And you thought this SAT vocab section would never come up again...

May 6, 2016 7:08 AM

I'm trying to pay my girlfriend a compliment, and need to know a word, so I'm crowdsourcing my vocabulary to you good people of Metafilter, in the form of an SAT vocab analogy question.

Clothing:Sartorial as Hairstyle:?

Above is the most important, but the gist of what I want to get across, albeit more gracefully, is: "your hairstyle and cothing choices are stylistically unified/seamless/effortless." The more grandiloquent, the better.

posted by Captain l'escalier to Writing & Language (14 answers total)

Coiffure
posted by katie at 7:13 AM on May 6, 2016

Sartorial means "relating to clothing." So, are looking for a word that means "relating to hair," or are you looking for a word that means "unified/seamless/effortless"?
posted by amro at 7:14 AM on May 6, 2016

Best answer: Strictly-speaking, the direct analogy is probably tonsorial.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:15 AM on May 6, 2016 [8 favorites]

"Coiffure" is the fanciest hairstyle word I can think of, but I'm not convinced it has an adjective form. "Coiffurial" would be an amusing coinage. I believe "tonsorial" also applies but I think of it as being specifically related to men's hairstyles, I'm not sure if I'm right on that one.
posted by babelfish at 7:16 AM on May 6, 2016

Best answer: Babe, you're a classy dame.
posted by JimN2TAW at 7:18 AM on May 6, 2016 [6 favorites]

Response by poster: So, are looking for a word that means "relating to hair," or are you looking for a word that means "unified/seamless/effortless"?

Both. I want to use "Sartorially" and "Coiffurially"(?) in the context of telling her that the styles (or in this case the color) of each are unified stylistically, in such a way as to seem seamless. (Related question: what's a good word describing a room or house withdrawn less-seeming stylistic unity; the furniture, color choices, etc. all complement each other.)
posted by Captain l'escalier at 7:27 AM on May 6, 2016

(Related question: what's a good word describing a room or house withdrawn less-seeming stylistic unity; the furniture, color choices, etc. all complement each other.)

"Understated."
posted by yesster at 7:31 AM on May 6, 2016

Best answer: I'm pretty sure the design principle you're looking for is either "Unity" or "Harmony." And yes, "Tonsorially" is the hair related equivalent of "Sartorially."
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:47 AM on May 6, 2016

Sprezzatura? Usually used in the context of men's style to describe elegance achieved through artful nonchalance.

Also be careful using new words if you aren't 100% sure of their meaning. It can make you sound photosynthesis.
posted by kitkatcathy at 7:52 AM on May 6, 2016 [13 favorites]

Response by poster: It can make you sound photosynthesis.

That's why I took it to the green.
posted by Captain l'escalier at 7:55 AM on May 6, 2016 [17 favorites]

"You display unerring good taste."
posted by Wretch729 at 8:53 AM on May 6, 2016 [1 favorite]

I don't know that you have to stay strictly dress related. How about "symphony"? You, my dear, are a symphony [all your parts relate to each other and present in a unified fashion].
posted by MovableBookLady at 11:26 AM on May 6, 2016

Insouciance.

Attire::insouciance as tresses::nonchalance
Essence::beauty as soul::nuance
posted by djinn dandy at 11:39 AM on May 6, 2016 [2 favorites]

You could do a play on dressed/tressed
posted by warriorqueen at 8:08 PM on May 6, 2016 [1 favorite]