In 2014, even those who sidestep fashion can’t help but be labeled. If you see someone wearing a mix of “style,” going label-free or even embracing anti-fashion (such as wearing socks with sandals) yet they’re actually trying to look like they don’t care, this style trend is called Normcore. A number of people have heard of the trend, but it hasn’t become mainstream (yet). It’s been embraced by a number of celebrities such as Shailene Woodley who says she never wears designer labels (except on the red carpet of course) and only wears thrifted items.
This flies in the face of habitually keeping up with the latest hot designers, but how long will it last? It’s hard to tell, considering the trend is in the toddler stage, having been coined by New York’s K-Hole in the “Youth Mode: A Report on Freedom” article in October 2013.
“Normcore moves away from a coolness that relies on difference to a post-authenticity coolness that opts into sameness…but instead of appropriating an aestheticized version of mainstream, it just cops to the situation at hand.”
Confused yet?
“To be truly Normcore, you need to understand that there’s no such thing as normal.”
Can not trending be trending?
K-Hole succeeded in breeding another hashtag, and the style has been called “self-stylized blandness” by New York Magazine and that “Blending in is the new standing out” by the UK’s Guardian. Some celebs who have been dubbed Normcore include Jerry Seinfeld, Kate Middleton and the late Steve Jobs. Known for wearing very accessible pieces (such as the media frenzy following Middleton) or not “known” for “wearing pieces” at all, have these celebs succeeded in being the ultimate style icons?
Some media giants can’t determine if Normcore is an actual thing or just an insider’s joke. While Vogue calls Middleton the Duchess of Normcore, GQ has called it “dressing as inconspicuous as possible.”
This is a lot of effort and deep thinking going into defining how the vast majority of Americans dress all the time whether traipsing through Wal-Mart or picking up the kids. However, the slew of PR pitches which have been Normcore name checking (Capitalize? Don’t Capitalize?) have to mean something.
Is it real?
Dressing “normal” certainly exists, says Simon Doonan, the creative ambassador of Barney’s.
“Oh, I think it’s very real, I think there’s a whole generation of younger hipster dudes, whether they’re in Brooklyn or Silver Lake, who are very much against obvious designer prestige signifiers, sort of anti-designer in a way, and they like the look of super-anonymous clothing that sort of fetishizes the look of a guidance counselor from 1982.”
Unless you’re a “label whore” or have a closet bursting with the latest designer trends, the good news is that if you want go to Normcore, you probably either already have or at least have the garments to pull it off. Think sneakers with no logos, gray sweatpants, or neutral colored golf knits, but you can’t just go to Dick’s Sporting Goods and pick up anything. According to Doonan, to truly be Normcore, you have to get the highest quality item that only gives off the illusion of wearing “normal” clothes while often still paying a premium price for it.
Perhaps Gwyneth Paltrow was onto something when she recommended the best white t-shirt for the paltry sum of $ 90.
Normcore the Fashion Trend of 2014 is a post from: The Inquisitr News
The Inquisitr News » Lifestyle
Normcore the Fashion Trend of 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment