I was struck, upon perusing Stüssy's latest lookbook, by a thought. Have we hit peak "normal" clothes? Are we at the point where the clothes that everyone sees are simply too normal?

Certainly, there's nothing inherently wrong with "normal" clothes. That's basically what we all wear every day, no? Well, most of us.

Because, hey, clothes with personality. Those are clothes we ought to strive for. Where are these clothes with personality?

They are everywhere, actually, often coming from the same places pushing normalcy.

Don't misconstrue this as a knock against Stüssy; I've been singing its praises for years. Since its big comeback, Stüssy has demonstrated consistent good taste with both low-key high-style flexes and smart reclamations of trend. That is, rather than tapping into whatever's hot, Stüssy cannily owns everything it does. If it doesn't fit into the brand's "cool California surfer" narrative, it doesn't fit Stüssy's collections. I admire that self-clarity. And its collections still comprise good stuff, like the just-sold-out thermal camo hoodie.

However, this new imagery feels... ordinary. We've seen this before. Not just from Stüssy but from "nice" clothing labels all over the world. Plain T-shirts. Plain sweatpants. Plain puffers. Plain polo sweaters.

The problem isn't the clothing. Clothing has never been better, in fact. What's the problem? Hold that thought.

Recently, I was noticed that just about every indie label currently landing buzz was actually quite old. Upwards of 10 years old, in fact. Perhaps that's due to the industry's glacial acceptance of fresh talent or the fact that a lot of this stuff is introduced to people as pretty ordinary clothing. And that's a shame, because it's all quite nice stuff.

Zoom in on AURALEE. The 11-year-old brand is becoming famous for "simple" stuff that's anything but. Bespoke fabrics. Subtly exaggerated cuts. Transformative takes on staples. Staggeringly pretty runway shows. Sounds awesome, because it is.

But amidst an inundation of elegant, understated stuff, it's difficult for the layman to distinguish truly special stuff. Maybe that's why logomania is feeling fresh again: It feels like a personality.

Not that there's anything wrong with understated, easy clothes. Those are the best clothes. They're just not exciting clothes.

So, it falls upon the brand to really sell more classic stuff with pizzazz. Consumers, for better or worse, only see what they see. And all the beautiful shoots, beautiful garments, beatiful fabrics, beautiful finishings, only exist when people actually see them.

Part of that is down to people willing to look for this stuff. And there are always going to be people willing to look for it. But in every other case, you must lead the horse to water. And as "normal" clothes become the, er, norm, it'll fall upon the brands to do the heavy lifting of highlighting the small touches that make their gorgeous garments a big deal.

Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase. Want to shop the products our editors actually love? Visit HS Shopping for recs on all things fashion, footwear, and beauty.