Kindercore: A Decidedly Toddler-esque Movement
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your account’s‘Saved for Later’section.
Comment
Crayola-bright blues, gumball-machine reds, andVery Hungry Caterpillargreens fill the pages of MoMA’s fall catalogue, which includes this primary-color casserole pot. Popular neo-prep brand Rowing Blazers just came out with arainbow-stripe rugby shirtin collaboration with Lands’ End, and when Nordstrom opened its New York City flagship in October, it featured aNike boutiqueoutfitted with bright-red carpets, aqua-blue chairs, and rainbow sneakers that look like a Microsoft WordArt gradient come to life. A confluence of recent trends are behind this toddler-esquedesign moment. “It would be easy to say this all thanks to Bauhaus, which celebrated its centennial this year,” says Annie Auchincloss, a home buyer at MoMA Design Store. “But I think it reflects something that came earlier: the early-20th-century Dutch De Stijl movement, which consisted of artists like Mondrian, Rietveld, and Theo van Doesburg and focused entirely on simplicity and primary colors.” Jill Singer, the co-founder ofSight Unseen, attributes it to the collision of three separate trends:Memphis Milano(which has reached something of asaturation pointin recent months), maximalism (“it’s in”), and a renewed interest in primary-color-focused artists, like Calder and Hockney. “All of that,” she says, “combined with the fact that the news is depressing. So why not a rainbow?”
New! You can now save this product for later.
Meant to recall the brightly coloredLands’ Endcatalogues of the late ’80s and early ’90s. “Tom Wolfe used this expression to describe brightly colored trousers: ‘go-to-hell pants.’ Those bright colors are such a key part of American quote-unquote preppy style, and as prep comes back into the mainstream, it’s not surprising to see them become a trend,” says Jack Carlson, Rowing Blazers’founder.
New! You can now save this product for later.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Designed by Nordstrom’s VP of creative projects, Olivia Kim, who made similarfanny packsandtotes.
New! You can now save this product for later.
This lamp, made by Paul Smith and Sir Kenneth Grange, was inspired by the De Stijl movement.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Like a ’90s nylon ski jacket in sling-bag form.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Made in collaboration with Swedish artist Jacob Dahlgren, who has worn a striped shirt every day since 2001.
New! You can now save this product for later.
These sneakers have a dash ofHey Arnold!and a dash of the ball pit at Chuck E. Cheese.
New! You can now save this product for later.
New! You can now save this product for later.
A Mondrian-inspired timepiece, by minimalist Swedish watchmaker TID and London design agency Builders Club.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Poketo’s entire fall collection was inspired by theBauhaus’s 100th anniversary.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Almost all of Entireworld’s offerings have a sort of Muji–meets–Sesame Streetvibe.
New! You can now save this product for later.
From artist Mansi Shah, who also makes undulating stop-sign-red handmirrors.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Pumps in the style of a vintage Peugeot bike.
*This article appears in the November 11, 2019, issue ofNew YorkMagazine.Subscribe Now!
The Strategistis designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the bestacne treatments,rolling luggage,pillows for side sleepers,natural anxiety remedies, andbath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
