Chic

Chic (/ˈʃiːk/; French: [ʃik]), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word.

For other uses, see Chic (disambiguation).

In 1887 noted that "the ladies of New York ... think no form of entertainment so chic as a luncheon party."^[13]

The Lady

Forty years later, in 's novel Lucia in London (1927), Lucia was aware that the arrival of a glittering array of guests before their hostess for an impromptu post-opera gathering was "the most chic informality that it was possible to conceive."

E. F. Benson

In the 1950s, designed a classic dress, worn by Audrey Hepburn in the film Sabrina (1954), of which she remarked, "If it had been worn by somebody with no chic it would never have become a style."^[14]

Edith Head

By the turn of the 21st century, the travel company Thomas Cook was advising those wishing to sample the nightlife of the sophisticated Mediterranean resort of that "casual is fine (except at the Casino) but make it expensive, and very chic, casual if you want to blend in."^[15]

Monte Carlo

According to American magazine (referring to the "dramatic simplicity" of the day-wear of couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga, 1895–1972), "elimination is the secret of chic."^[16]

Harper's Bazaar

Over the years "chic" has been applied to, among other things, social events, situations, individuals, and modes or styles of dress. It was one of a number of "slang words" that H. W. Fowler linked to particular professions – specifically, to "society journalism" – with the advice that, if used in such a context, "familiarity will disguise and sometimes it will bring out its slanginess."^[12]