The brief
These clothes aren't worn for a shoot, they're worn. The undone quality is the whole point. Rough fabric, real wear, no finish.
Nothing here should look considered, the clothes are meant to look worn rather than styled for camera. Real wear and a lived-in fit matter more than a clean line. Let your face rest rather than perform, an unguarded expression is the actual point.
- Mood
- Lived in, honest, rough
- Silhouette
- Relaxed or oversized
- Palette
- Faded, washed, earthy
- Fabric
- Denim, flannel, canvas
- Key piece
- Something with real wear
- Suggested season
- All year
- Good for
- worn, vintage denim, grunge, scuffed, relaxed
Two ways to wear it
Fitted
- Distressed denim, baggy or slim, never the forgettable in-between fit
- A flannel shirt worn open over a plain tee, sleeves pushed up, untucked
- Worn-in trainers or boots, beaten up rather than clean out of the box
Oversized
- An oversized borrowed-looking overshirt, layered over a graphic tee
- Wider, heavier fabric on the bottom, cargo or a worn chino, nothing fitted
- Battered boots or trainers that look like they've done actual walking
What makes it work
- Genuine wear and history: faded denim, soft old tees, broken in boots
- Layers that look thrown on: flannel over a tee, a knit under a jacket
- Relaxed or oversized fits that still sit right on you
- Textures that feel real: canvas, worn cotton, suede
- Natural hair and minimal styling
What breaks it
- Factory distressed pieces that look fake
- Anything too clean, pressed or new
- Deliberately sloppy fit that swallows you whole
- Heavy glam beauty that contradicts the whole mood
The outfit
Top
- A flannel shirt worn open over a plain or faded tee
- A borrowed looking cardigan, a size too big
- A washed out band tee or a thin, soft old knit
- A vintage tee with real fading, not printed to look faded
- An oversized shirt worn as a jacket
- A cardigan with the buttons done up wrong
Legs
- Distressed denim, baggy or slim, never too neat
- Jeans that already fit you badly in an interesting way
- Workwear trousers
Footwear
- Worn in boots or scuffed trainers
- Whatever you walk in
- Trainers with the backs trodden down
- Socks and sliders, if that is what you wear at home
Hair and makeup
Hair
- Air dried and untouched
- Unstyled, slept on, which is the whole brief
- Pushed under a cap or beanie, unstyled and unbothered
Makeup
No Makeup Makeup
Concealer only where you would use it, brows brushed, nothing else
Yesterday's Makeup
Whatever is left after a day of wear, which suits the brief better than a fresh face
Balm Only
On lips and any dry patches, so skin reads as skin under daylight
Finishing touches
Jewellery
- Only what you already wear every day, the pieces that are yours
- Whatever has worn in: a tarnished chain, a stretched hair tie on the wrist, a watch with a scratched face
- Nothing bought for the shoot, since new jewellery is the fastest way to make this look styled
Other Accessories
- A beat up canvas bag or backpack
- A bag with real wear on the corners
- Headphones, keys, a half-drunk coffee, the things that are in your hands
- A jumper tied round the waist or slung over a shoulder
Take it further
For when you want to go all out, pull out every stop and make it yours.
- 01Wear something you've genuinely owned for years and has real history
- 02Layer three or four worn pieces that each tell a different story
- 03Use clothes with genuine history, not distressed replicas
- 04Let someone else pick the outfit from your own wardrobe
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Bring this look to your session, or see all 21 styles