Americans go wild for ‘Frazzled English girl’ aesthetic
Bridget Jones was famous for her unkempt hair, swiftly thrown together outfits and occasionally disastrous makeup, hastily applied in the back of a taxi at night.
It’s an aesthetic that Bridget’s character didn’t choose for herself, as she constantly wishes to be a well put-together woman with poise and grace. However it appears she was ahead of her time; as the character’s unintentionally dishevelled aesthetic has now become a style American women are aspiring to.
TikTok fashionistas are ditching perfectly coiffed hair and chic outfit combinations for the style of the ‘frazzled English woman’ who dons oversized scarves, fingerless gloves and layers which she will no doubt remove later in the day after getting dressed in a hurry.
Inspired by famous rom-coms like the Bridget Jones franchise starring Renée Zellweger, and Keira Knightley’s Juliet in Love Actually, Gen Z women in America are actively trying to replicate the thrown-together dress sense.
The look consists of skirts, tights, ripped or otherwise, a loose fitting shirt covered with a thick woollen jumper, followed by a long trench coat and finished with slightly smudged makeup and a claw clip with fly away strands of hair.
A slightly dishevelled aesthetic has now become the latest trend for young Americans who are ditching slicked hair and stylish fashion ensembles to look like the ‘frazzled English woman’
Inspired the famous rom-coms starring Renée Zellweger , Gen Z American women are trying to achieve the thrown together dress sense worn by heroines from late nineties and noughties chick flicks like Bridget Jones and Notting Hill
The trend has become popular among American women who have uploaded videos where they try to accomplish a look of ‘messy minimalism’, in a turn away from the former ‘clean girl’ aesthetic which popularised slick buns and pristine makeup.
The new style is currently doing the rounds on TikTok with hundreds of videos of American women uploading tutorials revealing how to achieve the the dressed appearance.
In one clip, one woman described the look as: ‘[The] Perfect for when you’re running late and you don’t know how to pull yourself together.’
The popular look is currently doing the rounds on TikTok with hundreds of videos of American women uploading tutorials revealing how to achieve the the dressed appearance
In several Christmas films from the era, female characters are seen sporting particularly English styles dressing for the cold months with long coats for the commute and family knitted jumpers
In the same video, she tells viewers how to achieve the ‘frazzled’ face with minimal makeup, only using concealer for blemishes and bringing to life the eyes by smudging eyeliner around the rims.
She uses ‘hasty half swipes’ to achieve the appearance of having just rolled out of bed.
Polishing off the outfit she suggests opting for a long coat that can be ‘thrown over everything you wear’, to give the intentionally messy look.
The popular look is currently doing the rounds on TikTok with hundreds of videos of American women uploading tutorials revealing how to achieve the the dressed down look
The look consists of skirts, tights, ripped or otherwise, a loose fitting shirt covered with a thick woollen jumper, followed by a long trench coat and finished with slightly smudged makeup and a claw clip and several free flowing locks
The Autumnal look is inspired not only by the famously frazzled Bridget, but the tousled undone look donned by other TV favourites, including Keira Knightley in Love Actually and Kate Winslet in The Holiday. The actress pictured sporting a typical ‘frazzled English woman’ look during the film
The Autumnal look is inspired not only by the famously frazzled Bridget, but the tousled undone look donned by other TV favourites, including Keira Knightley in Love Actually and Kate Winslet in The Holiday.
In both Christmas films, female characters are seen sporting particularly English styles dressing for the cold months with long coats for the commute and family knitted jumpers.
The baker boy cap worn by Keira in the family favourite Christmas film has gone on to inspire numerous looks online.
Such hats haven’t been in vogue for several years; however according to the frazzled English woman aesthetic, the thicker and more absurd the headgear, the better.
Popular hairstyles for the disarrayed look include un-brushed locks whisked straight out of bed and onto the commute, as well as claw clips loosely holding tresses in a windswept up do
One baker boy cap worn by Keira in the family favourite Christmas film, has gone on to inspire numerous looks online
In another video, an American woman offers suggestions for how to complete the frazzled look.
She said: ‘First, start with a pair of tights, they can be black, brown, ripped or whatever, as long as you can’t see your legs.
‘You want to layer on a maxi or mini skirt, preferably patterned or pleated. Next, grab a collared shirt, bonus points if its wrinkly.
‘Next, add a colourful sweater. If it’s not colourful, make sure it’s chunky or at least knit.’
As well as fictional characters, a number of celebrities have also been credited with bringing back the style with Billie Piper, Helena Bonham Carter and Kate Moss also demonstrating their frazzled English woman looks.
In another clip, one American woman reveals how to complete the thrown together look with a very particular makeup routine.
She described the look as ’embodying messy minimalism’, explaining that the frazzled English woman ‘probably isn’t wearing makeup, but if she is, she’s wiping on a few products before she heads out the door’.
In the American creator’s video, she suggests using matte makeup to achieve a ‘winter look’ as well as a bright red blush to emulate having just been ‘out running errands in the cold’.
