I Heart Grunge. Again.

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Grunge fashion, the iconic 90s style that was ultimately co-opted by flannel shirts and pre-ripped jeans at the Gap and modeled by Kate Moss, is on the rise again. What always appealed to me about grunge fashion was its inherent laziness. Ill-fitting clothes from Goodwill became cool. The best grunge outfit could be put together on the cheap; the only expensive and necessary accessory was your Doc Martens. Add a black ski cap, ripped fishnets and some Urban Decay makeup, and you were set. Looking disheveled was the whole point – something I wholeheartedly identified with, since I was harboring some pretty serious angst for the Bucks-wearing field-hockey-playing “everything in its right place” girls. Seriously, Bucks? What were they thinking? That’s why they’re 80% off.

A few incarnations have alluded to grunge fashion over the years, like boho (thanks for ruining that, Olsen twins), skater chic (think Avril Lavigne) and eco couture (mainly the simplicity of earth tones and vegan boots). So in a sense, it’s been with us ever since Pearl Jam appeared on “Ten” with flannel shirts, messy hair and ripped everything – which was all a backlash against glam and hair metal, which grunge thankfully put into their graves. The new grunge is, according to FocusOnStyle.com, “grunge but not grungy.” As the New York Times puts it, “this tricky style, which owes a debt to the raffish street garb of New York and London hipsters, requires a balance of pattern and proportion more artful than might be supposed.” And the strange thing is, I actually kind of like it.

I just stumbled upon polyvore.com, a totally necessary virtual changing room. Pick the clothes, shoes and accessories, drag and drop to create different looks. Yes, I realize that Barbie has a video game for that. It’s not a new idea, but it’s perfect for people like me –the stylistically challenged. I wish there was a model you could put the stuff on, but I didn’t see one, so I created this fabulous new grunge outfit that looks like it came from Goodwill and Hot Topic, but actually costs like a thousand dollars:

Another thing I like about the grunge fashion revival is the emphasis on vintage pieces. You can wear those combat boots from Goodwill with a fresh-off-the-runway Alexander Wang jacket. The juxtaposition works. So please excuse me while I check the balance on my credit card and dig up my old Pearl Jam ringer tee.

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About the Author

Kristine Empire is a narcissistic freelance writer in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She likes vintage clothes, kills every plant she touches, has a phobia of grocery stores, enjoys getting shout-outs on college radio, and her favorite city in the world is Prague.

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