Sometimes the shifting sands of language usage leave me at a semantic standstill as does the bewildering array, and seemingly constant stream, of newly minted words, slang terms, and acronyms. However, I know I would have sunk deeper into the quagmire of ignorance, on both these subjects, if I hadn’t started to blog.
I watch very little television and when asked if I saw this or that programme on ‘de telly’ I usually have to say no. Now, it’s not that I am devouring intellectually challenging novels, learning Mandarin Chinese, or cobbling my own shoes during prime gaping-at-the-box time: the reality is, I am as like as not, googling something on the web.
Since I started writing JAA, I have done way more surfing the net than I did in my pre-blogging life. I know that like television, the web has its share of mindless moronic rubbish, however there is also much that is educational, and a great deal that is entertaining. I enjoy reading Guardian journalist’s Hadley Freeman’s articles about planet fashion online (no paywall at The Guardian), as they are always well written and hugely humourous. It was in one of her recent articles that I first came across the term normcore.
New York based trend forecasting agency K-hole coined the term normcore, to describe an attitude which according to the New York Magazine is one ’embracing sameness deliberately as a new way of being cool, rather than striving for “difference” or “authenticity” ‘. However since the term went viral it has apparently taken on a fashion-specific meaning, and is fair set to become a trend. A trend which celebrates anti-fahion, blandness and not standing out. There’s a good Vogue article, which explains the normcore phenomenon called Meet Norma Normcore – click here to read.
So, thanks to normcore and with my Gap chinos (Gap recently tweeted: ‘We’ve been carrying your #normcore staples since 1969’), plain tee shirts, and ballet flats I could, just for once, be having a fashion moment!
Just Add Attitude 
Gosh, I may be having a fashion moment too. I am as normcore as they come!
I think normcore will give a lot of people a fashion moment!
My daughter has always called this type of fashion, the ordinaries, which I also think is a great description.
The ordinaries … I like it 😉
I am ashamed to admit I have never heard the term “normcore” I think I am hopelessly unfashionable and out of touch. Although maybe I am subscribing to normcore fashions I wear a lot of ballet flats and plain tee’s. Great post and I am going to read the norma normcore article.
Thank you so much. I just happened on the term, other wise it would like much else have passed me by. I don’t think you are out of touch, everything changes and moves so fast in this interconnected world of ours that it is impossible to keep up with everything. 😉
I think a few of the people who stand out by looking ridiculous could develop a bit of norm core….my IPad simply won’t let me write that as one word, no matter how many times I touch that little x.
The fashion pendulum seems to swing from one extreme to the other. I know I have seen images of some outlandish outfits on those who are attending the fashion shows which don’t look very comfortable. So normcore may swing the pendulum in the other direction. 😉
“Hi end pedestrian dressing… not a brand logo in sight.”
I think I’ve been doing this for years….
P.S. I hardly ever watch television either– there’s just so little on it that interests me. Blogs (like yours) are much more interesting…
I think many people have so now it’s a case of being accidentally in fashion. 😉 And thank you so much.
Well I’ll admit to never hearing this word before either! But thanks to you I think that I can now incorporate it into my vocabulary 🙂 I’d have to say that I consider myself to be a pretty #normcore fashion person myself. Except maybe switching out the ballet flats for a good pair of sneakers!
Thanks for your comment Heather, I only came across normcore recently, but since I first spotted it, I now seems to be everywhere – the power of the web. Maybe to be truly normcore I need to swop my flats for sneakers!
I have to admit I’m not familiar either with the term or the concept. Maybe because I read too many Italian fashion magazines? I wonder how it would translate in my language … I’m going to look into it. Thank you, B. 🙂
I’d wager a lot of lira (if they were still around) Francesca that the Italian take on the normcore trend will be super stylish. 😉