Grunge, But Make It Grown

It wasn’t a phase. Twelve years after lurking through Tumblr and hiding behind my laptop scrolling through weekly Rookie Mag posts on the daily in high school, Grunge Michy is back!

When I first tried out the grunge trend, I was all about hiding my curves as I felt shy about my body. Rather than going the Kurt Cobain route, I wanted to copy Courtney Love’s style with the slip dresses, babydoll silhouettes and Mary-Jane shoes. However, I grew to like the striped shirts, distressed jeans, Docs and messy hair that embodied the grunge spirit. Though fashion at that time was still heavily gendered, grunge was uniquely unisexy as the shapes and aesthetic were purely utilitarian, not fashion.

If there was one book that got me invested in grunge, it’s Michael Lavine’s Grunge, which explained the visual origins of the style as an offshoot of punk in the ’80s. Published in the era of street style, Lavine’s book made me realize that grunge had a strong chokehold for being gender neutral.

Though I haven’t been dressing grungy for the past couple of years, I guess my high school self was ready to come out when I went out for a family lunch last weekend:

Most pieces are vintage, but you can cop the look with these links below:

Sweater dupe:

AllSaints Lou Sparkle Sweater – https://rvlv.me/e7ZxYt

Top dupes:

LaQuan Smith Bustier – https://rvlv.me/NVAKQ9

Superdown Ashleigh Cami Bodysuit – https://rvlv.me/i51xtP

Jeans dupes/exact:

EB Denim Lace Up Jeans – https://rvlv.me/lLFCaB

AFRM Sylar Jeans – https://rvlv.me/BD92eN

Boots dupe:

Dr. Martens 1460 Vegan Metallic Boots – https://www.zalora.sg/dr-martens-dr-martens-1460-vegan-silver-chrome-paint-metallic-grey-1620358.html

Published by

Michelle Varinata

Lapis - (n.) a layer Shrek once said that "onions have layers" as he was peeling one. Like an onion, I have layers. Born in Jakarta and raised in Singapore, I grew up being surrounded in a multicultural environment. Then, I moved to the States, where I lived in NYC and L.A. The creativity, hustle, bustle and vibe of those cities inspired me to become a blogger, journalist and influencer. Writing by day and living it up by night, I slay in the streets one OOTD at a time. Full-face makeup included, too. ;)

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