random fashion thoughts

[BSR]

Actually I think you're over-analysing and giving too much credit to "norm-core" people. These kinds of things really are just pretty mindless trends. kids see this stuff on tumblr--->the edgier ones start emulating it-->it reaches a critical mass and the cycle repeats. I don't think many of them would see what they wear as an expression of an ideology.

It's more complex if you want to look at the genesis of aesthetic.

1/ you obviously contract yourself.
2/ fuuma does not say the normcore people are aware of the reasons why they dress and act "normcore". he offers an explanation based on global social constructions that are not necessarily visible at the level of individuals' mental states.

If you think that "mindless trends" aren't worth analysis, i don't see why you post here!

last but not least, with this story of yours, you fail to explain why normcore suddenly entered the mind of the "edgiest ones"

[Fuuma]

I was merely making an aesthetic observation, and I stand by it. You, out of all people, should know how I form my judgements about people on a deeper level.

Also, normcore is a runaway term by now that has been untethered from its original meaning as formed by k-hole and merely denotes sloppy, ugly dressing and has nothing to do with youth. You should know this too.

1) I'm not really contradicting your quip, just building on the mention of normcore to place it outside of an individual/subjective context into a structural one.

2) Normcore is some sort of marketing/trend prediction attempt at inventing yet another meaningless buzzword. It became interesting exactly at the moment where the originators lost control of it and it starting being used in a way that, at least, makes some sense. It fares much better as the qualifier of a stylistic trend rather than some mysterious state that 5 of their cool friends were like "totally feelin' like that, you know man!".

3) Normcore has to do with youth in the same way that cool has to do with youth. If you're old hence ugly (unless you are famous) hence uncool by definition you cannot normcore yourself successfully, you'll be mistaken for the real thing, a fate worse than style death. Those midwest people may be inspirational but that's like being inspired by punks or whatever, there is an inherent asymmetry to the relationship and fashion people have to stay on the right side of that asymmetry.

[550BC]

I didn't even knew what Normcore was, I googled it and it describes basically 90% of the people at art academies..

[LelandJ]

cancer is in all of us (division of cells/mutated cells), it's a question about when or if our bodies will start losing the battle. all around us code and data is being written constantly, it's not unrealistic to expect that it will once write in error, thus starting the wrong process.

cancer rates have probably remained "fairly" consistent. it's not proved to becoming more common, instead, cancer diagnosis is becoming more common as life standards increase (diagnosis & life expectancy = higher risk of cancer). we also hear about it more, giving that effect.

i wouldn't blame it on technology, even though it is spiking cancer rates, but not in the way you think ;)
in fact, technology makes it possible to detect earlier, making survival rates higher.

why the hate?

Nothing wrong with taking the blue pill.

[interest1]

babushkacore

[apathy!]

Can someone please link that early norm-core article that seems as if it was written by some terrible Williamsburg marketing executive.

Do you seriously think I am saying people make choices consciously and clearly using rationality? Did the XXth century pass you by? Please

Well you said "Normcore style is about being young, cool and good looking enough that you want the world to know you can still do it in ugly clothes without being identified as a normal." and I was just saying that for the average adopter of the trend (university students wearing faded blue denim and nikes without the Kanye West colours) it's not about anything more than following what's on the cool tumblrs.

As I said, if you are talking about the genesis of the trend, it is another story. And your hypothesis may be true.

1/ you obviously contract yourself.
2/ fuuma does not say the normcore people are aware of the reasons why they dress and act "normcore". he offers an explanation based on global social constructions that are not necessarily visible at the level of individuals' mental states.

If you think that "mindless trends" aren't worth analysis, i don't see why you post here!

last but not least, with this story of yours, you fail to explain why normcore suddenly entered the mind of the "edgiest ones"

1/ i'm not sure what you mean, sorry.

2/Yeah I understand that and what i'm saying is that they're not visible at the level of individuals' mental states because they're not there. This goes for your last point too: I think you may be underestimating the degree to which young people unquestioningly follow trends. For 99% of the adopters it is simply memetic copying of a tumblr blog that is cool.


Also, I thought the purpose of stylezeitgeist was to (try to) abstract from trends etc and focus on the garments themselves so that criticism doesn't really hold up.



edit: this is very true:

"normcore is not about disappearing into a crowd, it's about standing out from a community of people dressed to the nines in designer wear."

[DudleyGray]

Also, I thought the purpose of stylezeitgeist was to (try to) abstract from trends etc and focus on the garments themselves so that criticism doesn't really hold up.

Isn't that only in regards to clothing you would actually wear?

[KingJulien]

Also, I thought the purpose of stylezeitgeist was to (try to) abstract from trends etc and focus on the garments themselves so that criticism doesn't really hold up.
[/I]

What would you define the dominant SZ all-black, "artisanal" look as, if not a trend?

[t3hg0suazn]

A way of life.

[DudleyGray]

A way of life.

[profondo nero]

A way of life.

[apathy!]

What would you define the dominant SZ all-black, "artisanal" look as, if not a trend?

I don't think there is a dominant "sz look" really. There's pretty clear aesthetic differences between Rick/Ann/Boris/other popular designers on here. ( I did say "try to" in my post because people are inevitably influenced by long/short term trends).

I don't think we need to go into why black is popular.

[BlacknWhite]

Rofl

Those fashion forum memes are the best.


@apathy!, yet people mix it all together, no?
Ann, maybe, Rick, and Boris outside of the runway? not really

[ambrosian]

Do artistic movements such as Cubism, Modernism, French New Wave, etc., count as trends? I pair these with the collective philosophy and thoughts commonly mislabeled as 'trends', and what we really mean when we say trend (short term, cheap, watered down flash trends).

So what I'm really trying to say, I guess, is that Rick Owens is art. qed.

[Lohikaarme]

Do artistic movements such as Cubism, Modernism, French New Wave, etc., count as trends? I pair these with the collective philosophy and thoughts commonly mislabeled as 'trends', and what we really mean when we say trend (short term, cheap, watered down flash trends).

So what I'm really trying to say, I guess, is that Rick Owens is art. qed.

Calling Rick art in order to say you're outside of trends just feels lazy.

A trend is just whatever's popular, whether it be an art form (i.e. Cubism), a design style (Calvin Klein vs Rick Owens), or a hobby (Yu-Gi-Oh!).

You're still following a trend of your peers (here) by draping yourself in only a few "approved" brands (be it BBS, Ann, Rick, Sruli, CCP, etc.).

Is Rick art? Sure. He designs things. Designs are art (though defining art is funny). That doesn't make it not a trend though.

Hell, look through the WAYWT here. Years ago, it looked quite different than it looks now. That being said, there's nothing wrong with trends.