When the fashionable youth started to trade in their platform heels and leather joggers for “mom jeans” and running sneakers, it became obvious that a new trend was upon us.
Normcore is an emerging style that consciously embraces everything that is considered to be normal and indistinguishable to such a degree that it can almost be considered an anti-trend. Pieces like beanies, New Balance sneakers, straight leg jeans and other basic nondescript clothing items have become staples of this look that is often described as a combination of ’90s Jerry Seinfeld and a middle-aged tourist.
The trend’s origins can be traced to New York-based style forecasting group K-Hole, a collective that tracks what is trending now in both the art and commercial markets. In Box 1824 and K-Hole’s trend report, Youth Mode: A Report On Freedom, the idea that youth culture is beginning to prioritize group identity over individuality has lead to the conception of normcore. The idea of normalizing fashion quickly spread across the internet, starting from obscure alternative blogs and spreading to mainstream news publications such as the New York Times.
This week, A&E; columnists Noor Gill and Amy Lee discuss the normcore trend. Gill questions the disconnect between the sincerity of the trend’s origins and the irony of its wearers, while Lee acknowledges and appreciates the irony as an inside joke among the fashion forward.
BY NOOR GILL
A&E; contributor
Normcore is more than just a fashion movement: It’s a philosophy. It centers around the theory that while style was used for many years to establish individuality, the current need in modern society is to fit in. I have, however, witnessed a big disconnect between the original intent behind this trend and what wearers have done with it.
Normcore has never appealed to me because of its aesthetically uninteresting nature, but the explanation that those exhibiting the trend just want to look normal puts me over the edge. How can people commit to a style that encourages looking ordinary when the clothing associated with the look brings attention to the wearer in an ironic way?
Twenty-year-olds wearing pieces associated with normcore, such as fanny packs and Velcro sandals, are not going to blend in with everyone else in a very cool, anti-fashion way. It’s only going to confuse 40-somethings who have always worn these clothes.
If anything, the trend will make things more distinguishable. I, for one, would definitely find a normcore mock turtleneck as something that is more unusual than a crop top.
Normcore style is nothing new for supposed new trends. A lot of the inspiration behind dressing normcore, from the unflattering denim cuts to the emphasis in athletic wear and logos, comes from vintage ’90s clothing.
This ’90s style can be viewed as just another offshoot of hipster culture, priding itself on the same type of individuality that normcore desperately tries to be the antithesis of. Irony plays a big part in dressing in a recognizably “hipster” way – even the most sincere person dressed in the same cargo shorts that my dad wore 20 years ago is going to seem like she or he is trying to be a bit ironic.
The problem that I have with normcore goes beyond the aesthetics: It’s considered a valid and new trend when it doesn’t accomplish the goal of making its wearers blend in and can’t be considered independent from a style of dressing that values individuality.
BY AMY LEE
A&E; senior staff
alee1@media.ucla.edu
French philosopher Albert Camus said, “nobody realizes that some people expend a tremendous amount of energy merely to be normal.” Coupled with copious amounts of irony, this is the foundation of normcore.
Arising from a subculture that once praised handlebar mustaches, vintage polka dot dresses and high-waisted skinny jeans less than a decade ago, normcore is a style that literally reverts back to the basics. The style is one that tries desperately hard not to make a statement, but in doing so, it makes quite a large one. It’s a trend that mocks trends, essentially always ironically outdoing itself. And regardless of whether or not it’s a legitimate fashion trend, the evidence remains: Normcore has made its traces onto the fashion runways of Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang and Céline this past year. In fact, it was the biggest trend for menswear in fall 2014.
From no-label athletic wear to shapeless bootcut denim (coined the “mom jean”), the style is adopted mostly by a very select group of people, I believe, who enjoy differentiating themselves from mainstream culture. It’s this said group of people who, then, find it ironic to be normal and mainstream through their style of dress. In short, normcore is popular because it’s fun to be funny.
While some believe that this group may be adopting this style simply because of its appraisal of anonymity and opposition to designer labels, I argue that it’s all a guise. Normcore is a style laden with seemingly understated yet incredibly expensive labels. Nike Flyknit running shoes, Patagonia windbreakers and The North Face backpacks are deemed basic or plain accessories by mainstream standards but can rack up to hundreds of dollars in a shopping cart. It’s not at all about anonymity then. Instead, it’s one big inside joke for adopters of normcore.
Apart from the irony of it all, normcore is, again, as basic as it truly gets. The rising popularity can also be attributed to the pure comfort and accessibility of the style. After all, when was the last time it was legitimately fashionable to wear loose-fitting clothing and New Balance 501 sneakers? So maybe we should be thanking the people of normcore.
Mom jeans are not bootcut. They are high rise with straight leg. Like a high rise skinny, but looser.