The Big Men’s Fashion Trend of 2022? Dressing Like a Tween

WSJ ^ | 6 Jan 2022 | Jacob Gallagher

[Rummyfan]

‘Kidcore’—a fad that sees adult men conjure their tweenage years with expressive, if juvenile, outfits—has thrived during the pandemic. Why the style is resonating and how to strike a somewhat age-appropriate balance.

It had been a youthful year for men’s fashion. Cutesy charm necklaces often encircled the necks of Pete Davidson and Justin Bieber, making those shlumpy style icons—and paparazzi favorites—look like they’d been sprung from summer camp. Last November, Washington Wizard Kyle Kuzma pulled up to the locker room in a pink Raf Simons sweater with gigundo sleeves, calling to mind a kid wearing his big brother’s hand-me-downs. And fashion companies minted adult-size clothes with serious Children’s Place overtones. British label JW Anderson’s spring offering was littered with sweaters and other pieces in cutesy strawberry prints, while Urban Outfitters carries a “doodle” hoodie covered in infantilizing smiley faces.

This adult embrace of dressing like a tweenager has a name: “kidcore.” While it’s been simmering for a while (the 2018 explosion of tie-dye was an early indicator), kidcore has soared during the pandemic. You might theorize that men found solace in dressing like their preteen selves: Lyst, a British company that tracks the behavior of more than 150 million online shoppers in 2021, ranked kidcore as one of its top trends of 2021, based largely on the strength of searches for things like charm necklaces and cartoony Crocs. “A lot of people were searching for comfort and familiarity,” said Pierre Lavenir, a cultural specialist at Lyst.

Kidcore is defined by an attitude rather than any specific combination of clothes or accessories. It is about revisiting the way you dressed before anyone told you what was cool—when you really dressed for yourself.

[Rummyfan]

Um... no thanks!

And this from the late great PJ O'Rourke:

The kid-who-stayed-40-years-too-long-on-the-playground look doesn’t inspire trust. If dressing up as a third grader is your idea of how to treat yourself, what’s your idea of how to treat me?

And what’s the rest of the world’s idea of how to treat you? When I was growing up, I was told, “The way you dress is the way you’re regarded.” See Dennis the Menace in the funny pages of your local newspaper to discover how you’re regarded.

Another maxim from my youth was, “Don’t dress for the job you have; dress for the job you’d like to get.” Checked the ad listings lately for WANTED: GRADE-SCHOOL-RECESS BULLY?

With the overgrown-brat image, we also shed our adult authority. The only advantage to being a middle-aged man is that when you put on a jacket and tie you’re the Scary Dad. Never mind that no one has had an actually scary dad since 1966. The visceral fear remains. When I set my jaw and stare over the top of my tortoiseshell half-glasses, everyone under 50—from waiter to law-firm partner—thinks, “Grounded for life.” This doesn’t work when you’re wearing shorts and a T-shirt.

[ClearCase_guy]

“I’m a fag. Please beat me up.”

[Pontiac]

Looks more like dressing like a raging sodomite to me.

[GnuThere]

It’s perfect.
The Left are mean children who unfortunately get to vote.

[maddog55]

Guess that would true for me since I’ve been wearing jeans and t-shirts since I was a kid. Summer Ts are still sleeveless.

[x]

Dressing like a twink?

[KarlInOhio]

Men’s fashion in reality: polo shirts with two buttons instead of three because that’s what’s on the shelf when the old shirt wears out.

[Rummyfan]

LOL!

[fidelis]

Looks like he borrowed his mother’s jacket, his sister’s sweater, and his fat brother’s jeans.

[Fzob]

We live in a clown world occupied by grown children.

[Signalman]

A few years ago I read a book by Mark Steyn and he commented on the phenomenon of men wearing shorts. He said that if you could go back to 1950 and put a adult man into a time machine and be transported to the present, the man would look around and ask, “Why are all the men dressing like 12 year old boys”?

[John Milner]

Looks like he borrowed his mother’s bathrobe, his sister’s sweater, and his fat brother’s jeans.

FIFY

[Steve_Seattle]

The attempt to destroy manhood marches on. Or should I say “skips along”?

[Texan5]

Ay por favor...

I really hope none of the male tourists who visit here in the Spring/Summer are not dressed in those juvenile outfits-all th women will roll their eyes and our real men will laugh out loud-this i cowboy country-not a gay nightclub...

[ConservativeInPA]

The guy in the picture looks like a fat fag with an IQ around room temperature.

[Allegra]

Ewww.

[jacknhoo]

That’s not dressing like any third grader, that’s dressing like a third grade girl.

[Rastus]

Really, nuclear apocalypse may be for the best at this point.

[wbarmy]

I’m from East Texas. As a “tween” I wore blue jeans, western shirts, and sometimes tennis shoes instead of boots. I never wore anything like any of these people at any age. I think I had some gym shorts but there is no photographic evidence of this.

[Diana in Wisconsin]