Normcore: How The Biggest Trend Of This Generation Is Influencing NYFW
Millennials artfully craft completely make up new words constantly. In 2013, twerk, selfie, and jorts were added to the Oxford English Dictionary Online, among others. While some of these freshly validated words originated from celebrities on molly, others have a much more modest upbringing.
In honor of New York Fashion Week, let's talk about our most basic of all basic contributions to our vocabulary this year: normcore.
New York Magazine calls it “embracing sameness deliberately as a new way of being cool.” So, like, on Wednesdays we wear pink and ideas like that. Out with the "unique" hipster and in with the just-like-everyone-else look.
While the word itself is not something our parents are likely to understand, the trend it embodies should suit them just fine (get it?). The generation that is constantly regarded for its selfish and unrealistic ideals is embracing something quite the opposite.
We’re finally dressing the way they want us to dress -- no crazy, bedazzled bags, no mesh crop-tops! Normcore kids prefer mom jeans and a solid tee with Birkenstocks. We might not have jobs or money of our own yet, but the whole “imitation is the highest form of flattery” has to get us somewhere, right?
Bonus points if you actually borrow the clothes from your parents' closets (looking at you, Man Repeller).
Emily Weiss, the savant behind fashion beauty blog IntoThe Gloss is a loyal follower of the normcore style. She researches and writes about hair products and lipsticks all day and has little time to be fussy with her clothes. Day-in and day-out, a black shirt, black pants and wet hair gets the job done.
Mary-Kate and Ashley of The Row and Elizabeth and James could be called two of the original pioneers of the trend, wearing dark, understated clothes and shoes and selling $295 plain blouses by the thousands. Clearly, normcore doesn't mean cheap or sloppy.
It's a simple nod to functional fashion — clean lines, solid colors and wearability. Millennials really are just too busy to fuss with complicated trends and have done the unthinkable: We made uncomplicated cool.
The trend has been called anti-fashion, which might be exactly what is appropriate for New York Fashion Week. With insane attire walking down the runway that is more like art than wearable clothing, this reversion back to the basics is refreshing.
In a sort of "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" nod, maybe our designers would rather make good, simple clothes than crazy costumes when they can't seem to have an original thought.
If you're basic, embrace it. Dressing like you have better things to do means that you probably do. You are wearing your clothes, instead of the other way around. Now, go conquer the world in your mom jeans, Millennials!
Photo Courtesy: Tumblr
