SHARIF HAMZA/Trunk Archive

Scrolling through the Instagram account @starterpacksofnyc feels like flipping through a pack of trading cards, except instead of stats, each archetype comes with outfits and drink orders. Resist all you want, but youll likely identify with one of the curated personalities on the feed. There I was in the binder, I realized: shearling-wearing, whole milkdrinking, Balthazar-dining, Lana Del Reylistening, cozy-inclined woman.

But its not shade. The account isnt mocking the circles that it spoofs. The comments dont suggest offense so much as delighted acknowledgment by fellow teammates. Why, in an era that places so much emphasis on unfettered self-expression, do we find such contrarian joy in looking like others? People are happy to feel seen and be part of a cultural conversation, even if its not an entirely flattering one, says the accounts founder, Sasha Mutchnik. And weve been programmed to define ourselves by what we wear and buy.... So while it may seem counterintuitive, in our hyper-individualized world, to want to admit a collection of six to eight items is literally me, its a way of saying youre a part of a group, and are, by extension, normal.

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What starts as mere twinning expands into connection in a disconnected time. After a period of not being able to reach out and touch each other, now were just a shared link away from embracing in matching clothes. We can lie on our separate beds, but stare into the same glowing light of our phones, learn the same skin care routines, order from the same vintage stores, watch the same showsand then emerge into the real world and discuss those things with each other, while also looking like each other.

Sameness is no longer a tabooits a form of bonding.

The runways arent immune from this effect. Pradas spring 2022 collection took place in both Milan and Shanghaiat the exact same time. Guests in both cities watched outfits come down the catwalk as their halfway-across-the-planet counterparts were projected onscreen. As cocreative director Raf Simons explained in the shows press notes, Its about sharingnot just sharing imagery, not just sharing through technology, but sharing a physical event. Meanwhile, twinfluencers Hope and Grace Fly and Reese and Molly Blutstein make showing up to Fashion Week in coordinating looks a virtue, not a gaffe.

FELICITY INGRAM/Trunk Archive

There is a sense that similar gates are being opened everywhere, resulting in a mass decentralization of style. Mine is yours, yours is mine, and this whole planet is ours to match on. Influencers painstakingly credit their outfits so you too can get the look (and they can get the affiliate revenue). Newsletters like Jonah Weiner and Erin Wylies Blackbird Spyplane provide friendly sartorial suggestions for their thousands of readers. The common thread is generosity: indulging in the bounty of options, together. Sameness is no longer a tabooits a form of bonding.

Tyler Joe

My friend Krithika Varagur had a group text with fellow wearers of a specific snap cardigan. When she made friends with another aficionado of the Agnes B. style, We immediately felt simpatico in some vague but visceral way that I think was related to our wardrobe choices. (I thought about whether Id be more inclined to trust someone with my secrets if I could trust their taste in knits.) Bonding over having similar style is what brought me to a lot of my most beloved friends, says Avina Patel from the Twitter account @warmtoned. I feel relieved knowing someone else shares an indulgence I do.

IMAXTREE

In photos of Julia Foxs February birthday party, no one in her identically-corseted, baby Birkintoting group of girlfriends appears to believe matching is a fashion dont. Kylie Jenner and her best friend Anastasia Stassie Karanikolaou have been twinning since they were kids. And for actual twins Simi and Haze Khadra, who share an Instagram account, their outfits match as much as their DNA. The thing about twins (noun) who also twin (verb) is that it creates a single, bolded personalitydouble the dose of mesh outfit and moody makeup.

If last summer was symbolized by hedonism and sex, this one appears to be summoning something witchier, beckoning us to observe and mirror one another rather than thrusting us at each other. The game that is life can seem like an unusually competitive one. Something to consider while getting dressed for your next dinner party: Most teams who win games show up in the same uniform.

This article appears in the May 2022 issue of ELLE.

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The New Twinning Trend: Finding Connection Through Fashion - ELLE