Day Camp: The Death of Minimalism 18

DAY CAMP: THE DEATH OF MINIMALISM

How often do you open your closet and feel like your clothes just aren’t…enough? Like, the clothes that you’ve been collecting for years are somehow inadequate. The root of this wardrobe ennui is the influence of camp culture on day-to-day fashion: a surge in maximalism often showcased by high-end designers. Except now, the fundamentals behind such styles have trickled down to everyday people. The question is, why? At its core, camp is extreme and fantastical, relying on wacky colors, exaggerated silhouettes, and seemingly clashing materials and designs. Now, we haven’t seen any Lady Gaga meat dresses in class, but feathers and furs have become much more mainstream. The reality is that dressing campy has become synonymous with being fashionable.

The reason for the focus on camp in daily fashion has to do with the cyclical nature of broader trends. Camp is the expression of fashion-maximalism: the antithesis of minimalism. For the better part of this century, minimalism dominated styling as a whole. An easy way to conceptualize this trend is through the lens of interior design. Think of quintessential 21st century homes: grayscale, granite, stainless steel, nothing else. Sleek lines and cookie cutter designs characterized both the clothing and broader popculture style throughout the past couple decades.

On the tail of that trend, maximalism reemerges, introducing more extreme styling. Current interior designs feature arches and bold—sometimes eclectic—color choices, and fashion mirrors as camp is introduced to daily fits. That being said, you can never really go wrong with a simple fit. Color blocked and well-sized outfits will always work for daily wear, but in the era of maximalism you won’t be notably stylish. Keeping up with current trends requires some adherence to the “extra” that we see in camp, but don’t be spooked when ordinary comes back from the dead!

Written by Caleb Rocha & Nina Carbone Layout by Izzi Budetti Photographer: Gracie Davis Models: Caleb Rocha & Nina Carbone Stylist: Juliane Pautrot