Trend Spotter: Fashion gets a dressing down

Larry David, Bill Gates, the late Steve Jobs - aside from being successful white males, these people have another major thing in common: unfashionable taste in clothing.

At least that was the case. Now these men are the new style icons - of Normcore.

Normcore is the look of the moment. Think frumpy mom or dad jeans teamed with white New Balance sneakers and a polo neck, or worse - a Christmas sweater. The jeans are an awkward length, showing just enough ankle to display sporty socks.

Coined by US trend forecasters K-Hole and popularised by New York magazine, Normcore is when hip young people start dressing like their parents did 20 years ago. The idea is to look like you're heading to Makro on a Saturday morning - on the East Rand, in 1995.

It is all about looking as bland and uninteresting as possible, which, if you hang around stylish people, defeats the purpose (your blandness will make you stand out, as opposed to fit in).

But the look is being touted by the same people who once told us it was faux pas. Brands such as Givenchy and Celine are bringing back the Birkenstock-style sandal, the staple shoe of middle-aged people in the suburbs. That, once again, misses the point of Normcore fashion: it is unexceptional, unbranded style.

Sean Monahan of K-Hole said to HuffPost Live: "People used to be born into communities and then were thrust into the world and had to find their individuality. Today people are born individuals and are trying to find their communities."

But it doesn't always have to be that deep. Sometimes the look is about, well, the look. And for every person who is Normcore, 10 others are just badly dressed.

Bruce Gorton, a Normcore-looking colleague I quizzed, said for him Normcore is about being anti-authority. He joked that he is not impressed with ''hipsters invading [his] unfashionable turf". He claimed he has been Normcore for years.

"Clothing is all about what you want to communicate. A suit is all about authority [and] trustworthiness, something you wear when you want people to take you seriously. My style is the exact opposite. Authority freaks me out, and so I dress in a way that avoids it," he said.

It is not just about making a statement. Normcore is about comfort, too.

"I hate ties because they make me feel like oxygen to my brain is being reduced."

Writing for Elle.com, Lauren Sherman said: "Dressing like an uncool dad is in the fibre of hipster culture. It's just that, until now, the 1970s and early 1980s were the go-to reference point. Now that the 1990s are coming into play, adults who were teenagers during that era distinctly recall living among Jerry Seinfeld-style dressers, clad in white sneakers and ill-fitting jeans."

It is not a trend most of the black middle- class in South Africa will be embracing any time soon because, for the fashion-conscious, brands matter. Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen, Gucci and Prada are a sign that you've arrived: why would you ruin that by wearing a Pick n Pay jersey?