grunge


Looking back to my flannel shirt days

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Pictured: Lipstick: c/o Dolce & Gabbana “Orchid” / Earrings: Bauble Bar / Necklace: Express (sold out, similar here) / Tee: Express / Flannel Shirt: Sundry / Handbag: Rebecca Minkoff / Nail Polish: Christian Louboutin “Lova” / Ring: 2 Bandits / Jeans: 7FAM (past season, also love this pair) / Shoes: MM6 Maison Martin Margiela (in black here)

Ah, the flannel shirt. Flannel shirts used to be associated with cold weather and lumberjacks. Then, in the early to mid-1990’s, the grunge movement brought out the flannel shirt as a key piece to putting together the ultimate grunge ensemble. When grunge went away and minimalism rose to prominence, the flannel shirt was folded up and shoved to the back of closet’s everywhere. Until. . .a couple of seasons ago, the flannel shirt started to creep back into the forefront of casual fashion; and for fall 2014, it has become the ultimate alternative to a lightweight jacket in the autumn season.

When I was in my undergraduate program at USF in the mid-1990’s, the grunge movement was huge. Pearl Jam was always in my CD player and I had a few flannel shirts which I wore on an almost-daily basis. I love flannel shirts. Living in San Francisco, the cool fog and changing micro-climate’s, lend themselves well to the flannel shirt. A flannel shirt was the perfect weight to keep me warm in 65 degree foggy weather, and if the sun came out, I could wrap the flannel shirt around my waist until the fog rolled back in from the bay. Since the sun normally would only peek through the fog for a few hours, it was convenient to have something around my waist to put on to keep warm. After all, don’t we all find jacket’s bulky and annoying to carry around?

At the end of the 1990’s, the flannel shirt was long gone from music and the runways. I was also out of college and working in the financial district of San Francisco. This meant casual, flannel shirts were not practical in my wardrobe. Although I missed the cozy warmth and convenience of the flannel shirt, I did have an alternative; the pashmina. Remember pashmina’s!!! They were easy to fold up and put inside your purse, making them the perfect wardrobe item to graduate to after the flannel era. Alas, as the world moved into the new millennium, the pashmina was no longer “on trend” and was deemed only appropriate as a wrap for a semi-formal or formal gown. This left a huge hole in the wardrobe’s of Bay Area Fashionista’s. After all, what could we use to keep warm when the fog rolled in? Carrying around a jacket or coat is bulky and downright annoying; so we either froze, or carried a bulky, annoying jacket around the city. Ho-hum. . . 

When I first saw grunge making a few appearances on the runways several seasons ago, I was not quite sure what to make of it. I wore this trend when it first came to fruition, so could I really wear it again? I avoided the trend at first, since as an adult, and Mother of three, I questioned whether or not I could really pull off what I wore in my 20-something college days. But as fall 2014 came around, I realized, yes, I can pull off certain aspects of the trend which feel so much like me! The flannel shirt was always my favorite part of the grunge trend back in college, so I decided this was my chance to wear something on casual days which fits my personality; and musical taste! After all, Generation X created the trend, so it is only natural that we are the ones who should own it and rock it. Can I get an “aw yeah!!”

I was thrilled when I saw this flannel shirt on ShopBop.com. I loved the colors, and the plaid offered the perfect dimensions. Since I have been wearing it this season, I remember why I loved wearing flannel shirts so much back in the 1990’s. They are comfortable and offer the perfect amount of warmth in our climate. Now it is time to pop “Temple of the Dog,” “Alice in Chains” and “Pearl Jam” into my CD player. Yes, I still use a CD player sometimes, and maybe even a record player 😉


Rocker Chic for fall 2013: the trend continues

The rocker chic trend has been going strong for several years now. For fall 2013, the edgy trend is showing no sign of slowing down. Rocker Chic touches were all over the runways in Milan, Paris, London and New York for the fall/winter 2013/2014 season. These touches are wildly popular with consumers and are dominating the fashionable streets of the world and closets of shoppers everywhere.

Studs, spikes, motorcycles jackets, leather, moto pants, biker boots and more have been on-trend for the past several seasons and are dominating for fall 2013. Everywhere you turn rocker chic touches are on store shelves, in store windows and on people walking down the street. The trend has also been boosted by the recent resurgence of the 1990’s Grunge trend which exploded when Saint Laurent featured the retro look on the fall/winter 2013/2014 runway.

If you have already been rockin’ the Rocker Chic trend for the past few years, you are in luck! You can easily shop your closet this fall and put together an outfit worthy of a Van Halen concert. If not, you are in luck too! Since the Rocker Chic trend is hot, you can find the perfect piece to rock this trend in any price point.

When shopping for the Rocker Chic trend this fall season, look for studs, spikes, grommets, leather, anything black and motorcycle jackets in any fabrication. This is a trend you can throw yourself into and look like you are walking out of a Metallica video, or you can pick one or two pieces to spice up a classic or conservative ensemble.

I found a few fabulous Rocker Chic pieces around the web and assembled them into the shopping widget below. Hope you love them! Happy shopping, stay fabulous, and rock on!

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The return of Grunge

The fashion world gasped when Saint Laurent (formally known as Yves Saint Laurent) sent models down their fall/winter 2013/2014 runway wearing ensembles reminiscent of the “Seattle Sound” era. Eventually Fashionistas everywhere regained their breath and took a second look. There they were. Models with a “who cares-I hate the world” attitude pranced down the runway in dresses reminiscent of Courtney Love’s “Doll Parts” music video combined with thrift store pieces. This was it; Saint Laurent announced to the world that grunge has returned for the fall 2013 season.

I have a love/hate relationship with grunge. The “Seattle Sound” and grunge look was popular when I was graduating from high school and during my early years of undergrad. The grunge look became popular instantly and college students who would normally be classified as “preppy” would throw a flannel shirt over their tee shirts and jeans; calling it “grunge.” Lug soled shoes, Doc Marten boots and plaid shirts were everywhere; diluting the whole message behind the anti-establishment movement.

The grunge style was originally conceived through thrift store purchases by musicians in Seattle who were barely scraping by and living hand to mouth. To see this on the runway was a true testament of going from the street to the runway; and then back to the street. Could grunge be classified as the original “street style?” Can you think of another major trend which originated on the street and then took the fashion world by storm on the runway? Why has this trend returned to the runway? The “Seattle Sound” era has ended and only remains in the CD archives of GenX-ers who occasionally want to listen to Soundgarden and Pearl Jam songs to remember the “good ‘ol days.” So why are we re-living the fashion of the time?

I will admit to being one of those “preppy” college students in the mid-90’s wearing a DKNY plaid flannel shirt over my Gap jeans and lug soled shoes from Macy’s. I will also admit to loving everything that came out of Seattle in the 1990’s and I still have many of those albums on my iPod. Will I wear grunge again? Probably not. The big question is, will you wear grunge? Did you wear it the first time around? Will the globe catch on to this trend or will it remain on the runway? Thoughts to ponder. . .

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