Heard about “normcore”? Even US Ambassador Matthew Barzun is embracing it. Barzun is hosting a party tonight at his official residence Winfield House and has sent instructions to all guests to ditch the pearls and wear jeans.
It goes with a new trend for casual dressing trend that’s been sweeping New York — called Normcore — where a virtue is made of shapeless jeans and unbranded shirts. An email was sent out to all guests, including the Londoner, from the Protocol Office yesterday afternoon about the reception at which US guitarist Damien Jurado is playing.
“Please note attire is casual for the evening,” it reads. “Jeans are fine, and in fact encouraged, but if you’re coming straight from work in business attire, that’s fine as well (we won’t cut your tie off).”
Just in case anyone thought this was a ploy to outdress his guests, you’d be mistaken. “The Ambassador will be wearing jeans,” adds the Protocol Office.
Barzun has been a breath of fresh air since he took up the position six months ago, tweeting, instagramming, and opening up the guestlist at his parties to the cutting edge of cool. Quirky US director Wes Anderson has come along for drinks as has designer Tom Ford. Only a couple of weeks ago, Barzun hosted a party at which Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Cara Delevingne put on an impromptu late-night musical performance.
Pearls put back in the box, the Londoner contemplated how different things might have been had US Vogue editor Anna Wintour been appointed, as was widely rumoured, to the Ambassadorship.
