We all have our guilty pleasures when it comes to fashion. It could be a pair
of trendy sneakers or an illustrious, sherpa overcoat. Mine? Platform crocs.
That’s right. You heard it here first: Platform. Crocs.
Hear me out. Sure, the last time I donned a pair of crocs was when I was ten or eleven years old. And yes, I was far more concerned with trading “jibbitz” than I was with the question of whether my glittery, plastic footwear actually matched my outfit on any given day. But now that crocs are on the fashion periphery, they seem to signify something much greater than a mere recess activity. They are evidence of the clothing imbalance revolution.
In our shoot, we experimented with various locations and poses in an effort
to confuse the relationship between setting and clothing choice. As I modeled a baggy t-shirt in the elaborate halls of Weil, I found myself
indulging in the chaotic comfort of dressing in discord with my surrounding environment; I suddenly questioned why we place so much weight on where we are going when determining what we wear.
Our sartorial choices have always been driven by purpose. Whether it is the
attire for an event or a meeting we have, or simply the weather outside, we
naturally base our outfits on some external force. But now that we are in the midst of a global pandemic, these forces have become moot—distorting our sense of purpose.
With practically every aspect of our lives upended, there is almost no need
for us to distinguish between clothes that are either “fancy” or “casual.” We study, work, and date from home. As such, we are given the unprecedented ability to wear what we want, when we want.
For a college student, this might mean going to the supermarket clad in a
leather blazer and combat boots. For the CEO of a company, it could be
showing up to a Zoom meeting in a sweatsuit. Another effect of this
revolution is that we are veering away from seasonal color palettes and
gearing towards evergreen and neutral colors—the fluidity of these
hues rendering them appropriate for just about any setting. And since we
cannot savor a good lip-look behind the curtains of a mask, we are
experimenting more with eye makeup—winging our eyeliner just a tad
more or applying that extra coat of mascara. After all, our makeup must
complement our repurposed gym clothes.
In a year from now, showing up to a job interview wearing loungewear might be de rigueur. A professor might not so much as wince at the click-clack of a student’s stiletto boots as they rush in at the start of lecture.
Dressing up in casual settings and down in fancy settings has blurred the
lines between purpose and desire. The result? A pair of platform crocs. And
while platform crocs are not projected to become the hottest trend, one
thing is for certain: our once guilty pleasure will now be regarded simply as
pleasures.
Creative Direction Josie Zimmerman
Words Meyme Nakash
Photographs Becca Tarter
Editor Josie Zimmerman
Stylists Ava Farrar, Dylan Stein
Featuring Ava Farrar, Dylan Stein, Meyme Nakash, and Lea Bond
Armour Magazine Season 25 — F/S 2020
