unstylish, old-fashioned...krafty said:Hi,
what are some words to describe someone who is not stylish ?
thanks
I think you have to be careful about many of these synonyms because when used to describe a person, many take on a meaning that goes beyond simply "non-stylish." Some don't fit the description of an unstylish person, rather unstylish things, or clothing.alahay said:You can find more here:
http://thesaurus.reference.com/search?r=2&q=unstylish
To me, "tacky" can describe just about anything. A painting can be tacky, but it's pretty tacky to mention it to the curator who's giving a tour. Her jeans may be tacky, but maybe she just has a tacky grandmother who sent them to her.cirrus said:Tacky for me is more about places and situations rather than people.
Absolutely. Although, I would say it depends on the context.krafty said:Instead of unstylish or unfashionable, could you use plain to describe a person's way of dressing, or are there are more colloquial words?
A tacky situation would be one where things don't feel right. For example I work with children, imagine if you on a trip to the zoo with primary school children and a parent started making a joke about porn. It isn't that it is completely out of order - chances are most of the children would understand - but it wouldn't be appropriate because some of the children would want to know more and you don't want to be talking about that sort of stuff around children because it feels tacky.elroy said:To me, "tacky" can describe just about anything. A painting can be tacky, but it's pretty tacky to mention it to the curator who's giving a tour. Her jeans may be tacky, but maybe she just has a tacky grandmother who sent them to her.
What would constitute a "tacky situation," though?![]()
I think that's different from American English "tacky" which is more like gauche or declasse.A tacky situation would be one where things don't feel right. For example I work with children, imagine if you on a trip to the zoo with primary school children and a parent started making a joke about porn. It isn't that it is completely out of order - chances are most of the children would understand - but it wouldn't be appropriate because some of the children would want to know more and you don't want to be talking about that sort of stuff around children because it feels tacky.
Interesting - I've never heard "tacky" used that way; in the scenario you propose, I would probably just call the situation "awkward," or maybe "icky." It could be an American-British difference. Anyway, I don't want to get too off-topic, since this thread is about "the opposite of stylish" and not "the various shades of meaning of the word tacky," so I'll just reiterate that in my lexicon "tacky" can indeed be used to describe clothes; in fact, I think it can work quite well as an antonym of "stylish."cirrus said:A tacky situation would be one where things don't feel right. For example I work with children, imagine if you on a trip to the zoo with primary school children and a parent started making a joke about porn. It isn't that it is completely out of order - chances are most of the children would understand - but it wouldn't be appropriate because some of the children would want to know more and you don't want to be talking about that sort of stuff around children because it feels tacky.
In one sense, I completely agree. Someone who dresses in a completely inappropriate manner for a specific occasion (cut-offs and a wife-beater to a formal dance, for example) would be considered as "tacky."elroy said:in fact, I think it can work quite well as an antonym of "stylish."
Of course not - that's why I said "can work." Besides, "style" is quite a subjective term. Who determines what's "in style" or what's not? The hosts of the party, or Vogue? Based on who/what you're using as the gauge, something tacky can be "in style," and vice versa. I know I've had discussions with my sister about the difference between what's "in style" on a wordly, Vogue-type scale and what simply suits one's own, personal, unique style. Neither has to have anything to do with the other - and I think that further complicates the question of finding an antonym for "stylish." On a most basic, neutral level, I can think of the following antonyms:GenJen54 said:In one sense, I completely agree. Someone who dresses in a completely inappropriate manner for a specific occasion (cut-offs and a wife-beater to a formal dance, for example) would be considered as "tacky."
However, if someone simply is "lacking style" does that mean they are necessarily tacky?
The thought of that very much crossed my mind when I wrote my "plain" post above. Like you, however, I found there to be a pejorative relation to one's class.James Brandon said:Has anyone mentioned "common" as the opposite of "stylish"? "He's very common" = "He has no style".
"Daggy", I think, is Australian slang. I immediately thought of that, but I don't think it's used anywhere else in the world.Mr X said:Another colloquial expression for someone who's unfashionable could be 'daggy'.
eg. 'He was wearing really daggy clothes'
Before you start using the word "daggy" you might want to know where it stems from. It means,francies said:Daggy is definitely not used in England- I've never heard of that before- but it sounds pretty cool so maybe I'll start to use it!
