Welcome to Cosycore

This year’s hero casual trend is, at its core, the embrace of all things comfort. Be that translated, not just in the clothes we put on, but in lifestyle. A weekend away; bundled-up walk and pub Sundays; cold months holed-up inside – this is the sartorial embodiment of that, but made aesthetic by a few key pointers.

Neither full lounge nor full Gorp, comfort and ease define this aesthetic, which walks the line between the two worlds. It extracts and merges the best from both, resulting in a defiantly mellow mood that’s punctuated by artfully-placed techy injections, underpinned by a preppy sensibility (more on that later.)

Renewed energy sees the everyday elevated by way of refreshing fabrications and look-building formulas that elevate the safe and comfortable to a mood of laid-back, off-duty dressing with a point of view.

In short, this is amped-up cose. All the layers? Stack them high, it’s a thing. Knits on knits? Yes. Puffas for your feet? Absolutely, yes. So, sit back and get cosy with everything you need to know.

ATHLETIC AESTHETIC

For this year we’re taking casualwear back. Back to retro styles, back to nostalgic sporting motifs and back to archetypal team colours.

In Cosycore’s first nod to its preppy underpinnings, we’re headed for athletics, the aesthetic of which comes right to the fore. But it’s a new and bold contemporary look in itself with a more-is-more approach, artfully executed using supremely-made wardrobe staples as its building blocks.

For a strong jumping-off point, look to casual hero brands like Fear of God, Advisory Board Crystals and Nudie Jeans, with staples that inherently imbue laid-back cool so well that they practically style themselves. But team those together? Well, then you have Cosycore gold. This is comfort made directional, so make sure you’re headed there.

PREPPY FOUNDATIONS

Further enforcing the preppy underpinnings of this year’s casual code is its footwear – namely low-top trainers, which established their place as the season’s go-to style across the collections of all major brands.

College-feel styles, identifiable by their understated sports panelling, largely neutral colour palate and choice display of collegiate hues have stepped up – taking detailing usually reserved for sportswear-forward designs and placing them firmly in their stride.

At Fendi, the bold logos and monogramming of the last few years’ apparel have found a new, dominant situ at our feet, but executed in same-colour panelling and retro, low-key natural tones that are inherently preppy-understated. Elsewhere, suede styles are given a worn-in aesthetic for a contemporary casual look that’s in line with today’s casual attitude toward dressing, be it preppy or otherwise.

For a 101 on what to look for, think texture, colour and focus-stealing soles á la Lanvin and Off-White; decisive injections of black and dynamic geometry á la Palm Angels; plus statement-lacing, and you’ll be on track to graduate with distinction.

LETTER MEN

Further reinforcing knitwear’s position as a key player this season and integral component to nailing the Cosycore aesthetic, it’s also here exemplifying the fundamental preppy roots of this season’s off-duty trend.

Super laid-back fitting cardigans, low-key lettering and logos and sweater vests embody the polished ease that the look is absolutely all about.

Neutral tones are your friend this season, but don’t be afraid to inject them with layered contrasts of colour for interest – you won’t regret it. And be brave foregoing the favoured logo-heavy, graphic designs of seasons past in favour of the more pared-back, for understated style that speaks for itself.

A KNIT FURTHER

Knitwear comes into its own this season, with one of 2023’s biggest trends – the cardigan – leading the charge, and renewed energy coming by way of colour, texture and quietly bold embleming. This season, everything is dialled up for the better and for the cosier, with bold hues shining a torch on the look and extra-textured finishes and exaggerated volumes driving the message home that cosy is king.

The best the season has to offer seems to present exciting contradictions – punchy, high-sat hues and bold graphic prints, but in highly-brushed, extra soft fuzzy finishes – see Marni and Burberry for prime examples.

Accessories, too, come into their own, taking on main character energy, be it through assertive brights or look-at-me proportions.

If in doubt, make your SS23 knit your focal piece and build your look out from there, or for extra Cosycore points, double up and clash it out.

LAYER UPPED

For this season’s max-comfort look, more is more, the “more” being cose. Layered textures and tones are what afford Cosycore its self-assured air of confident ease, with offsetting colours and contrasting fabrics only going toward serving you, serving looks.

Key to winning this look? Again, think college colours and keeping things in the same tone – deep reds with deep greens and blues to keep pieces vibing appropriately. On texture, allow knitted pieces and shearlings to shine against a backdrop of immaculate sweats, and let different necklines and collars bring focus to each piece.

Lastly, for hero pieces and outerwear this season, it has to be lumber styles. Plaids and checks are a natural choice for these, with designs brought up to date via blurred finishes and in meaty wools being those to aim for.

PUFFED-UP KICKS

For confirmation of a solid trend, look to its foundations. For Cosycore that is, quite literally, its base – footwear – and, boy, is it good. While men’s shoes have been dipping their toe in experimental styles for a little while, finally for this year, they’re all in, and nothing’s off the table (except the new shoes, of course – that’d be bad luck).

Indoor-for-outdoor styles, aesthetic mash-ups and “excuse me, what?” fabric choices are all here, somehow producing the kind of shoes you want to put on and never want to take off. Which, in itself, is kind of an oxymoron. What walking boots are you just gagging to put on? Well, this season’s in fact, it would seem. Indeed, this is exactly what this season’s core casual trend delivers, with cosy qualities having now reached not just our shoes but the most rugged of them, producing some of the exciting and inviting footwear options around.

At one end, Burberry’s pretty hardcore hiking boots are made soft with suede while panelling and construction assume new fluidity such as at Dior, offering up an active boot that’s irresistibly laid-back both in look and vibe. At the other end, shoes you’d quite rightly mistake for slippers are now at home anywhere. The best part? The rules on how to style these bad boys are every bit as relaxed too.

OUTDOOR ’CORE

Cosycore’s outdoor guy sees the techy go textural. Gone are the harsh blacks, performance fabrics and techy details, making way for soft, natural fabrics and warm, earthy colours.

Key pieces central to outdoor dressing, like the puffer, are made smart for 2023 in neat-fitted cuts, navy and contrast panelling that give a subtle luxe nod, with the overall look one that is more plush than peak, as in iterations before. Wool accessories cement the look’s Cosycore credentials, with future-looking pieces injecting a gentle contemporary edge that’ll keep even the keenest streetwear enthusiast wanting to get in on the max-cose action.

Stylist, Sophie Henderson; Photographer, James Harvey-Kelly; Model, Finn Prentice

Words by Kirstie Finlayson