2016 Is Almost Over, but There's Still Time for One More Weird Microtrend

Sous la mer, or my one chance to say "under the sea" in French.

Clothing, Sleeve, Coat, Red, Outerwear, Collar, Formal wear, Suit, Waist, Style,
(Image credit: Tyler Joe)

No one saw this coming, but that's what they said about the homicidal clowns. And Trump. But for a brief moment, let's talk fashion and the latest demon baby 2016 has borne from its festering womb. "WHEN WILL IT END?" they moaned. Relax—as far as the last 300-odd days have gone, this is not that bad.

What are we looking at here? The Warhol-ian shock of hair? The just-right pant crop? Well, yes, but also non! The *shoes,* which commenters have identified as either sailing or scuba shoes or cool-kid Crocs. Whatever they are, they are indicative of the larger, just-as-strange Fashion Tendency of wearing water-sport gear on dry land. Here is a wetsuit in London in September.

And another spotted in New York:

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(Image credit: Getty)

So how do you achieve Street-Style Scuba without looking like a total phony? Or, rather, how do you transcend SSS to look like the sort of Jacques Cousteau polymath who would own not just a rash guard but a whole submarine's worth of them? Simple—after accepting that you are a poseur but that is okay because aren't we all, procure a long-sleeve version from Cover Swim or Cynthia Rowley or J.Crew. Then wear it with skater-y denim and hoodies and T-shirts—with the zipper-y bit uncovered—because if you're going to be a fraud, why not combine multiple subcultures you don't belong to?

Or slip dresses—slip dresses work too.

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Chelsea Peng
Assistant Editor

Chelsea Peng is a writer and editor who was formerly the assistant editor at MarieClaire.com. She's also worked for The Strategist and Refinery29, and is a graduate of Northwestern University. On her tombstone, she would like a GIF of herself that's better than the one that already exists on the Internet and a free fro-yo machine. Besides frozen dairy products, she's into pirates, carbs, Balzac, and snacking so hard she has to go lie down.