I guess that's why I'll never be a fashionista. Those jeans are ridiculous as are the shoes. The coat and other thing are okay but look like they could be worn alone.

I find it amusing that we all think the outfit is horrible but each for a different reason!

The lipstick comments... WHAT? Not every woman wears lipstick. I surely don't. Maybe once a year? This is the judgiest group on the Internet. lol

I think each item would look okay but is paired incorrectly. The coat doesn't fit her properly but would look fine with full length pants. Likewise for the shoes with full length pants. The jeans would be better without the socks, coat and shoes but worn with sandals a causal top. The outfit is a mish mash that doesn't go together.

As I said above, I think the ripped jeans are most definitely aimed at the younger generation (some of who are here of GW!), rather than myself (of the older generation), and I can't really say the age of the model but I'm guessing a younger group would love the ripped jeans and look very cute in them (and perhaps some who are a tad older but can pull off younger looks)... I realize there is a vast difference between my idea of what looks good on me/my age group vs. what looks good on someone much younger. I'm sure we've all been there, done that (trends that an older generation have find amusing or appalling).

Lipstick: Yep, I wear it if I'm going out, but that's a personal preference. I think everyone here is just giving opinions on whether each of us would wear this, what we think of the 'style and look', etc., and perhaps how one might individually improve upon it. Sounds 'judge-y' and to a good extent we are doing that, but I don't really stare and nitpick over what my friends or strangers wear on their body or face.

I think this is an instance where the OP has posted a photo, and we are giving our opinions based on our ages, our fashion sense (or in my case, lack of!), our region, etc.

I don't like any of it.

Sue

As for judging..LOL... I think were judging the outfit not the girl. Isnt this how we choose clothing for ourselves, the style, color, how they would look on us.

I'm judging the editors who somehow imagine those jeans and 'polished' in the same sentence!

Admittedly I am very "old school."

During depression years when our clothes had holes they were neatly patched; socks were darned, shoes were polished, even if they had glued-on rubber soles. We combed our hair and bathed carefully.

The difference--- we had no other choice; could never have imagined that the raggedy look would be fashionable.

When people started talking about the PERSON (her hair, her lack of lipstick), the topic deviated from the outfit. Stop criticizing someone's looks just because you don't like their hair or their lack of lipstick. God forbid anyone should see someone different and not pick them apart. Meow.

I don't wear lipstick often...if I put it on with my makeup, I seldom reapply so it's often not there. But I don't take people criticizing this picture personally as I'm not being held up by a major fashion magazine as an example to be used as inspiration for a work wardrobe.

@ Imstillchloecat, I do think it is fair to comment on hair/makeup. The invitation is to comment on whether this is or isn't a polished look. I happen to think that hair that appears dirty (and I didn't smell her head so don't know for sure) is not polished. I would find it unfair if anybody equated her looks with her morals, but I did not read any such comment. Appearance from head to toes is all this is.

A polished look IMO is from head to toe. This is not a casual snapshot..it is a professional fashion photo. So, yes, the entire "look" is the subject here.

I have seen this look in Seattle and not necessarily on the 20-somethings.

Can I stand outside the door of a shop that sells (only un-holey) jeans with a sign saying, "Let me know when your jeans develop holes: I'll give you 50 cents for them, so you don't need to throw them out". Giving out cards with my phone number, of course - that includes my waist and leg sizes.

I guess I could do that on the street ... but a mall's security would soon cut me off short.

(I do have some cost for bus fare/gas to go to the owner's place ... as I can scarcely ask her/him to deliver).

o j

If thats the new style I will stick with what I have

Well its a bit hard not to judge someone plastered for public view. Expecially when its to sell a product. And if I came face to face with this girl I'd say nothing but if she ask me...do I look polished and put together? Are you interested in buying this outfit..I'd open my mouth. Were not judging this girls character...were judging a look she's gone public trying to sell.

I don't think anyone here is being 'judgey' just because they JUDGE that the look is not what it's racked up to be. Nobody would say anything about lipstick or hair if the outfit were really "instantly polished." People here are just trying to find a way to get her to that "instantly polished" condition as advertised here. I would judge that the look is far from "polished." When people here criticise her makeup, her hair -- they are not criticising a person, they are criticising a look that somebody is trying to sell. The model is doing a job, that's all. I live in a big city, very young population and I don't see the 18-30 year olds going around looking like rag pickers. They sparkle as much as they can and I'm not talking about sequins. You can sparkle in torn jeans, no kidding. The editor who wrote this copy must have been blurry eyed from working the midnight shift. Don't forget they take dozens of photos before they find the right one to publish -- and THIS is it? Puh-leeze.

