Ahoy! Sailorcore Sets Sail for SS23
Spring/Summer 2023: Menswear edition has officially concluded. And boy, how the time flies.
It seems like just yesterday, we witnessed Rick Owens' incredibly exposed tank top and Versace's vase accessories walk the runway.
Some of the best fashion moments, as deemed by Highsnobiety editors, from the SS23 men's fashion month involved everything from oversized footwear action to bum-bearing viral 'fits.
There's undeniably a case brewing for the au naturel. But, SS23 also confirmed another trend is prepared to set sail on the high seas.
From anchor-toting headwear to Breton stripes, brace yourselves for maritime realness.
I first took notice of the forthcoming sailorcore craze during Kenzo's SS23 collection, where branded Dixie cups hats and patchwork striped naval uniforms embodied a youthful sense of nautical cool.
Thom Browne's SS23 presentation delivered an in-your-face take on the trend (literally), where thong-mini skirts — watch out, Miu Miu — and, erm, anchoring sideways headbands exuded seafaring influences.
While the ocanic vibes weren't as outright as Kenzo and Thom Browne's collections, JW Anderson also sampled the trend's waters with its own dock-worthy styles.
Anderson's sweaters — whether wrapped around handlebars or stamped with an actual glove — receive the marinière treatment, boasting breton stripes that embody the trend through the whimsical lens of British fashion designer.
Of course, it doesn't get any more aquatic, or Anderson for that matter, than some boat shoes touting a graphic featuring a boy biting an apple wearing the same pelagic stripes.
It's also worth pointing out how these brands approached the trend with Parisian flair. After all, the whole nautical stripes aesthetic is a Paris thing, to begin with.
The French Navy, specifically, incorporated the design in their uniform since time imemorial. While seamen appreciated the warmth of their striped knits, the pattern also served as an innovative way of calling attention to an emergency, like spotting a sailor overboard.
In a city of style savants, maritime chic naturally became a fashion statement even for those not enlisted in France's marine defenses, thanks to seafaring designers like Jean Paul Gaultier.
Now, the nautical trend is expected to have an even bigger moment next year, where unshaved tushes and striped motorcycle sweaters will be plentiful, leaving IRL sailors scratching their heads at fashion's peculiar ways.
