Hands down, I should of been an ’80s baby. The late 1980s fashion trends revolved around this concept of experimentation and attitude. Musicians like Nirvana and Peal Jam became influencers of the grunge trend—promoting trends that were loosely tied with rock n’ roll and nonchalant attitudes. The grunge style is addicting and a trend that always seems to pull it’s way back on the runway and into my closet. Although designers like Alexander Wang have been known to hold the throne for grunge behavior, a new fashion designer, Ashley Williams, recently revived this revolutionary trend on the runway for her fall 2015 fashion show. The looks portrayed trends of the late ’80s to early ’90s, featuring models that wore dark lipstick, zipped tube dresses that had skateboard stickers imprinted on them, printed punk shirts and the unconventional leggings underneath with holes cut out at the knees.
The looks embodied a loud delivery of attitude and experimentation that made it work and was intriguing. While the models maintained a fierce demeanor down the runway, neon colors were contrasted against the crystalline flashes on the dresses and hoodies. Overall, the collection held uniqueness and a bad behavior vibe that left a memorable impression.
Taking inspiration from the Ashley Williams fall 2015 ready-to-wear collection, I combined a classic ’80s punk edge with a loud festival vibe, which is exactly what Williams was going for in her collection. I want to keep my look unconventional and messy like Williams did with her pieces, while also adding to the look so that I could adapt this trend in the summer. To keep the grunge together while its hot, I switched the legging and leather pant look for a fringed, denim skirt that still managed to give off a mainstream look. To resemble the color palette of black and neon that Williams used, I picked a top had neon smiley faces on it. Since the late ’80s to early ’90s were all about skate stickers and a loud delivery, I decided to make the smiley face top the focal point just as Williams did with her stamped stickers.
My outfit includes a cropped tank from the Kendall and Kylie collection at PacSun paired with a fringed denim skirt from Free People. Wearing a flared denim skirt like the one I’m wearing can ensure comfort on a sunny day. I prefer high-waisted everything, but if you don’t feel comfortable with your midriff showing then I recommend wearing a band tank with this outfit so that the ’80s bad behavior attitude can successfully show. To add to the fierce look that the models rocked, I put on MAC’s Instigator lipstick.
With this look, you can’t go wrong with any type of shoe. The ’80s grunge trend is all about being messy and unprepared, so you can rock a pair of combats, wedges or even the choice between a studded heel and still pull the look off.
Get My Look: 1. A fringed denim skirt 2. A fun cropped top 3. Black wedges.
