“Why be normal when you can be normal and then some?” asks W’s August issue. The magazine commissioned a shoot by Craig McDean to explore this mysterious new trend, normcore, which they’ve redubbed with the far more Euro-sounding “Banal Plus.” (Yeah, W, we’re sophisticated enough to get the pun.) Elaborates EIC Stefano Tonchi in his editor’s letter:
’Normcore’ is the latest industry buzzword. A mix of true slob and thoughtful nerd dressing, norm core [sic] could be detected in its original and purest state in crowded airports and suburban malls across America. Ill-fitting pants, boring T-shirts, and comfortable footwear were the signatures. But more important was the message: ‘I really do not want to have anything to do with fashion.’
For what it’s worth, W’s flavor of normcore seems to equal adding shower shoes, swoosh-branded items, and bowl cuts to head-to-toe runway looks. Not exactly what you’d find among the “true slobs” at your average “suburban mall.”
Sources
W