The Elizabeth Style
The inspiration behind today’s article is none other than senior Elizabeth Doup. Elizabeth and I have been friends since elementary school, so I had to interview her! To start us off with the Elizabeth style, Elizabeth exclaimed that her style is very “comfy and casual,” which fits in perfectly with today’s aesthetic breakdown.
“Sometimes I’ll dress the comfy casual up with some jeans,” Elizabeth proclaimed. Elizabeth said she sometimes tries to go for the “Stockholm aesthetic” but doesn’t have enough money to replace her entire wardrobe to make way for her dream one. This is an issue that most of us who are into fashion have. The Stockholm aesthetic is not to be confused with Stockholm syndrome; those are two completely different things. The best way to better interpret the Stockholm aesthetic is to browse Pinterest. I don’t know much about it and don’t want to lead you astray. (Make sure you put in the word “clothes” after the initial search.) Along with that aesthetic, if Elizabeth could have her dream wardrobe, it would be baggy jeans, lots of comfy sweatpants, and logo tee shirts.
Elizabeth said she buys her current clothes mainly from Marshalls and American Eagle. When asked if she thrifts, Elizabeth responded with, “occasionally.” When she thrifts, her thrift store of choice is none other than Value World. Why? “It’s close, and it’s cheap,” Elizabeth explained—a simple yet satisfying answer. Staple pieces in Elizabeth’s wardrobe include her gold hoops and necklaces, “I love my gold hoops and then gold necklaces. I wouldn’t say I wear a lot of rings. I have gold rings obviously, but I don’t like things being on my hands.” Elizabeth’s Nike Dunks are also an accessory she cannot live without.
The Clean Girl Aesthetic
The clean girl aesthetic has quickly become one of the most, if not THE most, basic aesthetics for North American teenage girls. Now, before we get into anything else, the word “clean” does not mean better in any sense. There is no “better” style or aesthetic. Dress how you want. The purpose of this blog is to broaden your fashion knowledge, not tell you how to dress. This style falls between the comfy and casual clothing categories and goes with almost any life event you may have. The whole purpose of this style is to be very versatile with pieces of clothing you already have in your closet.
This aesthetic is based heavily on skincare and routine. Beauty and face stuff aren’t something we often cover on The Accessory, but it is good to mention from time to time. Hair also plays an important role in creating the clean girl aesthetic, but more on that later.
Hair and Makeup
Hair plays a huge role in this aesthetic’s look. To keep it short and sweet, the greasier or more gelled your hair is, the better. The slicked-back-bun look, Elizabeth’s go-to hairstyle, is a staple in the Clean Girl aesthetic. Don’t ask me why, but it is. I think it has something to do with a bun being out of the way and keeping hair out of your face. I know many elders, or at least all of my grandmas, say that when my hair is in my face, it looks “improper.”
Similar to the “no makeup, makeup look,” the clean girl makeup is meant to make your skin more dewy and glowy. Hydrating facial creams or lip moisturizers, in combination with a generous amount of highlighter above your cheekbones and on your nose, help to create that glowy look that so many people go for. If you’re going for a more dewy look, sticking to liquid-based or cream-based makeup products might be for you. The clean girl makeup look also has to do a lot with skincare and daily/nightly routines which fits in with the general, non-clothing-based, clean girl aesthetic. Having a skincare routine can not only heal your face of acne and blemishes but also help to create the basis for starting a routine you may need to use later in life. If you’re looking for a good face wash, I recommend the Neutrogena grapefruit-scented face wash. It’s oil-free and very hydrating and cleansing.
Color Palette
The color palette for the clean girl aesthetic is more spring-based. The majority of colors that make up this color palette are neutrals, with some spring colors thrown into the mix. Whites, greys, blacks, navy blue, lighter washes of denim, and creams will make up most of the colors worn with this aesthetic. Pops of color, including yellow, baby pink, and light blue, will make up the accent colors if you want to add something other than neutrals.
Patterns/Lack Of Patterns
When crafting a clean girl aesthetic outfit, it’s important to remember that patterns are almost nonexistent. (Except for some black and white striped shirts.) In my research for this article, I came across the fact that the trend is not patterns for this aesthetic. Since everything is supposed to be simple and have clean lines, patterns can sometimes feel messy or overwhelming in contrast to what you’re trying to go for with the “clean girl” look.
