CASUAL DUO: SANDALS AND SOCKS
DENIZ AKKAYA
Normcore won, get your Birkenstocks ready!
The look, which usually occurs when we rush out of the house to quickly get something, has become one of the most popular trends of the summer. We all got very used to comfortable clothes during quarantine. As a result, the fact that we all want to return to our normal lives, as well as not wanting to compromise on our comfort, has directly affected the post-pandemic trends.
During the normcore era, the formula of being cool was simply wearing socks with sandals. Normcore is the name given to the act of deliberately deconstructing fashion by dressing dull and basic. Normcore is a “deliberately not cool” trend that began as a post-ironic anti-fashion movement, attempting to move away from the subculture fashion that has been commercialized and popularized by hipsters.
There is even a Wikipedia entry about the sandals and socks duo. The page opens with the statement: “wearing socks and sandals together is a controversial fashion combination and social phenomenon in various countries and cultures. In some places it is also referred to as a fashion faux pas.” Time is indeed a flat circle.
Exactly seven years after this entry, here we are, swimming in a society integrated with the style of the 90s, which travels this trend all over the world in white sneakers and mom jeans. Social media based neo-streetwear brands have built their mini-empires by sprinkling eco-friendly features on mediocre and overly familiar pieces.
We all by now how much Gen Z is interested in Y2K aesthetic. Once again with the influence of Gen Z, the jelly sandals literally came to take over summer ’21. Just when you were thinking that nothing can top the sandal and socks duo…
Love it or hate it, 90s thong platform slippers also took their place among the trends alongside the sandals and socks duo. Thong sandals, which got rid of all their bad reputations, have gained a lot of popularity and are now in many areas that appeal to everyone from luxury brands to fast fashion brands.
One of the key lessons of 2020 was that being ‘cool’ is definitely a perception. Having internalized that being natural and yourself is the most ‘cool’ thing one can do, and reflecting it at every opportunity, Gen Z has also shown that they are determined not to compromise on comfort, whether there’s a pandemic or not. They said no blisters summer 2021!
The most comfortable footwear trend ever??
