Fashion usually is a mirror that reflects how people perceive the world around them. In the 1980s people were happy and felt the future was going to be great. That’s why the colors were bright and vibrant. Maybe a little too much!
And so it is in 2020 that the current feeling about the state of the world has spawned a new fashion statement called warcore. In essence it is a style that has adopted many tactical gear elements in it. It looks almost industrial like the style in the late 90s but a closer look reveals it is a bit different.
If you are looking to make a statement about the current state of affairs, you can do so by styling your own warcore look.
In this article, I will go over several of the elements that make this look work so you can decide for yourself how to wear it.
1 – Use camo
The most obvious place to start when putting together your warcore look is to use camouflage. This is nothing new as it has even been used in haute couture for decades. Everything from high heel shoes to stylish dresses are decorated in various colors and schemes with camouflage.
It is widely available so you can either go to a military surplus store and buy some items with camouflage and repurpose them or wear them as is and accessorize the look with other items.
2 – Get tactical
Part of the look is incorporating tactical gear elements from hunting or combat gear. Tactical belts and straps are a great way to add some warcore style to whatever you’re wearing.
If you are designing the clothes yourself, then you can sew these straps into the item like a dress or even a backpack to match whatever clothes you are wearing. Or, you can even use the belts on their own. Combined with the right clothing they can add some nice accents.
There are plenty of bags that are used for things like ammo clips and hand held radios when out in battle that will look cool when you instead use it as a handbag in place of a typical pocketbook.
You can get really creative here as there is an item for just about every purpose. After all, soldiers have to carry everything they need so these things are designed for practicality.
3 – Accessorize
You don’t have to go out and design an entire wardrobe to make this look for yourself. The easiest way to go is to use accessories.
Combat boots have been an accessory for this type of fashion since the early 70s and never seems to go out of style. If you wear them with some other elements then they become an integral part of the look. Just wearing them on their own with normal clothes won’t have any effect if you are looking to create a tactical fashion look as they are so common.
The classic chest vest which is used for holding the various objects a soldier would need is very hot right now. Even Kanye West has used it in his Yeezy fashion line.
Tactical belts are as practical as you can imagine and look great when combined with the other parts of the ensemble. If you are going for a more elegant version of the look then you can easily find ones made out of leather and various colors to match with any outfit.
What is warcore all about?
Any fashion statement is going to come down to what the wearer wants to portray, of course. Yet, there are a few reasons why this fashion trend is becoming more mainstream.
Even if there is no political intent behind the look, fashion tends to copy what is happening in the news. Since the news is full of images of unrest and conflict, it seems that there are things that make their way into fashion by borrowing from these images.
Warcore fashion can look edge, but at the same time it can look really cool and set somebody up as being ahead of the curve fashion-wise. Another reason for the popularity is because of how practical the gear is. Tactical gear is meant to be sturdy, yet lightweight. The accessories are useful and can be applied in a number of ways. Since tactical gear needs to hold a lot of items in a small product, they are ideal for life on the go. Convenience, practicality and interesting, warcore makes for an ideal fashion style for the avant garde type of person.
