The nights have drawn in, the fuzzy jumpers are back in full force – and do you know what else is making a comeback, according to TikTok? The “English Frazzled Woman” look.
Stay with us a moment, and picture the vibe – the style is put together (or not so put together, actually) for beloved female characters in Richard Curtis films from the 2000s, or others that star Hugh Grant or Colin Firth – a golden age in cinema, if you ask us.
GLAMOUR has delved into what this look entails, its history and how to achieve it.
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It was coined by Australian magazine Russh, described as “mixing Noughties revival [looks] with layering”. The key elements from this look is: English woman, working girl, looking slightly frazzled, but also “quite witty”. Enter some of our fave characters from Noughties romcom's past: Bridget Jones, Kate Winslet in The Holiday and both Laura Linney and Keira Knightley's characters in Love Actually.
According to Russh, certain accessories to throw in are as follows: skinny scarves, a claw clip in your hair and opaque tights, combined with mid-length skirts, off-the-shoulder knitwear, cardigans and knee-high boots. Honestly, we're into the cosy chaos of it all, a key characteristic – it almost always looks thrown together as if by accident.
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Basically, the good news is it's super easy to achieve, because you probably own a load of the Noughties pieces in question from back in the day. This also means it's super sustainable, as it's not overly necessary to buy loads of new items to make this style work for you. All you've got to do is layer them up in a suitably “frazzled” way to achieve the look.
One thing to bear in mind, though, is that in previous iterations of this aesthetic, particularly in the Noughties, critics have pointed out that this look was relatively limited to “skinny, white women”, while curvier woman of other skin colours still generally had more put-together looks onscreen.
TikToker @thethriftythinker is, however, “hopeful that we will see this trend emerge to be way more inclusive and accessible for everyone through today's lens” in the years 2022, 2023 and beyond.
Here are our favourite “English Frazzled Women” outfits:
