The art of looking busy

In a rush? That's SO chic of you.

Wasn’t it Teddy Roosevelt that said, “Walk fast and carry a big bag. You will go far.”?

Okay, so maybe that’s not the exact quote… but it’s almost like fake Teddy Roosevelt was a trend forecaster [insert painted fingernail emoji here].

It seems like nowadays, the dust has almost settled from the ever-popular girlboss era. Yet, it’s paved the way for a new aesthetic — something I refer to as ”busy chic.”

You’ve seen it. Women walking fast with coffee in one hand and a huge overflowing bag in the other. Their clothes are often neutral in tone and not TOO tailored. They appear put together professionally because they’re spending all their time “getting shit done,” rather than worrying about looking perfect.

While girlboss has simply become a joke at this point, used as ammo for younger generations to make fun of millennials… busy chic (in my opinion) is a repackaged version of the lifestyle at the core of girlboss. The difference? It’s effortless.

Girlboss was too intentional. Too try-hard. Too manufactured. If you were REALLY killing it as an entrepreneur or a corporate woman, you wouldn’t have ALL that time to be SO put together. It feels fake.

Busy chic is more raw. More real. More… IT girl.

Princess Diana was such a busy chic icon. Always with the hands full.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this aesthetic has taken the world by storm at a time when time feels… “of the essence.” We’re constantly bragging about being busy, even though no one cares. People are looking at their social lives from an economic lens, determining the opportunity cost of hanging out with friends versus being “productive.”

The NYT piece ‘Why Don’t Adults Hang Out Anymore' written by Jancee Dunn explores this phenomenon, essentially noting that a huge chunk of us view the world through a time = money perspective. Why would we spend 2-3 hours shooting the shit with a friend, when we could be thinking up business plans or creating something for profit? We see socialization and “doing nothing” as a waste of time (even though it’s good for our health).

[I would pick a super relevant quote from the article and insert it here, but it was my free one for February, and I don’t actually have a subscription to the Times (uncultured, I know), so I had to speak solely from memory.]

When will we learn that being a workaholic isn’t all it’s cracked up to be? Maybe we have learned. Maybe busy chic is our answer. Look busy, so everyone thinks you are. Like all aesthetics, it doesn’t matter if you’re embodying it. It’s purely ornamental.

As long as you’re perceived as someone who is constantly on the go, with a task list so long that you can barely stop to look both ways, people will respect you. People will think you have your shit together and if you look effortlessly cool in the process, that’s a double whammy.

They’ll never know that you just finished playing Mario Kart at your friend’s house and are about to go home and rewatch Sex and the City for the 7th time over.

So, what are the key components of mastering the art of looking busy?

A Giant, Busy Bag

To whom do we owe the pleasure of bringing back the giant, busy bag? I’m sure everyone has their answers, but for me, it has to be Miu Miu.

A couple of Miu Miu’s recent busy bag campaigns.

Their social marketing campaigns and sneaky UGC Pinterest content inspired me to do this whole deep dive. I made the “mistake” of liking one picture of a Miu Miu bag with charms and suddenly I was faced with a million iterations of the bag filled to the brim with magazines, books, cameras, makeup, etc.

And guess what? I had to pin all of them. I was hooked.

Miu Miu has marketed their leather bags as the new, affordable Birkin (in practice, not prestige), playing up the personalization aspect of adding charms and accessories to messify your bag into a one-of-a-kind piece.

What could be more chic than having ALL your essentials thrown around in one bag?

I would argue that a giant overfull bag is the most important piece in a busy chic look. It gives a “scattered artist” vibe. No time can be wasted, so you have to have all your belongings on you at all times. One bag to fill your life with.

Jane Birkin with her iconic, personalized Birkin bag.

After all, the Birkin was created with the sole purpose of this, as Jane Birkin famously said to Louis Dumas:

The day Hermès designs a spacious, everyday bag that can accommodate all the necessities a busy mother carries, I will gladly replace my oversized basket with it.

And thus, the iconic bag was born.

Bonus points if your bag is SO heavy you have to carry it from the bottom and not the handle. This adds some flair.

Though, you don’t need a designer bag to be your busy bag. You could opt for a personalized tote or a giant bucket bag. It’s about the essence, not the price tag.

Hands Full (But No Shopping Bags)

In addition to your giant purse, another aspect of busy chic is having your hands full of “important” things like coffee, your phone, books, a cigarette, or even other bags. Anything that is seen as helping you get through your busy day.

Coffee is a must. While this could be misconstrued as a “little treat,” if you’re also carrying a big bag, it’s likely viewed as your life source to get through the busy day.

Note: Shopping bags are a no-no. This screams leisure. If your hands are full of evidence that you just made a monster purchase at Gucci, the illusion is shattered. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Grocery bags, baked goods, and flowers are the exception to the rule, as these could be errands for an event, party, or work situation.

Neutral Colors and the Essence of Effortlessness

This aesthetic cannot be pulled off if you’re dressed too loud. Bright colors are not your friend. You gotta stick to the following neutrals:

• Black

• Brown

• Grey

• Denim

• White/Cream

• Navy

Coloring outside the lines in this way screams, “Look at me!" and that ruins the illusion. Besides, if your outfit is turning heads, you'll get bombarded with compliments, which will totally interfere with your giant to-do list. Efficiency? Out the window!

All work (neutrals) and no play (colors) makes Jack a dull boy (busy chic).

The only exception with color is a bag or bag charms.

If you’re “busy,” doing important things (like spending too much money on candles at Target), you cannot be bothered with putting together a full look. Minimalistic clothes that say “I just thew this on because I’ve got places to be,” is the ticket — tastefully disheveled.

Makeup must be low-key as well. No glam and certainly no winged eyeliner. Actually, no eyeliner at all. Let it collect dust in your makeup bag.

All in all, looking overly done-up is not the move if you’re #onthemove.

Walk Fast, Look Ahead, Straight Face

It’s not enough to dress the part. There is a certain attitude. A certain je ne sais quoi. Moving fast, looking forward, and zero lingering is key. This is also when an RBF can come in handy, or if you’re familiar with “smizing,” as Tyra Banks taught us all on America’s Next Top Model, that works too, but you can’t overdo it.

She’s definitely killed people.

Here’s an example of Carrie and Miranda (of SATC) rocking busy chic vs little treat. Although the clothes make a huge difference here, the attitude helps bring it all together — the cherry atop the busy sundae.

Final Thoughts on Busy Chic

To wrap things up, I dig this aesthetic from a purely visual standpoint. I’m already subscribed to the neutrals + big bag lifestyle, so this whole idea isn’t a far cry from what I’m already working with.

I love the rise of bag charms, and I think they’re a fun, playful way to add personalization to your purse. Accessorizing your accessories? How meta.

I started accessorizing my tote bags with various button pins to add some flair and I’ve been absolutely loving it.

For me personally, I have fun dressing the part. If I’m planning on actually being productive, it helps to get into character with clothing, attitude, and coffee. It’s not much deeper than that. It helps me feel good and step into “my zone.”

As a woman, there is a constant societal pressure to be “productive” (whatever that means). And the act of “keeping up appearances” is something that will never go away, only change form. I mean, why else would stringent dress codes still exist in most corporate environments in 2024?

I don’t think we need to answer for our productivity by way of dress, but having new aesthetics to play around with (like busy chic) that fall under the umbrella of what is respected amongst society (productivity visualized) feels like a win-win. We can finally have our cake and eat it too.

[In busy chic fashion, here’s a playlist of songs you can walk fast to down to street with your headphones in.]