Neoprene’s extreme style in anxious times
Rubbery synthetic material darling of top designers as part of fashion revival from the ’90s
Back in the ’90s, I felt very cool in a cobalt-blue onepiece bathing suit by Body Glove. Tank-styled, with a Bond girl-styled centre zipper one pulled up with a circular ring, it was made of a stiff new fabric called neoprene — a high-tech, rubber-like material that had previously only been used by scuba divers. We haven’t heard much from Body Glove since — and I have no idea where that swim suit disappeared to — although the U.S.-based company, which was founded in 1953 by twin surfer dudes Bill and Bob Meistrell (the inventors of the first wetsuit), still churns out everything from backpacks to phone cases, sunglasses and shoes. Nor have we seen all that much neoprene outside of the dive shop — until now. This spring, the rubbery synthetic fabric has resurfaced in a major way on fashion runways, notably those of fashion’s darling Alexander Wang, who fused it with more conventionally luxurious fabrics such as chiffon, and at Proenza Schouler, which employed its inherent structural capability to create sculpturally futuristic jackets, as is the vogue this spring for both the high-tech fusion of disparate materials and arty fashion statement pieces. So suddenly chic once more is neoprene that Christian Louboutin’s neon-hued, stiletto-heeled “Scuba” booties, made out of the utility fabric, are already sold out on net-a-porter.com. On the high street, neoprene is making a splash at the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Zara and Topshop. So pervasive is the comeback of this weird material in the little boutiques I shopped in this spring in Paris that I almost came to no longer question whether a tiny baseball jacket or flippy skater skirt in a bright neon or photographic floral neoprene was the one thing I simply could no longer live without. I say “almost” because I was that close to breaking one of my own personal fashion rules, which is: never revisit a fashion trend that’s your own vintage. Truthfully, I have never been particularly fond of neoprene as a clothing material. Whatever makes it good for wetsuits and beer coolers — its stiff synthetic impermeability — makes it inherently awkward (and stiflingly unbreathable) on the body. So why is this material, which never proved particularly wearable outside the water, making such a comeback?
Fashion types might provide several reasons, chief among them a ’90s fashion revival. Others might cite a fascination with the experimental possibilities of high-tech fabrications (the kind of futuristic optimism that likely prompted the fad for neoprene the first time around). Similarly valid is that it is reflective of the sport silhouette that has emerged as a significant spring/summer trend.
Fashion, however, is always about the current zeitgeist — even revivals of trends happen because there is something that feels “right” about them again for our time. Which is why I can’t help but wonder whether the revival of a protective material like neoprene speaks to a certain free-floating anxiety in the culture. Given that extreme weather is now the norm, is it possible that we are turning to our garments as a sort of emergency shelter?
Consider rubber boots, which to me, are entirely unnecessary for our climate given that when we do actually require protective footwear it should be of the snow boot variety, as in warm, with treads. Yet tell this to the hordes of college kids and downtown It-girls who have made Hunter boots into a formidable global fashion brand. Or, for that matter, Uggs, which are useless in both rain and snow, hot in summer and really aren’t that flattering a fashion statement despite the myriad of the faithful schlumping around in them in all four seasons as if they were somehow officially required.
When it comes to the fashionability of extreme tech wear, the apex might be the armies of city dwellers who have forked out $800 for one of those Canada Goose parkas, putting the sub-zerocertified attire to the test in brunch lines from Austin to Williamsburg and, here, from their condo door to the subway entrance a block away.
This summer’s version of the Canada Goose parka and the Hunter boot is anything made from neoprene. Of course, it’s silly to think a neoprene skater skirt or baseball jacket will save us from hypothermia should the floods come. And yet the growing fascination, mixed with dread, that keeps us glued to the Weather Channel must in some deeper, primal way be a part of its appeal. Karen von Hahn is a Toronto-based writer, trend observer and style commentator. Contact her at kvh@karenvonhahn.com.