No products in the cart.
Between the end of the 80s and the beginning of the 90s, the grunge style changed the world, contaminating global fashion, the result of the aesthetic characteristic of that musical genre of which Nirvana di Kurt Cobain were the initiators. Let’s get to know him better.
It is now certain that the 90s style is back in fashion. We explored it in the article dedicated to the 90s style, recalling those that were undoubtedly the golden age for fashion, between supermodels and revolutionary, carefree and rebellious, precisely the grunge.
But where and how exactly did the grunge style come about and how does it fit into the landscape of costume and fashion? Let’s start from the origins: the musical grunge style was born in Western America, between the end of the eighties and the beginning of the nineties, as a sign of rebellion against the problems of society. In a short time it also took over street style, presenting a disillusioned and rebellious image, fleeing from the luxurious splendor typical of the 80s, to which a poorer aesthetic is preferred.
This way of dressing is therefore a reflection of the musical style born in Seattle, in the United States. For Nirvana, the band that marked the birth of this style and imposed it internationally, the strength of music is precisely the way to externalize the anguish and malaise of society. Subsequently, other bands such as Pearl Jamhelped soften grunge, making it more musically accessible and more popular.
The Western world of those years was bombarded with inputs from a particularly lively cultural industry: the world of entertainment and art thus gave rise to very different trends which, in turn, generated a fashion that was a melting pot of numerous styles, often opposite.
In that decade, therefore, what in the previous decades was felt and experienced only in a confusing way is put into action: this is precisely the period in which style becomes the identification of belonging to a specific socio-cultural sphere, a principle that survives even today, stronger than ever.
Although the grunge movement did not survive for long, as some of its pioneers saw their careers decline in the first half of the 90s, the first “grunge” aesthetic, the authentic one, indelibly marked the history of costume and fashion. international fashion, cyclically offering ideas to stylists, designers and fashion brands in the following decades.
To really understand the grunge style it is essential to look for archival photos and videos of the artists and musical bands that represented it, thus really delving into the aesthetics of that period.
Among the styles that dominated the 90s scene, just bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Hole made mainstream a style made of baggy sweaters, ripped jeans and uncombed hair, becoming icons and models of grunge.
Their style is only apparently “scruffy”, casual and not studied at all, and for this reason it represented a real “non-fashion”.
The characteristic elements of a typical grunge look are:
flannel shirts;
oversized, baggy and worn jeans;
used shoes and amphibians;
graphic and washed-out t-shirts;
denim fabrics,
and any item of clothing that would cancel out the shapes and silhouette of the body, emphasizing instead a practical and functional look, with dark tones and made up of materials of “discordant” weights and invoices.
Let’s try now, after a few decades, to re-propose the grunge style in a contemporary way, but remaining as faithful as possible to its original canons, without distorting it.
If the grunge style is really what you want to recreate, you can wear vintage jeans, which are faded, “worn” effect, possibly ripped at the knees.
Iconic the checked shirt, strictly:
in winter flannel;
in cotton in spring;
in summer to be kept open (or semi-buttoned).
Under the shirt you can wear a t-shirt to be seen, and it must preferably have prints or graphics, never slim fit, but wide, even better if oversize. A delave sweater or sweatshirt to wear around the waist is a characteristic element, more than for the use you can make of it, above all because it will make your outfit occasional, casual and little studied.
As an alternative to jeans, you can wear a short skirt or shorts, under which you will have to combine dark socks. Men’s sweatshirts, those stolen from the wardrobe of the “boyfriend”, cannot be missing in the wardrobe of a woman who wants to re-propose a grunge look.
On the feet, undoubtedly, amphibians, both laced and untied, even more “casual” effect. The shoe should not be flashy, the brand is not absolutely mandatory, on the contrary, a too flashy brand would make the outfit not very credible.
also a fundamental accessory in defining a grunge look: in fact, they have the task of enriching the outfit but without upsetting it. So go to eco-leather bags with an aged effect, patches, “worn” leather, and long shoulder straps, but also simple and soft single-color crochet buckets that seem taken from their mother’s wardrobe.
Here are some solutions designed by JNH to obtain a perfect Grunge style.
For women:
For men:
