There are plenty of things that Brooklyn Peltz Beckham could’ve worn to go shopping in Paris this weekend. A plain tee, perhaps. Maybe a nice jumper. Instead, he went with an conspicuous long-sleeve top that read, “It’s not clocking to you.” Which, given the week he’d just had, was always gonna get clocked.
Out with wife Nicola Peltz Beckham over the weekend, Beckham wore the slogan tee while heading to a flea market in the French capital. The couple were in town for Paris Fashion Week. You probably don’t need the full run-down to understand why the wording got some attention, but just in case: Justin Bieber is involved.
But first, some Bieber studies. The phrase comes from Justin Bieber’s confrontation with paparazzi in Malibu last summer. “It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business,” he said, trying to explain that he was serious about being left alone. Unfortunately, he’d said it in a way that people immediately wanted to repeat. Quite a lot of people. For quite a long time.
Bieber eventually memed himself by wearing the line on a hoodie, and his streetwear label, Skylrk, put “It’s Not Clocking” on merch for his Coachella headlining gig earlier this year. By then, you could be standing on business while wearing the business. Very convenient.
That merch is exactly what Brooklyn was wearing here. It’s still a Bieber reference, of course, so anyone who’s chronically online can enjoy recognizing it. But on this particular chest, on this particular weekend, there’s a little more to consider. The wording is helpfully vague. No names, or explanations, or follow-up questions. (Well, plenty of follow-up questions, actually, but the shirt isn’t taking them.)
For a Sunday shopping fit, it’s doing quite a bit of work. Brooklyn gets to browse; Bieber gets quoted again. And everyone else gets to say they’ve clocked it.
