5 “Cool Girl” Fashion Brands You Haven't Heard Of
And all the pieces we immediately added to cart.
by The Candidly Team
Can we just say what all of us are thinking? What does “cool girl” even mean? It’s one of those style terms that conjures more of an image in our mind than a set of hard and fast rules. To quote Laney in Reality Bites, “Well, I can't, uh, really define irony, but I know when I see it.”
But here’s why we think that’s a good thing.
If we all just followed the same fashion template, we’d all be wearing the same things from the same brands. And since “cool girl” is grounded in something classic but lets us diverge into the original, we don’t all come out looking the same. But we do all come out looking good.
Kind of ideal, no?
And just so we all know remotely what we’re talking about here, these are some basic conditions of being a cool girl. Though being over 40 and generally untrendy, we’re not entirely comfortable with the term cool girl, so if you don’t mind we’re gonna switch it up to gal. It’s better suited to us anyway.
Mix Masculine and Feminine: Cool gals tend to combine some elements, more typical of menswear, suiting, looser fits, leather belts, loafers and sneaks, but there’s always a balance that keeps it soft and classic, dewy skin, whispery tees, buttery fabrics, stuff like that.
Have An Exquisite Set Of Non-Basic Basics: There’s lots of neutral colors, jeans, tees, and wide-leg trousers to be found in a cool gal closet. But they’re carefully chosen to be superb quality, flattering fits, and have something specifically original about them. Cool gals come off casual and classic, but the pieces they’re wearing make you ask “where did you get that?”
Combine Good Tailoring With Complete Comfort: While all the clothes have very specific, intentional cuts, the comfort a cool gal feels must be almost visible. She can breathe, move her arms, walk for miles. Everything’s soft, flexible, non-restrictive, non-itchy. You get the idea.
Ok, now to the point of this entire piece. We found 5 brands that are magic for the cool gal aesthetic. Let’s get right to them.
Rue Sophie: For Elevated Work Clothes That Translate To "Going Out" Outfits
Work clothes doesn’t just mean the buttoned-up stuff we’d wear to a marbled office in a NYC skyscraper. It’s really more of a hybrid category between what we wear to look professional, sure, but also to just look a little more tailored or polished - basically just the pieces we pick out when we want to look “nice.” But we must, must also still look original. And feel completely comfortable. We found a brand making some of the loveliest, surprising pieces that check all these boxes. And this is it.
Concorde Bustier Top
We fell in love with this layered concept when watching THIS TV show which assembled some of the best work clothes we’ve seen in years. If you already have a white button-down you love, you can just layer this bustier top over it. If not, we highly recommend THIS one, also from Rue Sophie. It’s so flattering on waists, and on hot days, you can just ditch the button-down, and the support is such that you don’t even need a bra, though you can wear a cozy bandeau if you like.
There’s also a version in red if you crave a bit of color.
Price: $168
Provence Pant
A soft, lightweight pant that looks like expensive trousers but feels like luxury PJs. Yes, please. Note the elastic waist.
Price: $168
Yvette Boatneck Mini Dress
The subtle twists that make this a formidable little black dress make us weak. The organza peeking out the bottom. The scooped back. And the perfect, little flared shape makes it supremely flattering on curves.
Price: $248
2. MODERN CITIZEN: for YOUR DAILY DRESSES AND TEES
Cool means knowing where to find the best-fitting, best-feeling t-shirts that aren’t just stiff, boring boxes. And in this case, that’s also where you’ll find your most flattering and comfy dresses that you can wear everyday.
Terri Organic Cotton Structured-Cuff Tee
This is one of those medium weight organic tees that keep their shape, and when that shape is perfection and the sleeve doesn't squeeze your arms, we’re especially thrilled.
Price: $75
Noa Organic Cotton T-Shirt Wrap Dress
Spinning a smooth, buttery tee into a wrap dress is brilliance in our mind. Incredible over wider hips, while the ruching and tie complement a belly pooch. Yes, you can get it in black or another darker color, but we’re feeling the clean take on a white-tee-turned-dress.
It also comes in a shorter length we’re eyeing for summer.
Price: $168
Allegra Gathered-Neck Sleeveless Blouse
Details like this neckline are what elevate our outfits. We can tuck this tank in any color into any jeans, and we look chic and effortless. That’s just how it works.
Price: $118
3. Marcella: For Comfy Basics With A Twist
We’ve long been going to Marcella for great fitting, great quality dresses that feel like loungewear, but all of their clothes have this sort of cool, modern versatility paired with good old-fashioned coze. Plus, they’re cut to look really, really good on all body types. Size range is also excellent.
Riverside Trench Jacket
A denim trench might be the quintessential hybrid between cool and classic. Nips the waist and works for all seasons. Plus, it weirdly matches everything.
Price: $268
Hylan Pants
These pants are made from light and breathable European french terry and have a smooth elastic waistband, so the comfort is off the charts. The extra wide leg makes them very easy to dress up, despite us feeling like we could sleep in them.
Price: $118
Greenwich Village Top
A loose tank that doesn’t make us look dumpy is a true gift, The gathered shoulder and boatneck actually give it some fashiony drama when tucked into jeans, which is how we wear it with strappy heeled sandals to make it even more effective.
Price: $65
Melrose Dress
What is more cool gal than a denim dress that sculpts us into an hourglass?
Price: $168
4. SÉZANE: For Softer, More ROMANTIC PIECES
For those of you who know Sézane, we’re embarrassed because we know you’re thinking “duh, it’s Sézane,” but we personally know a lot of very cool, over-40 women who just haven’t really come across it yet, and for those women, we had to spread the word. Sézane is a beautiful French brand - modern and chic, but every piece they make adds a touch of softness and singularity which is actually the critical cornerstone to “cool girl.” It’s where we go to find those special, staple pieces that keep things interesting and add a dash of femininity to what can otherwise be a pretty tomboyish look. We love many, many things but here are a few favorites.
Betty Cardigan
This is the kind of thing only a cool gal finds - a knit piece cut like a lady jacket. Incredible detailing. It comes in more color combinations we want than we can possibly afford. Which is the only downside of this all-seasons cardi.
Price: $170
Ron Top
This isn’t the point but we loooooove a shirt we don’t have to tuck because it’s just the right shape and just the right length. What is the point? Well, just look at it. A lace button-up tank is definitely what was missing from our lives. And it upped our cool factor at least 17%.
Price: $125
Le Crop
The jeans every French woman is wearing is spring and summer. Enough said.
Price: $125
Milo Classic Bag
Sézane’s bags are iconic. And you may have noticed this one in THIS hit Netflix show where every single outfit was pretty much a template for the cool girl aesthetic. This is just one of those versatile, timeless, and yet always of-the-moment bags that we love for life.
Price: $475
5. Jenny Bird: For Minimalist Jewelry That Doesn't Just Blend In
We love minimalism when it comes to jewelry, but sometimes when our clothes are more classic and unfussy, those pieces can get kind of lost. Having a few accents that are still modern, still minimalist but that stand out just a tad for their scale, shape, or outright artistry can turn our clothes into complete looks. And Jenny Bird is an incredible brand because the quality is there, the design is wowing, and the prices are very, very reasonable.
Celeste Earrings
The subtlest of statement earrings. You’ll be answering to compliments all day.
Price: $138
Sofia Choker
Over a crewneck white tee. Nothing looks better.
Price: $198
Mini Tome Hoops
This is our go-to everyday earring at the moment. We just rarely want to reach for anything else.
Price: $110
Dane Anklet
This might be our favorite round up finale to date. Captures every single thing we love about this aesthetic. Cool. Clean. Us.
Price: $118
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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