Besides the first def of judging is * form an opinion or conclusion about* judging isn't wrong in all cases.

I wasn't going to ask but its driving me nuts...Imstillcholecat....what does *meow** at the bottom of your post mean?

Okay, apparently some of y'all are reading the OP's post completely different than I did. No where in that post is the overall 'look' described as 'polished'. That term is applied to the jeans only. 'Tailored' is applied to the pieces shown with the jeans. The OP herself speaks of 'wardrobe', which I believe means clothing, not a person. So criticizing the model's personal appearance does come across as judgmental and nit picky. When I read the comments about lipstick, hair, cigarette butts, etc., I had to go back and look to see what y'all were talking about. I had first looked just at the clothes, which is what I thought the original post was about.

It's also entirely possible, I would think, that the publisher intentionally played down the model's looks to place emphasis on the clothing rather than the person. I know nothing about "Elle", or what it even is, so that is strictly my own humble opinion.

Rusty

Anything you see as part of a print fashion lay out is done on purpose- the same goes for fashion advertising pictures. The model in the above photo is performing her job and has no say in what she wears on her body or how her hair and makeup are done. The editors who decide how to style her look are working with advertisers and hoping to influence what products people buy.

Since these pictures are not family snapshots, we have a right to judge them. Failure to judge them could lead to some very unfortunate outcomes. Imagine telling a 16 year old girl not to judge the weight of the anorexic model in a Vogue lay out. Really? I don't even have daughters and I point out the way those rags try to define felinity in unhealthy ways to my sons.

Having good judgment is not the same thing as judging people.

Mama, she probably was trying to say some of the comments were b!tchy. But then again, there are a multitude of other possible meanings. It could be an acronym for Morning Erotically Obsessed Woman ... or lots of other possibilities.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=MEOW

Meow = catty. A term generally used when women are bitchy to each other, often taking cheap shots at superficial things like appearance.

Cindy. Thank You. I thought it might be a text code like YMMV or TTYL. Haha.

And LMBO@ Erotically Obsessed Women.

Looking at that picture again and thinking she is probably 9ft. Tall, which would make those pants look even worse.......says someone that is 5ft tall. :)

For a very brief time in my life I was a photographer's assistant. I was in charge of making sure the makeup artist's work, hair stylist's work, and clothing - along with the entire scene down the the smallest detail (along with lighting assistance); everything had to correspond with what the photograph meant to convey/express. This was magazine work for Southern Living. Therefore, the entire photograph above conveys what the article wants it to convey. The scene is 'set up' in it's entirety.

I have also been in charge of reviewing digital manipulation aka photo manipulation, and done this type work myself. Things like cigarette butts are left intentionally, or placed there, as are other details to fit what the article/writer/publisher want it to 'read'. Lipstick or lack thereof, cigarette butts, or lack thereof can be added and removed post photography. I have removed makeup and entirely re-did makeup via digital manipulation - it's not hard. I have done all types of digital manipulation, down to adding/removing shadows... I could go on, but I feel we all pretty much know most print photographs have been altered to some degree. I stopped doing digital manipulation because I was uncomfortable with the 'perfection' required of a model's face or body.

Re: meow. No one to this point has said anything in regard to the model personally, such as "She has a big/little nose, her chin is odd, she is too fat/skinny, she is (fill in something critiquing the model on a personal level)". Commenting on hair is commenting on the hair stylist's work, etc.

For fun, to lighten the mood here... below I used simple photo-editing software - not professional as I no longer have access to it. Can you spot all the differences? Some subtle, some not so (and I was not trying to improve upon or worsen the image, just alter it):

Re-touched vs. Original

You added more cigarette butts, removed the back seam from the jacket, added lipstick, smoothed some flyaway hairs, took some bulk off the left sleeve, changed her sunglasses, and altered the purse. That's all I can spot right away.

Edited to add: the hem on the jeans

Does anyone like those shoes and short pants? I used to have a hideous and shapeless sweatshirt like that, I wore it on camping trips over my clothes when I wanted extra warmth. The look is certainly not polished at all to me, but maybe I'm just too old to see what is considered polished. I didn't read all of the responses since some seemed argumentative and I just didn't want to go there today.

Thanks for playing along Texas_Gem! You spotted even many of the most subtle items... but not everything!

Hint: Take another look at: face (4 differences total), jeans (3 differences total), tunics - both ( 3 differences total) : - ) You spotted the rest (cigarette butts and purse were all that are remaining)

Hmmm.