How is shearing that area going to solve the problem of "dingles" as you call them, or am I being obtuse? Sheep are sheared generally once a year. Animals expel feces every day. Anyway, as far as I know, every part of the sheep is sheared here.foxfirebrand said:Ah, daggy means something raggety or messy, like sheep dingles.
You know you wouldn't have that problem if your shearsmen didn't shy away from that area-- just because it isn't marketable wool doesn't mean it shouldn't be taken clean off. Or maybe you're docking tails in half-assed fashion, like a Lowlander.
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If you do a search on mewlsing which I think has been mentioned elsewhere on the forum you will get the idea.Charles Costante said:How is shearing that area going to solve the problem of "dingles" as you call them, or am I being obtuse? Sheep are sheared generally once a year. Animals expel feces every day. Anyway, as far as I know, every part of the sheep is sheared here.
I wasn't speaking of mewlsing. That obviously does help with the dag problem. I was speaking of shearing the sheep in that area. That isn't going to solve the problem.cirrus said:If you do a search on mewlsing which I think has been mentioned elsewhere on the forum you will get the idea.
As for dag being australian in origin, I am not that certain. I come from a sheepraising area between Manchester and Sheffield and the farmers use the word in dialect for the clag around a sheep's bum.
Whatever the origin, it is definitely not stylish.cirrus said:If you do a search on mewlsing which I think has been mentioned elsewhere on the forum you will get the idea.
As for dag being australian in origin, I am not that certain. I come from a sheepraising area between Manchester and Sheffield and the farmers use the word in dialect for the clag around a sheep's bum.
Brilliant! That must be why two other great minds thought of it simultaneously and cross-posted it (#9 and #10).Isotta said:Interesting point. For that matter you could say "classic."Z.
I couldn't tell Edith Sitwell from Edith Bunker-- or from "Vinegar" Joe Sitwell, to tell you the truth. If I were that competent about stylishness, I wouldn't define its anthesis in such positive terms.Isotta said:Incidentally, what would you call Edith Sitwell's style? Or Simone de Beauvoir?
I understood your reference "Shenzen Gucci," but it doesn't make sense to me. When you said that you "started using the phrase in Hong Kong," do you mean that you lived there? Did you ever go to Shenzen?nycphotography said:Yes, there is definitely a difference between POOR STYLE and an general lack of concern for style.
Unconcerned with style:
As FFB offered: unpretentious or (a synonym) unassuming
Some more that may fit: unadorned, practical, functional, workmanlike. then you can move on to building a phrase that brings personality and intent into the picture: "Dressed without ragard for fad or fashion" or any other descriptive phrases that may fit.
For BAD style: TACKY, chav (in BE), gettofab (ghetto fabulous)
For some particular flavors of bad style:
Label whore
Walmart chic
Dressed like a million dollar yard sale
Her flea market imitiation of style
And my personal favorite (which probably nobody will understand): Shenzen Gucci which I reserve for people with absolutly no concept of style but who are trying very hard all the same.
OK, I'll explain it for everyone: I started using the phrase in Hong Kong because the tourist books all mention an outlet mall in Shenzen (the commercial DMZ between Hong Kong and mainland China). But the designers all know that its not really an "outlet mall" meaning factory seconds of real designer goods. Rather, its taking whatever cheap TACKY stuff they can find or make in China for 50 cents, and tacking a logo onto it as an afterthought. Like a plain velour pantsuit with "phat farm" screen printed on the back in COURIER font!!!
The image was so, so... it was... just awful. I still have terrible flashbacks. I may need therapy for PTS.
I suppose in NY it would be chinatown gucci even though they mostly knock off Louis Vuitton and Prada bags. I also say "all the latest fashion from the chinese flea market"
Was the thought of having to read thru all those posts related to fashion a bit daunting, River?river said:Has anyone said "dowdy" yet?
It's unassuming. It's not stylish, not good style, not bad style. And certainly not tacky, unless you lack the good sense to not wear them to the opera.foxfirebrand said:Now that's the "opposite of stylish"-- and yet a pair of overhalls is the last thing a chav would be caught dead in. Or Simone de Beauvoir for all I know-- Nina Simone, on the other hand? The whole subject baffles me.
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