From Y2K Style to Normcore: The Uncool Reinvests Our Closets!

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What if we told you that your souvenir t-shirt “I love London” is the must-have piece in your wardrobe to be trendy in 2022? Hard to believe, but indeed, the outdated is making a comeback, subtly infiltrating our outfits, thanks to the normcore trend and the return of y2k style. Let’s analyze the new fashion trend of “non-trend style”.

Normcore: or the art of being trendy without being trendy

With all the trends that come and go with each season, it’s easy to lose track! Between cuts, patterns, and colors, the notion of being trendy is perceived as having a wardrobe that aligns with the current collections. So if we tell you that in 2022, to be trendy, you need to do the opposite, you might think we’ve lost our minds… But no!

Indeed, today normcore reigns supreme in fashion trends. But what exactly is this trend? It’s very simple: it involves creating outfits with pieces found in our closets. These are items that are no longer “in style,” and sometimes date back to another century.

We thus mix old trends, pairing pieces that, on paper, would make our eyes bleed if we imagined them together. To give you an idea, imagine old paparazzi photos of Jennifer Aniston or J.Lo picking up their mail wearing: a faded NASA logo t-shirt, a flannel shirt tied over it, an oversized denim skirt, and a pair of crocs. Got the idea? Well, there you have it, that’s normcore.

Normcore, which is a contraction of the words “normality” and “hardcore,” is thus this art of dressing without following any trend, and approaching a form of non-style. It involves doing a little mix and match of pieces that ultimately create a mood when worn together. Often seen on stars strolling through Central Park or photographed during a trip to Starbucks… It has now become a true quest that fashionistas embark on, to also be in the non-trend trend.

A trend more in tune with the times?

If the normcore trend is so appreciated, it’s because it embraces various current values. With the fashion world being questioned more than ever, particularly regarding its impact on the environment and workers, awareness is rising and consumption patterns are changing. The normcore trend calls for clothes outside of “current trends,” which we can find in our piles of clothing, encouraging us to reuse our pieces. Thus, it helps resist overconsumption by not buying new pieces with each collection.

Upcycling and the desire to reuse, even repairing when necessary, our clothes are thus highlighted by this trend.

We thus have a strong discourse on the positioning of the fashion industry that is constantly renewing itself. While for years the obsession was to follow trends like everyone else, to the point that schoolyards up to university looked like fields of sheep, with everyone dressed the same… Now, the trend is to no longer succumb to the 139430 new collections, to stop looking like everyone else, and to use our pieces to create a look that reflects us, even if it may seem “outdated.”

We also highlight through this trend the increasingly present movements of gender-neutral fashion. Indeed, normcore encourages mixing cuts, textures, patterns, colors, but also “origin” of the pieces. Thus, masculine and feminine wardrobes are blending as well, and we see women borrowing a t-shirt from their boyfriend, or buying one, and wearing it oversized over an old pair of Levis that still looks as good as the first day.

The allure of y2k style

One of the reasons for the boom of normcore is partly due to another trend, that of y2k style. But then again, you might say, y2k what? Said like that, the name may not ring a bell. However, if I say: low-rise flared pants, crop tops, cyclist sunglasses, platform shoes, chokers, or even visible thongs… Yes yes, a feeling of falling back into the era of Star Academy or Popstars washes over you, even a tune from L5 is about to sneak into your thoughts…

Because yes, we are indeed talking about the fashion style of the 2000s, aka y2k style! The one we would have preferred, between you and me, to never see worn again!

But it’s a fact, humanity has a deep sense of nostalgia that never leaves it… And this creates some big surprises like the one we are experiencing right now, with the excitement around y2k style and the big dive that all fashion figures are taking into it.

This attraction to y2k style, which follows some reconciliations with 90’s vibes, has thus propelled certain pieces lost in our wardrobes for a decade back into the spotlight. And thus contributed to the excitement for the normcore trend. The two blend better than all the happy endings of romantic comedies, and together they have a true influence on fashion. On one side, the y2k style brings back outdated and cheesy pieces, and on the other, normcore encourages mixing cheesy pieces together for a styled effect; we have here the winning duo.

We thus approach vintage pieces, but also clichéd and very cheesy ones, without any difficulty. And brands are even surfing the wave of y2k style by launching collections rooted in the mood.

The souvenir t-shirt, the master piece of y2k style: better than a postcard, a fashion statement!

To also give in to the call of y2k style, two options are available to you: dig through your closets or take a trip to thrift stores and shops.

One of the key pieces of y2k style is the souvenir t-shirt, which can also come in the cap version. Yes yes, we are indeed talking about the one brought back from a trip in 8th grade to Italy, or during a weekend in London… These tops, often worn for a short time before being relegated to the “has been” category of our wardrobe, are now back on the selective list of trendy pieces.

We proudly display our latest vacation stops through embroidered or printed t-shirts. Either simply with just the city name inscribed or embellished with a few more or less cheesy illustrations.

These souvenir t-shirts, displayed like xxl postcards, revive this aesthetic to the point of bringing back branded pieces from your favorite cities into store shelves. We have thus found in recent collections embroidered caps from the Hamptons, Los Angeles, and other destinations. Brands are also creating lines of tops that blow hints of elsewhere.

But nothing is more typical and authentic than a souvenir t-shirt bought at the ramparts of Saint-Malo, under the sun of Saint-Tropez, or in a shop in Bali!!

So this summer, let’s think about getting, in addition to a keychain, our souvenir t-shirt, to shine even at the start of the school year.

The composition of y2k style

Nothing could be simpler to nail your 100% y2k style look! Grab your souvenir t-shirt, proclaiming your moments spent in La Baule or the calanques of Cassis, along with flared jeans that will fall over dad shoes! And if the cold crashes your evenings, you can even take the plunge into cotton in fluff!

Does the combination seem strange to you? Yes, to us too, but what can you do, the non-trend is trendy!