The revelation came to us during a dizzying sequence of Reels, wedged between a video of a tourist putting a man in a headlock after he tried to steal his phone on the streets of Barcelona, and another featuring a business podcaster offering a training course on how to “scale your company.” “The latest fashion trend?” appeared on the screen. The suspense did not last long: “Wearing your clothes backwards!” That had never occurred to us.
Before our astonished eyes, the trend quickly took shape. In the first image, a classic blue shirt was buttoned up the back. In the next, a red cardigan received the same treatment. Then it was the blazer’s turn. Next came bottoms: a skirt, and, in a more technical feat, a pair of jeans flipped 180 degrees, with front pockets and the leather patch moved to the front, the fly zipped up at the back.
What to make of it? First, it’s hardly a new idea: the two young members of the American group Kris Kross became famous in the 1990s for constantly wearing their baggy jeans and baseball jerseys backwards. Second, this trend requires, every morning, a good deal of patience and a certain flexibility – not to mention, for those without long arms, considerable technical assistance.
Hiding a logo
Beyond the playful, even comical side of the trend, the real problem lies in just how cumbersome it is. While clothes are made to be repurposed, twisted or personalized, only the gimmicks that can be easily folded into daily life − and that serve a function beyond just amusing others − stand a chance of becoming habits.
For example, there will always be people who wear their caps backwards, just as American army snipers did in the 1950s so their visors wouldn’t hit the scope when firing. Similarly, some clever types will keep flipping their T-shirts inside out to hide a logo or slogan they no longer want to display. But it’s hard to imagine the backwards shirt becoming a wardrobe staple. The same goes for the hoodie… Even if the image does amuse us greatly.
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