There is a very specific look my husband and I will give each other if we see someone on the subway wearing something cool. It’s a subtle nod, a wordless indication to wait a second to not be too obvious before casually turning your head in the direction of the subway style icon and then slowly turning back to give your thoughts. That’s precisely the look he gave me on a recent jaunt to the LES upon seeing a man decked out in what I can only describe as “quiet luxury gorpcore.” (Gorpcore, for the uninitiated, is TK.) He looked polished and incredibly well put-together and yet his look comprised of entirely practical pieces—hiking boots, an Arc’teryx zip-up jacket, pants of unknown origin but that were quite clearly designed to be durable for climbing or backpacking. And the pièce de resistance? A chalk bag, like you would use to store chalk while rock climbing, clipped at his waist in lieu of a belt bag, tote or other more typical carryall.
I was not quick to forget such a notably stylish man, so when I saw a second guy sporting a chalk bag as an everyday bag, and then two more weeks later, I had no choice but to consider it a potential micro trend, and sought out evidence to prove this wasn’t just a fluke unique to the B subway line. And what kind of fashion editor would I be if I didn’t put in the effort to try this trend for myself to determine just how wearable it really is?
