the aspirational quality of style immediately. There’s nothing like trousers and a blazer to make you feel like you can run the world. Put on a dress and you’ll feel more feminine. Wear an oversized white shirt and you’ll feel like an artist…or Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
So, without further ado, here’s my whimsical, practical, and aspirational accessories mood board for winter:
left to right: Anthro gloves, Sezane scarf, Victoria Beckham Pre-Spring Collection, hat, Audrey Hepburn, @100_layercake, Sezane scarf, Massimo Dutti, Sea New York Collar, Pinterest (Chanel), J. Crew silver earrings, Sezane scarf, J. Crew faux-pearl mini bag, Pinterest, Etsy felt hat, Sezane floral earrings, Gigi Pip faux fur hat
Like when I wore yoga pants as trousers, with a blouse, long before that was a thing. I have worn some weird things in my life...some that I regret ;-)