The latest Vetements collection, shown in Paris at the end of January, predictably generated a lot of discussion. There are few brands who so easily generate comment and controversy. This season Gvasalia used Exactitudes-- "a photographic argument against uniqueness" -- by Ari Versluis and Ellie Uyttenbroek, a catalogue of the similarities in dress in particular social groups over the last 15 years. The result was 36 fashion stereotypes walking down the runway, from rich bitch in furs to office worker, punk rocker to football hooligan. The word that was used a lot to describe the show was normal -- "just like normal people on the street", "just a take on normal clothes". But in the midst of the political crises of the last few years, what does "normal", particularly in menswear, really mean?You probably remember "normcore", a term that coined in 2013 by trend forecasting agency K-Hole. There was a lot of hype in the press, but in practice it was largely about wearing khaki, bucket hats, and sports socks with orthopaedic sandals. Dressing like Steve Jobs, basically. As quickly as it was everywhere it seemed to disappear, but it didn't quite go away -- it dissolved into the fabric of contemporary fashion. In 2017, "normal" rises again.Vetements' autumn/winter 17 show had the brand's staple oversized bomber jackets and hoodies, but there was also a lot of conventionally formal and everyday garments: trousers, suit jackets, coats deliberately awkward and slouchy, as if stolen from a real-life office clerk on a commuter train. Gvasalia's second menswear show at Balenciaga also tapped into the office dress code. He presented high fashion's take on normal formal wear: suit jackets worn over naked chests, trousers too skinny or too voluminous, chinos (deliberately perhaps) completely ill fitting, orthopaedic trainers reinvented as a luxury item. Even the most "normal" combination of a flannel shirt and a sweatshirt looked stiff, strange and out of proportion. Then, of course, there was Balenciaga branding styled to resemble Bernie Sanders' campaign logo.Read the rest of this article over at i-D.
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