While fashion trends churn faster and faster these days, certain styles like the grunge aesthetic will never really be considered “out.” They’ve transcended the trend cycle and have become timeless, regardless of how prevalent they were at first.
Born out of a burgeoning music scene that changed the sonic landscape forever, grunge was more than just a sound. It was a reaction to the ever-changing political and social climate, and like similar movements, it also influenced the fashion world. The grunge aesthetic has become one of the most enduring.
What is Grunge?
To get to the root of grunge style, you need to travel to the West Coast — specifically Seattle, the birthplace of the ‘90s grunge music scene. The aesthetic began in the late ‘80s but peaked in the early-to mid-’90s alongside bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, and its most famous faces are, of course, the late Kurt Cobain and his wife, Hole front woman Courtney Love.
The look matched the revolutionary new sound emanating from the West Coast: too casual to be punk with its gelled mohawks and fishnets, and a huge departure from the hair metal era of makeup and skin tight leather pants.
“Like so many of the fashion trends prior to the internet, the grunge aesthetic was influenced by the coolest looking musicians and creatives of the time who were influenced by the coolest musicians and creatives of the time before that,” explains Molli Slade, owner of Glam Diggers Vintage in St. Paul, Minnesota; Slade lived in Seattle from 1989 to 1991, just as the grunge movement began. “We got the vibe from MTV, magazines, cool record and clothing stores and live music and art shows.” The grunge look was also directly influenced by the weather in Seattle, where it’s often rainy and overcast — perfect for flannels and waffle weave long underwear shirts layered under a cardigan.
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What Defines Grunge Style?
Grunge style can be defined in a few ways, but it’s about so much more than plaid and flannel. Cobain, of course, is the definitive grunge figurehead in his baggy jeans and grandpa cardigans and probably what you think about when you hear the words “grunge style.” However, there were facets to the trend informed by the changing attitudes of the early ‘90s.