Look Sharp, Sconnie - Midwestern Fashion Nerd, Chronic Over-thinker

The underbelly of the "comfort craze"

I realize the subject of "fashion vs comfort" has been oft-broached.
By now, we're all well aware of the notable difference between psychological and physical comfort, and the power of the one to affect the other.
("Comfort is a State of Mind" -c/o The Man Repeller)

For the fashion-conscious, today the two are closer than ever, thanks to what one Wall Street Journal article called our current "comfort craze".

In the same article, author Kate Bolick equates comfort with liberation (citing bra-burning and corset-tossing women) and even success, claiming that by wearing comfortable footwear you prove "you're successful enough to not have to wear shoes that give you blisters".

She even goes so far as to call it "the great equalizer", claiming that comfort, once for the lower class (think corsets versus peasant blouses), is now being adopted by the well-off world over.

I don't know enough about business to know whether a woman wearing sneakers signifies anything more than her distaste for numb extremeties, 

but I do know there's a big difference between the comfort of an old raggity college sweatshirt and that of an impractically-priced animal printed Kenzo iteration.

And how comfortable, really, is a one bedroom apartment co-opted for five, or a holey pair of tennis shoes? 
So why are oversized blouses, worn denim, and messy hair really suddenly more common today than their inverses? 
Why is habitable suddenly haute, and haute suddenly habitable?
?
I honestly don't think it really has much to do with "equalizing", 
and though it might be more liberating than a corset, the cost required to successfully execute the "casual" trend are oftentimes more painful. 
Marant sneakers, Givenchy sweatshirts, Warby frames, Wang tees, expensively dry shampooed hair - 
those are what have set the "comfort" trend, 
and all else (in my opinion) is merely an imitation of this standard (don't worry, I'm guilty beyond belief, See: every picture in this post). 

It seems to me that this new high fashion form of "casual" comfort began as another way for more privileged people to prove that they're just that - more priveleged. While the majority of society swaps its starchy blazers and contacts for cotton Walmart tees and wire-rimmed glasses, they'll take their plush all day long in the form of pricey, and thus appropriate, options. 

A rich woman's sweatshirt is a poor woman's suit coat.

Just as obesity has come to represent the lows, rather than the highs, of society, so too it seems has discomfort. 
Photos by Matt Engelhart
On that cheery and light hearted note...

Did I mention how guilty I was of all of this pretentious stuff?
Because I totally and (semi)ashamedly am. 

I also may be totally off base (read: wrong).


Cheers.

Photos by Matt Engelhart
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5 comments:

  1. far and wild jewelryMarch 26, 2013 at 7:39 AM

    i'm just stoked that comfort is in. as a lover of flats, denim, and sweatshirts i'll take it. and the great thing is that when you take the trend back to its source you keep people guessing. is that an enzyme washed grey sweatshirt from barney's or is it my dad's from college? is that rag and bone's oversized military jacket or the us army's?

    abigail
    www.farandwildjewelry.com

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    1. UnknownMarch 26, 2013 at 8:39 PM

      so true. guess privilege is easier to fake than attain

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  2. Pardon My FashionMarch 26, 2013 at 8:47 AM

    Aw damn...great post. Too damn wealthy for their own good...I swear they think it's normal to have a $500 cashmere hoodie or a $1000 pair of leather drawstring sweatpants. (I know this for a fact. I live in Orange fucking County...)

    I enjoy comfort as much as anyone, but like MP said...sometimes I don't feel comfortable being comfortable because I don't feel quite myself. I live for the GLAM!

    xoxo
    www.PardonMyFashion.com

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  3. JamieMarch 26, 2013 at 2:55 PM

    Not so much a comment on the post as a whole, but whomever equates bra burning with comfort must have like no boobies because a good bra is always far more comfortable than no bra for those of us in the B-and-up class. And I am personally still in awe of the comfort phenom in fashion. It's sort of off-putting that the only reason the sweatshirt/sweatpant/sneaker is acceptable is because of the label inside. Although wealth has always come with a certain degree of that I guess. Nice thought-provoking post - I'm sure I'll be thinking about this for the rest of the day :)

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  4. UnknownMarch 26, 2013 at 4:01 PM

    blerg.......im going to have to agree with you here.....i like the "comfort" thing going on right now but honestly i don't have the money to go spend that much on a yard of cotton, nor do i want to. don't get me wrong, i believe in investment pieces but not for the sake of following trends....i would rather invest in something i can wear until its literally falling apart than a sweatshirt that might not even be "in" next season. so i sport sweatshirts and t-shirts paired with out of the box items, maybe its not what the "in" crowd is doing.....but they sometimes just get on my nerves with what they chose to spend their money on!
    brooke @ what2wear

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