Now that everyone dresses the same, is logging off the secret to cool style?

It was a few winters ago that I realized how people have started dressing the same. I played a game on the bus when I got bored. The game was called “style Bingo”, and I played it whenever I saw a certain item, such as an Adidas Samba or an Ugg Boot, a North Face puffer, a Mubi bag, or an Acne Studios checked scarf. It was a full house if I had all five. By the time I reached central London at the end of that winter’s commute, I had almost always achieved a complete house. (No judgment, please – I actually own all of these items).

Why We’re All Wearing the Same Things Now has been discussed extensively. On the other hand, we have also seen a conscious move oppositely: a movement towards capsule wardrobes and the idea that cultivating your own “personal style” is important. Even though the latter isn’t doing much to combat this general sameness, it hasn’t helped. Daniel Rodgers wrote in a piece last year that “personal style, like most fashion items, has become commodified, just as bland social media cores were meant to be resistant.”

This got me thinking… In this post-brain-rot era where “dressing yourself” is a catchy term on the internet, the secret of cool style, or at least of true individuality, may be found far away from screens. It may be as simple as logging out (I’m whispering it quietly to avoid being escorted from the building). By “logging off”, I do not mean to go offline completely – after all, how could you read Vogue on the internet? Avoid social media and Instagram influencers who try to convince people that jeans and a t-shirt are “casual core”. Or that as an adult, you need to wear Ugg Mary Janes.

It’s not a new idea that people who aren’t online as much have a cooler sense of style. I wrote about this before. For the style-conscious, the idea of cutting off social media is daunting and even unthinkable. (How will you keep up with what’s happening?) Even so, if you ask me, keeping up with the micro-trends that are a result of social media doesn’t make you look more stylish or fashion-forward. You might think that we should all just go outside to touch the grass when you see everyone wearing the same grey and red outfits that are plastered on Pinterest. You could also find a particular subculture.

The backlash against microtrends has been simmering for quite some time. We’re seeing a shift away from over-consumption, both literally and metaphorically. And a renewed interest in anything anti-trend. Nick Tran is the head of purchasing and merchandising for Dover Street Market Paris. He told Vogue Business last month that people are looking to express themselves. He said, “I believe people want to create their style.” Initiative! Here’s an idea.

Logging off does not automatically equate to a lack of inspiration. I love to see what people wear at parties or on the streets. In fact, the way that something hangs on the body or feels is what matters most in real life. The coolest people that you know are probably unaware of what “blokecore”, or male-oriented fashion, is. They’re also not online enough for them to be aware of passing trends.