Face- sunglasses, flyaway hair, lipstick and nose?

Jeans- lengthened the left leg, added a hem on the right leg and made them skinnier on right leg.

Tunic- back seam (her tail as Mama called it!), left arm trimmed, and smoothed out the shadows from outer "jacket" to inner "sweater".

Did I get them all?

Texas_Gem: Face... I can't believe you noticed the nose - that was not intentional, had to narrow it due to the sunglasses change! My software isn't as precise as that which I once used.

One more on her face... think overall.

Jeans: I thought the narrower jean on the right wouldn't be spotted! Ding ding ding! You got all those!

Tunic: again, Ding ding ding! Got 'em! (also thought the left arm was a hard one to spot!)

She's looking better... ;-)

Now that looks like a nice weekend outfit!

Already the jeans look SOOOO much better. I'd love to belt in that tunic too to give her some shape...

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo

She's already looking a lot more polished!!!

This is so entertaining! I sent the photo to my friend who works in fashion, in the display mostly. And here's what she wrote back to me:

Maybe you are going to unfriend me but... I do like this look. And I am going to give my reason why i agree that it is a polished look: Coat, shoes and socks are totally men's inspired. The whole feel is a play on casual and formal, grey and black are definitely chic colours, denim pants just introduce the fun twist and they can be changed to styles that you are comfortable with.

i wrote her that we're still friends and she replied:

I do realize that it is not everybody's cup of tea and that I myself can be scared by being so exposed to current trends that it hardly crosses my mind it can be perceived in a different way. Trends change, so do styles of jeans but I will insist that there is something casually elegant and polished about the coat, sweater in grey colour.

I think my daughters would like it too. The grey fabric is lovely. I am just a Midwesterner retired lady and that is a a whole different shtick. Well. Maybe stick in the mud. LOL

Here are the pieces and prices. No idea that that sweater is cashmere...I thought it was out of sweatshirt material... And I'm not impressed with a coat for over $300 with no lining...

bleusblue2, your friend's response is interesting ... I guess anyone can be so wrapped up in their own world (in this case, the Fashion industry) that they forget outsider's might see things differently. It's perceptive of your friend to realize that.

The whole outfit reminds me of Lucy's "haute couture" made of burlap bags.

That doesn't look like the same coat to me.

Doesnt look like the same coat to me either...

summer: buttoned vs unbuttoned? All the pieces look better in the ad. Buyer beware!

2manydiversions -- thanks for another look. I'm starting to alter my view myself -- but not all the way. this coat/sweater can only look good in motion, wrapped, hugged, swishing. In the photo it just hangs. I start to see that those ugly fringed jeans and shoes can say "pizzazz", "I can do it", I start to see that those classic hemmed jeans are a bore. Or not? Fashion is a mystery. I love going for a walk with my fashion/design fan friend. We walk in a regular neighbourhood, lots of window displays aimed at elderly widows who in the past would have worn black for the rest of their lives. Do you know the kind of clothes I mean? These are not designer shops. And then we talk about what we could wear -- could she take that top and wear it with white pants to a party? It's fascinating!

The ad shows the coat as being more tailored, contoured, more polished.

If anyone likes the frayed jean look. Just take a pair of your jeans and cut the hem off than wash them. They will fray.

I don't like the outfit but I can see myself wearing the top with a pair of flannel PJ bottoms in the deep cold of winter while I hide in the house with a good book.

Well the "ad" is from the same feed, but clearly the coat is different as the pic is a shawl collar while the "ad" shows a notched collar.

Agree those are two entirely different coats...one is an unstructured with shawl collar and other is more fitted with a different collar.

bleusblue2, how right you are! “Fashion is a mystery”! To me as well. I try not to be a fuddy-duddy but I often fail! It’s those moments I take a second look and try to see what a younger generation sees in the newer trends, or how they put it all together making their own statements, and then I feel a bit less old, a bit less critical and cynical. We were all younger once (and many here are still young), and we wore some silly styles!

Yes, I see the clothes aimed toward elderly women, and yes, with a bit of imagination, one can put newer trends and older trends together, discarding what won’t work for us and our own tastes, and look pretty good!

This coat/sweater can only look good in motion, wrapped, hugged, swishing – we have similar tastes! I think with regular jeans (not the original shown), and something lighter weight (that moves as you said) in the tunic look as depicted, it might be a nice casual look (without the men’s shoes!)

Apparently, at 70, I am beyond having fashion sense....my daughter, at 43, wears the jeans with holes, which look like poverty to my old mind.