In-N-Out Culture is Dead

@Isabellelelonde on Instagram

This past week I had the realization that the fashion trope of what's in and what's out is dead in the water. So, for this week's post I just want to share and defend my views on this opinion. Fashion is heading in so many directions and I think this is a small pocket of discourse that can be had concerning its direction. Let's get into it.

Trends will exist forever, this decade alone we've seen the MSCHF boots, Birkenstock's, Crocs and Telfar bags all take the spotlight at some point. Trends are a fundamental part of humanity and the way that we socialize. That being said clothes and accessories can fall out of trend, but I don't think they can fall out of style anymore. We currently live in a space where people can mix and match a bunch of aesthetics into one outfit. Some may have an opinion on the mash-up but our collective outlook on fashion presently has allowed people to mix and match so freely. If you look at the photo above, you'll see Isabella Lalonde wearing a fit with a scattered look. They're wearing socks of a different height, color, and pattern. Furthermore, they have a baseball cap, a pleated plaid skirt, a graphic sleeveless vest, and a floral collared shirt. Nothing about the individual items of this fit sound like they should fit. They're considerably different items on their own, but together they create a look that lowkey pulls it off. The current space of fashion is allowing people to mix a ton of looks, and that in turn is opening the door for people to bring back clothes that were "dead" and are now seen as cheeky or retro. The individualism that people choose to express in fashion is (in my opinion) killing the idea of what's in and what's out. Someone can wear a dress from the early 2000s with ballerina shoes and the animal rubber bands from 2009 and call it an ode to their youth. I mean of course the fit still has to look good, but as long as you do that you can get away with anything. Fashion feels so inclusive in regard to expression these days that I don't see people being repulsed by the fact that someone decides to wear 80s fashion legwarmers. It isn't lost on me that people have been dressing the way they desire for years. The difference here derives from the widespread acceptance and knowledge of this expression through mediums like the internet and thrifting culture.

@Sausagelord on Instagram

Social media has had so much influence in it's almost 20 years of existence. Part of the power it has is its ability to spread information through users sharing, algorithms, and interactions. Thrifting has been a massive encouragement and incentive on social media for at least a decade now. People feel encouraged to thrift due to climate change and sustainability, affordability, etc. I also personally feel like a lot of Gen Z are resulting to second-hand shopping because of the current economic state of the U.S. and how it effects their buying power. All of these factors are reasons why people are not just flocking to thrifting but normalizing it. And when you thrift what do you find? That's right, old clothes. When you have a generation of people on the internet who've normalized thrifting and nostalgic ways to dress you get people who're desensitized to the idea of what's in and what's out. It becomes an afterthought in my mind. It becomes, what can you do with what you have in your closet. Someone will go thrifting and say, "I love this giraffe print skirt, how the hell am I going to style it?" Or "I love these shudder shades, how does this fit into my wardrobe?" You're not going to avoid buying it just because it doesn't fit what you own, you're gonna make something out of it. I grew up in the early and mid 2000s when shit was in and out and people made it known it would usually be presented by saying something was no longer in season. You would see it on platforms like E! News or People Magazine. The standard was being set by networks who were affiliated with these fashion companies so it would help drive people from one product to the next. I genuinely don't think people care as much these days. It's ironic because you would think that the hyper capitalist direction we're heading to would make people devalue older clothes, but I don't think that's been the case. It's manifested in other ways with companies like WISH, SHEIN, H&M, and literally most clothing brands, but that's definitely a conversation for another day.

In-N-Out culture is dead. People are comfortable wearing what they desire and are normalizing "dressing backwards". Yes, there are hype beasts, and yes there are still people who want the new shiny thing, that will exist forever. And of course, people who thrift buy new clothes and may care about trends, that's ok. However, I think it's safe to say we're moving in a direction where bringing back or keeping something that's no longer popular is more than ok to do. Anything can fall out of trend; nothing can fall out of style. That being said, DO NOT BRING BACK THE NIKE ROSHE RUNS! There isn't a soul that can pull that off. We're spiritually past those joints, why would you wear something that's bad for your spirit??? This is the end of the blog, but I do have to specify that people should still try to dress well. We can wear whatever but make it make sense. Ok have a great week and weekend.