Palewave: This Year’s New Normcore?

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Kemea Smith, GoLocalPDX Contributor

The Row Pre Fall 2015 Photo Credit: The Row Facebook

Alright I know “normcore” is on many peoples list of trends to not talk about in 2015 (along with “health goth” and “snackwave”), but “palewave” could be the “normcore” of 2015.

As you may have guessed, “palewave” incorporates light colors (no black, try navy instead) like eggshell white, fawn, and powder blues with elements of ‘90s and modern street wear.

The white denim jacket, raw light wash jeans, and white sneakers are the makings of a basic “palewave” outfit. More sophisticated “palewave” ensembles involve camel coats, cream or white blouses and light khaki slim pants. There are no specific clothing types associated with the trend, as it is more about the colors than the clothing.

Like many underground trends, “palewave” started as a joke and may still be considered one, as not much has been written about it.

“Palewave” gained some attention on the internet back in the summer of 2014 with very few considering it a sub category of “normcore”. However the color palette aesthetic looks like its made its way through the Fashion Week circuit.

Most recent mainstream examples of “palewave” include Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson’s Pre-Fall 2015 collection for their fashion label The Row. The collection inspired by California climate and early surf culture, featured no prints. Instead ivory, lilac, olive, and sand colored minimalist designs, with oversized tailored separates embodied the collection.

Photo Credit: The Row Facebook