If you've ever seen 'New Girl' starring Zooey Deschanel, you may have found yourself in the position I've been for the past week: googling the fashion of Jessica Day and frantically making Pinterest boards.
Her style is fun, quirky, full of colors, and channels whimsical vintage vibes while still looking 'modern'. In other words, she dresses 'twee'.
Let's talk Twee
To summarize the style in a very brief way: twee is a fashion and aesthetic style that was notably most popular in the late 2000's and early 2010's. If you were on Tumblr in 2012, you've undoubtedly seen the culture of twee fashion, accessories and music reblogged all over your dashboard.
Twee bedroom decor is quaint, with quirky thrifted collectables, old books and a record player straight from Urban Outfitters. Twee music gives a simplistic, indie folk vibe, often with a breathy female singer strumming a ukulele. Twee clothing has ruffles, bows, a splash of polka dots. There's a general air of happiness, positivity and 'good vibes', which makes sense given the 60's and 70's vibes channeled in the fashion.
Think of twee as the wholesome, colorful little sister of the hipster fashion movement at the time.
I think this quote from Season 1 of New Girl summarizes twee in all its glory:
"I brake for birds. I rock a lot of polka dots. I have touched glitter in the last 24 hours. I spend my entire day talking to children. And I find it fundamentally strange that you're not a dessert person. That's just weird, and it freaks me out. And I'm sorry I don't talk like Murphy Brown. And I hate your pantsuit. I wish it had ribbons on it or something to make it just slightly cuter. And that doesn't mean I'm not smart and tough and strong." - Jessica Day
With the popularity of the cottagecore movement last year, it makes sense that eventually twee would make a comeback. There are definitely some ties between the two aesthetics fashion wise: large peter pan collars, embroidered dresses, flower headbands and reclaimed vintage to name a few.
In this post, I want to outline some fashion brands that you can shop from in the present day to build a twee style wardrobe. Just to be clear: this post is not sponsored in any way! Also, I will not list any items in this post that are more than 60 USD, we are on a budget here at Sincerely, Alice.
Miss Selfridge
On the right: Miss Selfridge Cream Diamond Cable Contrast Heart Button Cardigan (currently on sale for less than 30 dollars!)
On the left: Miss Selfridge military button boucle dress in pink
I vote Miss Selfridge as the number one brand I recommend for affordable twee fashion. When I say affordable, I mean there are pieces for as low as 6 dollars currently on sale! They have an awesome assortment of statement dresses and blouses, which are key for building a twee wardrobe. Berets are coming back in this edition of twee (I would say in 2014 twee we were all about bowler hats) and Miss Selfridge has no shortage of cute outfits paired with berets.
River Island
On the right: River Island cherry embroidered jumper in cream
On the left: River Island Wide Fit bow front ballerina shoe in black
If you've got a bit more to your budget, River Island has some cute cardigans and dresses that totally fit the twee style. I had to hunt a little bit more to find some cute pieces, but what I did find fits the style perfectly. One of the most popular shoe choices to go with a twee outfit are ballet flats, hence I chose the adorable River Island black flats pictured with the little bow. Did anyone else have flats that looked exactly like this back in 2010?? I know I did.
ASOS New Look
On the left: New Look chunky loafer in black
On the right: New Look oversized collar smock mini dress in red check
ASOS has an awesome array of in house brands that are fairly affordable and super cute!
I recommend checking out ASOS New Look and ASOS Design, particularly the latter if you want some pastel colored berets for a little less than 10 USD. I chose these black loafers because they are a comfy twee staple and I loved the pastel purple statement socks. The red plaid dress has that kind of big, iconic and whimsical peter pan collar we've come to see with the recent twee revival as well.
Violet Romance
On the left: Violet Romance broderie collar knitted vest in green
On the right: Violet Romance polka dot oversized fluffy jumper in pink
This brand doesn't have a ton of products currently on ASOS, only around 300, but their selection is well priced, often on sale, and cute! Some of their products are a bit more bodycon, but I recommend sorting through their stuff and trying to mix and match both twee and modern pieces to make looks. The mint sleeveless sweater gives me a girly, vintage vibe with a cute statement collar, and the fuzzy pink sweater has a fun texture with a healthy helping of black polka dots.
Monki
On the left: Monki strawberry wool beret in red
On the right: Monki Malina mini skater skirt in black
The last brand I recommend for twee clothing is Monki. I think Monki is my runner up for the second best twee brand on ASOS after Miss Selfridge, it's just too cute! I couldn't help but pick the adorable strawberry beret the model is wearing on the left. It would be a crime to all things twee if I didn't have a skater skirt in this post, and luckily Monki has one on sale for around 10 USD.
I hope you lived this little post all about twee fashion and thank you again for indulging me in my little obsession. I'll see you all again soon!
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