From time to time I hear this construction used informally by some native speakers, I think it conveys the intended meaning in a unique way, as in:
It's so summer!
I would love to know if there are other common nouns which can be used similarly with so.
The origin of using so like this is Valleyspeak.
Generally, it replaces very but with a noun.
One might say: Wearing those shoes is so summer.
Instead of: Wearing those shoes is a very summery thing.
The spread of so and like in American speech is omnipresent, especially with young people.
You can use so with any noun.
Older generations would probably say: They are so fashionable. [adjective]
The trick is the noun instead of an adjective.
As mentioned, it’s often used in very informal and at times grammatically incorrect way. It is also commonly used with pronouns. For example: “That’s so you!” Someone might say that if they observed a friend exhibiting a personal characteristic to an extraordinary degree or saw someone behaving like their friend.
Another common example: “That’s so 2001” (any year can be used) could refer to someone doing, wearing, talking, etc. in a way that is no longer trendy and/or particularly associated with a certain year.
There are other common nouns that people will use in casual English besides "so." You might hear someone say "That's totally summer" as opposed to "That's so summer." Both are informal ways of saying something like "That shirt you are wearing is very fashionable in the summer." People will often use "so" to casually emphasize something they are saying. For example, if I really like my coffee at a coffee shop, I might say "This coffee is so good!" instead of "This coffee is very good." or "This coffee is good." You will often see that sentences where "so" is used informally end in exclamation points (!), because people often use "so" when they are excited about something. "This coffee is so good!" "Your fashion is so New York!" "I am so excited about the new movie!"
