Layer It Cool With Grunge Fashion
If old school fashion is your idea of style, your attitude is laid back but cool, and 90s music and style influences you, the grunge it is for you. The term grunge was originally to describe the alternative rock music genre and their unruly sense of fashion. As the trend evolved in the 1990s, designer Marc Jacobs was the first to transpire this trend and debuted it on his spring collection’s luxury platform.
The fashion world has witnessed the evolution of grunge as years passed and became equally popular among the classes and the masses.
What’s A Grunge Outfit Like?
The concept of grunge clothing is typically baggy, distressed clothes, and layers of it. A classic example would be a pair of baggy torn denim with a loose tee and teaming them with a jacket. If you want to go all out on this style, don’t forget your shoes, clothes, accessories/jewelry, and most importantly, attitude. As easy as it looks, it requires a thoughtful chain of thoughts to look so effortlessly cool and indifferent. Don’t lose hope; it’s completely doable with these simple ways.
The Clothing
Pick a plaid shirt and don’t go all colorful, perhaps darker tones such as brown, black, gray, or dark green. If you want to add a hint of colors, choose red, burgundy, or mustard yellow. You can get a loose flannelled shirt at the thrift store at a bargain because you aim for a faded look. If you are buying a new plaid shirt, drop your girly-mode and choose a loose-fitting one. You can even find one in the men’s section. You can wear the shirt all by itself or layer it on some other shirt underneath.
Grunge represents music and artists like Nirvana, Curt Cobain, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, to name a few. If you can wear a similar band t-shirt, it will represent the style, especially if you can find a vintage one. If you prefer wearing a fitted t-shirt, layer it out with a loose plaid shirt or oversized overalls. Alternatively, crop tops complement grungy. Find one that is plain black, grey, maroon, or white. If you can’t find one, cut an old tee jaggedly in its lower portion. It looks great when you tie a flannel around the waist. If you don’t want to go oversized all the way, pair a tank top underneath a flannel shirt.
If your style is more girly and cutesy, dismay not. Soft grunge is at your rescue. Replace the colors with softer ones. Pick a plaid dress or even a floral baby doll dress but subtler in colors. Wear a flannel shirt over it or tie it around the waist to notch it down for irony. Make it look messier and less preppy. Another way to go soft grunge is to follow the new grunge style as it gained popularity in 2010 on social media. Begin a soft grunge look with colored hair, perhaps lavender, coral, silver, or pastel ombre. Team a loose band t-shirt with distressed tights or leggings and combat boots. On a chilly day, you can layer it up with a blazer, leather jacket, plaid shirt, or the classic denim jacket.
A classic grunge item to own and wear during spring and summer is a pair of torn, vintage-inspired denim shorts. You can’t go wrong pairing this with anything grungy, be it a plaid shirt, band tee, or a crop top. Team it with a pair of stockings and combat boots, and accessorize to complete the look.
If you want to go grunge but don’t have the money for it, we got two words for you, Thrifting and DIY. Thrift stores can offer you the best at a bargain. Or you can even create your own distressed jeans!
The Shoes
The shoes complete the outfit, and inappropriate shoes bring down an ensemble. If your clothing is grungy, the shoes ought to be too. The classic is nonchalant clunky combat lace-up boots and Doctor Martens. These shoes compliment the classic grunge or the soft grunge ensemble alike. You may also go for canvas trainers such as Converse or Vans. Gumboots, flatform sandals, and creepers work incredibly well in completing a grunge look.
Accessories
If you want to look more distinct and carefree against the social norms, accessorize the part. Accessories help you communicate without saying a word. Take a beanie, for instance. It can change your look in a snap, and you didn’t even know it was so effortless with a humble beanie. Another easy but effective headgear would be a bandana. Its versatility can let you wear it as a headband, scarf, or handkerchief. A baseball cap also ups the grunge game. You won’t even need to buy it if you can borrow one of your brother’s or even dad’s. Talks about headgears, a bowler hat can really up the ante.
If you want to add a hint of a feminine yet rebellious touch, try stockings like knee highs, thigh highs, or full-on pantyhose. And don’t worry if they are torn; that only uplifts the look. Eyeliners play a significant role in completing your look. Keep them dark, thick, and winged to look the part. Give your hair the hues and go a little overboard—Purple, blue, gray, pastel ombres; all scream grunge. Metal studded bags and backpacks can add a sparkle and make your grunge look even more fabulous. The accessories list is incomplete with a pair of sunglasses, a pair that looks more carefree.
Jewelry
The tiniest item to complete your grunge looks and is yet the game-changer is jewelry. A classic item would be a choker because it can easily blend without worrying about it matching with your look. Fill up your wrists with leather bracelets, perhaps studded and vintage. Chunky rings, gothic-inspired earrings, and belt chains can never go wrong to add more personality and character to your style. The tiny trinkets of jewelry will definitely add up to quite a powerful ensemble.