There's no such thing as normcore fashion... let's call is lowlux instead

Just two weeks have passed since the New York Times brought us “normcore” — an approach to dressing that suggested stonewash jeans and anoraks à la Larry David to be the hottest thing in Brooklyn — but already the newly coined term has lost relevance. Namely because its creators, aka the very cool people at New York trend agency K Hole, have protested that normcore has nothing to do with fashion and everything to do with personalities. In its simplest form, normcore is about pursuing activities with an unfounded passion, not dressing like your geography teacher.

“It doesn’t really make sense to identify normcore as a fashion trend,” wrote Christopher Glazek on K Hole’s Facebook page. “The point of normcore is that you could dress like a Nascar mascot for a big race and then switch to raver wear for a long druggy night at the club. It’s about infinitely flexible, sunny appropriation.”

Glazek’s words are a relief to me. Not just because the whole normcore was starting to grate a little — a Google Chrome extension built to block mentions of #normcore serves as proof that I wasn’t alone in my irritation — but because I was struggling to see what was “norm” about the fashion movement that the term was being touted around to describe.

There is, I admit, increased affection for low-key, pared-back dressing but it is far from ordinary, it is ground-breaking. Lowlux, as it will hereby be named, (adjust your Google Chrome browsers now) refers to an aesthetic which hinges on simple yet high-quality basics that put your personality on display, not your wardrobe.

While the roots of this movement undoubtedly lead back to the catwalk — queen of minimalism Phoebe Philo put lowlux on the map while labels Paul Smith, Richard Nicoll and Valentino routinely demonstrate a dedication to simplicity in their collections — the perfect lowlux look hinges on a disregard for frivolity in fashion. In essence, lowlux is about buying beautiful basics and wearing them consistently, whatever the occasion.

During the shows in Paris and Milan last month, an appreciation for lowlux seemed more prominent than ever as editors dodged the lenses of preying street-style photographers in looks that were both beautiful and perfectly unremarkable.

Bypassing the must-have pillar-box red Prada fur coats and the Fendi pompom bags, lowlux devotees chose slouchy black trousers, navy crew-neck sweaters and unbranded trainers to take their front-row seats. The sense of relief in the air was palpable.

Writing in T Magazine last month, New York’s straight-talking fashion critic Cathy Horyn linked the emergence of this movement to an increasing need for clothes to be practical as well as beautiful. “Lately I’ve noticed many more women, all of them in the zone of careers and complicated family routines gravitating toward an almost boyish uniform of slim-cut trousers, pullovers and flat shoes,” she writes. “The desire to be comfortable is profound.”

And it is comfort that defines this movement — a woman is not solely drawn to a soft cashmere jumper because it is wearable, but for making her feel at ease in her own skin. Instead of feeling contrived or awkward in her outfit, the lowlux woman bespeaks a quiet sense of unfaltering confidence. This is true power-dressing.