Sardinecore

Name: Sardinecore.

Age: Freshly spawned this summer.

Appearance: Fishy.

Sardinecore, you say. What fresh (fish) hell is this? Are you planning to make a lot of fish puns?

I am: it’s o-fish-ial. So what’s sardinecore? Well, tinned fish – often in beautiful, colourful packaging – has been hot for a while. It is served in bars at an eye-watering mark up and London’s Saltie Girl restaurant even has a “tin list” menu. Then a chef called Ali Hooke made #tinnedfishdatenight a TikTok phenomenon.

Tinned fish date night? Holy carp. There’s nothing erotic about a pilchard or a sprat. Sexy is in the eye of the beholder. Apparently, Hooke’s husband “Leaned over and told me he had always dreamed of sharing a moment like this with someone he loved”. Anyway, scales have also been having a design and fashion moment.

You mean a fishion moment. I do not. I mean LA brand Clare V produced “Liberez les sardines” T-shirts and caps, and luxury label Bottega Veneta has created a much-coveted “Sardine” bag. (...)

It’s very beautiful, but how many tins of tuna can you fit in there? Four, I reckon.

Sold! It’s over £3,000.

Are you squidding? Unsold. But hang on, I thought this summer’s sea-themed trend was mermaidcore? That was back in early summer, a fashion lifetime ago. But, yes, all those gauzy, iridescent, diaphanous fabrics and fishtail shapes probably paved the way for sardinecore.

by The Guardian | Read more:
Image: UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images; CLARE V

[ed. Love 'em (much more than politicians, read below).]