Let's Talk About Bookcore

[Daniel Hakimi]

For reference: Bookcore: How Everyone Is Dressing Like a Bookstore Regular

I know @dieworkwear has its own appreciation thread, but the idea is starting to catch on. A lot of people are talking about the style:https://lithub.com/can-bookcore-please-be-2022s-hottest-new-look/

• Reddit Thread on the article
• This blog post that's... mostly just quotes
• The Style and Direction stream on the topic
• Craftsman Clothing posted about it

So I think it has enough of its own gravity to warrant its own discussion thread! I personally hope to see more talk about Bookcore going forward, out there in the world, but here's a start. Let's talk about our perspectives on it!

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I think you're on the wrong side of the forum with this one - SW&D is the place for this.

 

[Daniel Hakimi]

I think you're on the wrong side of the forum with this one - SW&D is the place for this.

I wasn't sure... I mean, bookcore is really *not* streetwear, and there's not a lot of denim in it either, and there certainly is at least a little bit of tailoring involved in the vibe... NMWA's thread is in CM, and so is DWW's... But I know SW&D is more casual in general, and more open to talking about trends, so if nobody wants to talk about it here, sure, I could move it.

 

[JFWR]

Dress like a geriatric Portland book store customer? Sounds like cosplay.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I wasn't sure... I mean, bookcore is really *not* streetwear, and there's not a lot of denim in it either, and there certainly is at least a little bit of tailoring involved in the vibe... NMWA's thread is in CM, and so is DWW's... But I know SW&D is more casual in general, and more open to talking about trends, so if nobody wants to talk about it here, sure, I could move it.

SW&D is not just literally 'streetwear' and 'denim' - it's the fashion side of the forum, if you like, and I'm just suggesting you are likely to get more constructive engagement there* (if you get any at all, of course).

(And yes, I know NMWA is here, but that's more a function of what it was carrying when it started than what it's doing now...)

*the reply above mine is the kind of pointless response you are likely to find on CM, unfortunately.

 

[dieworkwear]

For reference: Bookcore: How Everyone Is Dressing Like a Bookstore Regular

I know @dieworkwear has its own appreciation thread, but the idea is starting to catch on. A lot of people are talking about the style:https://lithub.com/can-bookcore-please-be-2022s-hottest-new-look/

• Reddit Thread on the article
• This blog post that's... mostly just quotes
• The Style and Direction stream on the topic
• Craftsman Clothing posted about it

So I think it has enough of its own gravity to warrant its own discussion thread! I personally hope to see more talk about Bookcore going forward, out there in the world, but here's a start. Let's talk about our perspectives on it!

Very cool to see it discussed on Style & Direction! I agree with a lot of the stuff said on that stream.

 

[breakaway01]

I did enjoy the article though I think some of it is very cherry-picked.
"It’s also not a singular aesthetic, but a collection of styles that you’re likely to see at your local independent bookstore." The styles described are so diverse though, that I genuinely wonder whether there are any universal aesthetic principles other than simply dressing like what one imagines a bookstore regular to look like.

 

[thesilentist]

What's made the concept of bookcore interesting to me is that it's more an observation of the type of people doing an activity (buying books, listening to author talks) rather than clothing made with a particular activity in mind (like sneakers being made for sports, or rain shells being made for hiking) that's been adopted by the fashion crowd as a trend.

Bookcore's lack of an exact identity I think comes from the fact that no brand or retailer exists solely to produce "bookcore gear" for reading. It's really just people who enjoy an activity and the clothing they wear while doing it. The whole concept is extremely resistant to a brand trying to capitalize on it. You can wear whatever you want while reading -- right up to wearing nothing at all!

The best part about this "trend" is that its participants have no idea they are involved in it and developed it. I really love that idea. Bookcore only is a thing because of an outside observer.

 

[Daniel Hakimi]

I did enjoy the article though I think some of it is very cherry-picked.
"It’s also not a singular aesthetic, but a collection of styles that you’re likely to see at your local independent bookstore." The styles described are so diverse though, that I genuinely wonder whether there are any universal aesthetic principles other than simply dressing like what one imagines a bookstore regular to look like.

I like the idea of collecting inspo around more abstract themes, as opposed to specific items or specific details. It says a lot to me about how you might build an aesthetic, as opposed to just picking specific pieces and combinations. Anybody can wear... cream and orange, and that's a fun combo, but figuring out the vibe you want to give off and how to do it is much more important than figuring out color combos that generally work.

Now... Is bookcore more vague and abstract than some of the other aesthetics out there? Sure. But it's clear enough to provide direction, and better yet, to serve as an example of how to build an aesthetic out of something less... literal.

SW&D is not just literally 'streetwear' and 'denim' - it's the fashion side of the forum, if you like, and I'm just suggesting you are likely to get more constructive engagement there* (if you get any at all, of course).

(And yes, I know NMWA is here, but that's more a function of what it was carrying when it started than what it's doing now...)

*the reply above mine is the kind of pointless response you are likely to find on CM, unfortunately.

Makes sense. Can it be moved, or should I just post the same OP over there?

 

[breakaway01]

What's made the concept of bookcore interesting to me is that it's more an observation of the type of people doing an activity (buying books, listening to author talks) rather than clothing made with a particular activity in mind (like sneakers being made for sports, or rain shells being made for hiking) that's been adopted by the fashion crowd as a trend.

Bookcore's lack of an exact identity I think comes from the fact that no brand or retailer exists solely to produce "bookcore gear" for reading. It's really just people who enjoy an activity and the clothing they wear while doing it. The whole concept is extremely resistant to a brand trying to capitalize on it. You can wear whatever you want while reading -- right up to wearing nothing at all!

The best part about this "trend" is that its participants have no idea they are involved in it and developed it. I really love that idea. Bookcore only is a thing because of an outside observer.

I agree to a point. I still think that it ends up being more about the observer than the participants in terms of what you yourself find interesting. The great majority of people at bookstores do not dress nearly as interestingly (again my own projection) as the article makes it out to be.

 

[dieworkwear]

Something not explored is the different subgenres of bookcore, such as Busy Life Audible Core or Buy Books With Good Intentions But Never Read Them Core

 

[Dadacantona]

Something not explored is the different subgenres of bookcore, such as Busy Life Audible Core or Buy Books With Good Intentions But Never Read Them Core

And how about Buy Books With No Intention Of Reading Them But Use Them As Ornaments To Impress People Core

 

[dieworkwear]

And how about Buy Books With No Intention Of Reading Them But Use Them As Ornaments To Impress People Core

Organize Books By Spine Color Core

 

[ld111134]

Dress like a geriatric Portland book store customer? Sounds like cosplay.

Or a craft brewer (See Jake Johnson in the film “Drinking Buddies”).

 

[JFWR]

Or a craft brewer (See Jake Johnson in the film “Drinking Buddies”).

He was hilarious in The New Girl.