Cool Dressers in NYC Are Wearing This Off-Kilter Basics Trend—25 Pieces I’m Shopping Because of It

August 16, 2025 / Kevin Harson /

What I love most about NYC is that it is a melting pot of cultures, foods, aesthetics, noises, etc. It’s a place where people come to reinvent and explore themselves. Perhaps the most notable way they do so is through fashion. Recently, the city has unveiled a peculiar yet intriguing trend that showcases its mishmash of styles perfectly: subversive basics.

I have had an affinity for off-kilter yet cool pieces because they elevate an outfit in an instant, but I’ve noticed others taking a liking to subversive basics in my Brooklyn neighborhood, which is a mini runway some days, and downtown Manhattan. I’ve seen plaid boxers turned into spiral skirts endorsed by style icon Chloë Sevigny, fashion people wearing shorts with belt loops as the hemline, and Paloma Elsesser and Charli XCX wearing T-shirts turned into tube tops.

Wearing clothing that reverses or subverts its original function feels, to me, like an excellent way to express that you’re a fashion person. Fashion has never been about fitting in, and subversive clothing supports that notion. Labels like Sacai, Simkhai, and Hodakova are in the lead for the most innovative designs. Each brand’s design codes are rooted in subversion in one way or another, and it’s fascinating to see them IRL just on my block. On my screens, I’ve had the pleasure of getting even more outfit inspiration from influencers who are catching on to unique, sometimes weird, and eye-catching basics.

If you’re into subversive basics like Sevigny and Charli, keep scrolling to show that you’re a fashion person.