The Fun Part: The Clothing
This aesthetic is based on the principle that “less is more.” Whether it concerns using less makeup for a more natural look, doing the most basic hairstyle instead of more fun hairstyles, or styling fewer pieces of clothing and using less layering, less is more. This style is a lot of things, but one of which it’s not is a layering aesthetic. We’ve predominantly covered aesthetics that layer different clothing pieces, so I thought I’d switch it up on you a little bit this week. I would like to explain the fashion lingo I use, so before we get into what you should wear for this aesthetic, we should probably take a quick step back and learn what a “basic” piece of clothing is. A “basic” (for short) is a simple and versatile piece of clothing that can be styled in various ways with many outfits. Now that you know what that is, we can continue on!
For the shirt selection of this aesthetic, plain, form-fitting, and non-graphic tees will be staples of your wardrobe. Whether it’s a white tee, a black tee, a grey tee, or a white, grey, or black tank top, basics that you can find anywhere—especially thrifting—will be your best friend for this aesthetic. Since this is a spring and kind of summer-based aesthetic, we won’t be needing overcoats or sweaters that much. However, if you wear this aesthetic in the fall or winter, I’d go for a cute white or cream-colored cable knit sweater on top of a pair of light-washed jeans. Other sweaters that would fit this aesthetic would be plain, non-graphic sweaters or sweaters with simple graphics, a chic black and white striped sweater, or a fleece overcoat on top of any of the aforementioned shirt pieces. In the cover photo of Elizabeth, you can see that her fleece overcoat matches the Clean Girl Aesthetic perfectly.
Pants-wise, this aesthetic is very limiting. I see it as you can go one of two routes: comfy, or “dressing up.” I put “dressing up” in quotes because this isn’t a very fancy aesthetic, but mainly a casual aesthetic. However, you can dress it up if you so choose. For the more “dressy” version of this aesthetic, a pair of jeans will never fail you. By wearing jeans, you instantly create a timeless look since jeans have been around since 1873. (They were patented in 1873 by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss. Here’s your bit of fashion history for today!) If you want to go the comfy route, neutral-colored sweatpants, preferably grey or white, will be your best bet for fitting in with this aesthetic.
Jewelry and Accessories
Since this aesthetic is more spring-based, the metal that matches this aesthetic will mostly be gold. Gold compliments neutral colors in a way that silver does not. Gold jewelry will make you stand out and add a little color to your outfit. Silver works, too, if you’re a silver girlie like I am, but gold is preferred in this instance. Typical jewelry you’ll see associated with this trend is dainty jewelry. If you don’t know what “dainty” means, the best way I can describe it is “simple and small.” Dainty initial necklaces, rings, gold hoops, and bracelets are what I observed the most when scrolling through Pinterest and watching YouTube videos to prepare for this article. Layering necklaces is a nice way to add multiple textures to your outfit without adding tons of different fabrics. That was also seen a lot when looking for jewelry inspiration. Continuing with the more comfy/casual side of this aesthetic, Apple watches, and small watches tend to be another accessory that popped up a lot in my searches. Tote bags seem to be the bag of choice as well. Non-patterned tote bags that is at least.
Styling
Styling-wise, here’s a couple of ideas for a few different outfits. Try styling a light-wash pair of jeans with a white form-fitting tank top and a light yellow hoodie for a cute casual look. For a more classy look, style a black scoop neck shirt (either long sleeve or short sleeve) with medium wash jeans and gold hoops with a gold name necklace. If you want a comfy look, style a white or grey fleece with dark-wash jeans and simple gold hoops. A white button-down and a black pair of pants make for a sleek and professional look, while also giving the clean girl silhouette. If you want to dress the aesthetic up even more, style a pair of cream or white colored pants with a white tee shirt and a brown sweater vest over the shirt. Monochromatic outfits (outfits that only have one color present) or matching sets are another great way to add some color to a clean-girl aesthetic outfit.
As always, if you’ve enjoyed the article—or would like a chance to be interviewed for The Accessory—reach out to [email protected].
