Spiked Vanilla

This morning, it took me about 10 minutes from start to finish to get dressed knowing full well that my creative prowess is at it’s lowest on a Friday morning at 7am. I put on a white turtleneck, black jeans, black booties, and a black leather jacket, my standard uniform, ready to face the thrills and chills of another winter’s day.

For the record, I tried other options while sipping my morning juice. I put on fringe boots, but there was too much dancing going on south of my ankles. I put on a crop top. Nope, too freaking cold for that. I took off the heeled booties, and switched to those white standard sneakers I have been obsessed with, creating a boring blank look, devoid of all expressions.

This so-called blank look was mimicking the anti-style movement, or the “divorced dad” look (decked in REI and Crocs). Is this the vanguard of fashion darlings right now? To say that I was dressing intentionally to look like Larry David or Seinfeld, the sitcom about nothing, might be falling short. I just want to be comfortable, and exude an air of je ne sais quoi about what I put on. But instead, I was falling into a generic (for those in the know, I pray to the Céline tribe) trap.

It is not Times Square tourist’s fault. It is normcore’s fault. For the record, I don’t have an affinity for 90’s dressing, I lived in the Mall loud and clear and don’t want to relive it.

Normcore is a fashion trend, pure and simple, and like most fashion trends it’s a riposte to the styles that came before it. While the spirit of “normcore” is intended to evoke understated expressionism, these rather deliberate choices in aesthetic ‘normalcy’ lead me to feel as though these outfits choices spilling all over the internet often fall flat; dull, contrived and au contraire, full of effort.

In my closet, I have far more inspiring pieces than plebeian sweatpants and sneakers and nondescript hoodies or mom jeans and unassuming flat boots. Sure, those items are currently de rigeur but after the novelty wears off — and it wears off quickly — they’re also decidedly boring. But isn’t any trend or non-trend an indication that no matter the garment, we all have something to express through our fashion choices?

Even by adopting the normcore style, one is in fact making a statement regarding their choices, likes, levels of comfort.  And while many are quick to blame the commercialization of fashion and streetstyle for the new war on the antithesis of normcore, I’m sure we can all agree that dressing up is not only more fun and exciting, but also much more pleasing to the eye. I changed and paired this simple white shirt and jeans with a plaid top, a grey blazer, and a tweed coat just to make a statement about making a non-hipster statement. What? Consider this a plea to opt-out of any named trend as I’m not boring vanilla ice cream.

Photos: Lydia Hudgens

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