What quirky-girl aesthetic has taken TikTok by storm this season? The new hot winter trend is the frazzled Englishwoman aesthetic. As Byrdie describes, the “trend calls back to specific outfits worn in early 2000s romcoms, where the heroines are (get this) frazzled English women.” To be frazzled is to be tired enough to throw on whatever clothes are easily accessible to you.
Many of the Englishwomen referenced are featured in holiday movies specifically. Some of these women highlighted in the trend are Keira Knightley in Love Actually, Renée Zellweger in Bridget Jones, and Kate Winslet in The Holiday. All of these women’s clothing are stylishly layered to the max with a side of exciting chaos. As TikToker Shannon Felicity King describes, “It’s the time of the year to cosplay as a frazzled British woman who is always in a rush, has no clue what they are doing with their life, and has awful breakups!”
What Is A Frazzled Englishwoman?
So what does this look like? It is an effortless layering of different patterns, colors, and textures. Everyone bundles up for winter, but the frazzled Englishwoman enjoys a messily classic thrown-together type of look. It’s perfect for the winter season because you are sure to be warm!
It is a contrast from the put-together look of the “clean girl” aesthetic that has been all the rage in the recent past. The frazzled Englishwoman look focuses on this European style of simplistic curated carelessness. The aim is to let your inner warmth emanate from your winter style.
How To Create The Look
The nice thing about this trend is that you can throw on any pieces found in your closet, just like the unbothered women it was modeled after. Part of the appeal of this look is that you are substantially making do with what is in your closet. Just think: you are running late to see your friends or to work and have to quickly make some bold fashion choices.
So, in this way, any warm clothes and accessories that you find are the basis of the look. However, an American in the UK illustrates that there is a basic outline of a potential outfit. You can start with a colorful sweater, a black skirt, and black sheer tights. Put on your trusty boots/sneakers, a warm jacket, and an eccentric hat. You also throw on a warm scarf and mittens to best suit your winter wonderland. Pull your hair back into a messy updo complete with face-framing pieces of hair in front and you are ready to brave the cold!
In terms of makeup, the aim is to look as natural as you’d like, but you can put on a few products as you rush out the door. A frazzled Englishwoman has places to be! Use coverage true to your skin tone and have fun with smudged eyeliner. You can emphasize your natural roziness with soft blushed cheeks and lips. This makeup emphasizes “messy minimalism.”
Final Thoughts
Though this trend is fun, the leading ladies of the trend do come from 2000s media. This era of film and history had pretty limited beauty standards and lacked diverse representation in popular rom-coms such as these. Today, users of TikTok appreciate the comfy thrown-together look despite its complicated history.
In 2023, getting the frazzled Englishwoman aesthetic shouldn’t be about achieving a certain body type, it should be a carefree expression of how nice it universally feels to be young, single (or not), and spontaneous. The nice thing about the revamped frazzled Englishwoman look is that it has now become a trend where you can choose how to layer pieces in your outfit. It is completely customizable to you, and what you want to wear.