Nonothing is created, nothing is destroyed, everything is transformed. The founding principle of modern chemistry can surprisingly also be applied to the world of fashion, where the trends of the past return, renewed and revisited from season to season. The walkways of the Spring Summer 2023 they rediscovered the grunge stylethe aesthetic born in conjunction with the homonymous musical genre at the beginning of the the nineties, especially in the city of Seattle. Flannel shirts, oversized sweaters, slip dress and printed T-shirts: these are the basic elements of the perfect grunge wardrobe. Although three decades have passed since that unrepeatable historical moment, the style linked to that youth movement continues to exert an unparalleled fascination. Today like yesterday.
Fashion as a personal expression
The year in which the world finally notices the grunge style is 1991when the band led by Kurt Cobain releases his best-known album, Nevermind. Together with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, Nirvana become the musical and aesthetic reference point for the new generations. The clothes don’t want to send a message or rebel against the status quo, as it was for punk, but they want to reflect and tell the personality of the wearer. The silhouettes are large and oversized, the overall effect is scruffy. Not by chance the word grunge it is a slang term that really means filth, filth. The clothing is characterized by pullovers unshaped or with holes, jeans torn, flannel shirtsprinted T-shirts, amphibians And sneakers from the effect used. Next to the dark shades they triumph prints eclectic and varied, such as tartan, flowers or stripes, to be rigorously mixed without logic. The end result is chaotic, discordant, disruptive.
The grunge style from Marc Jacobs to today
Grunge, in all its forms, became a global phenomenon, soon accepted and interpreted also by the more institutional fashion industry. If Grace Coddington and Steven Meisel are the first to photograph him for a fashion magazine, in 1993 he will be Marc Jacobsthen creative director of Perry Ellis, to take it to the catwalk. The infamous Grunge Collection dotted with silk petticoats, printed t-shirts, plaid shirts, a real photograph of the youth culture at the time, it cost him his dismissal. The work of the American designer was followed by the collections, inspired by that same trend, by Anna Sui, Calvin Klein And Christian Francis Roth. Grunge was officially in fashion.
Supermodel Shalom Harlow walks the runway for Perry Ellis in what has now become the iconic Grunge Collection, signed by Marc Jacobs
Thirty years later, grunge style remains a fixed presence on the catwalk, as well as a constant source of inspiration for designers and maisons. For Spring Summer 2023, for example, Marni offers a colorful and avant-garde interpretation; Raf Simons starts from perfect biker jacket; Chopova Lowena expands its distinctive tartan skirt towards new horizons. The denim remains the protagonist, faded or distressedin a midi skirt, jeans or jacket version, from Blumarine, Gaucher And Givenchy. And finally Bottega Veneta to give the most original and refined interpretation, thanks to the apparently denim trousers and the flannel shirt, both made of leather.
The grunge style on the SS23 catwalks. From left: Marni, Bottega Veneta, Chopova Lowena
Knitwear and slip dress
You couldn’t talk about grunge fashion without mentioning these two elements, which often come together to create feminine and avant-garde looks. This season to propose them are Versacein a total black variant with transparent details; Acne Studioswho prefers a “wave” hem and a delicate shade; Ottolingerwith extra long sleeves; Paco Rabannewhich adds holes and metal elements to it.
The knit dress or coordinated is a cornerstone of the grunge aesthetic. For Spring Summer 2023, it is proposed by: Ottolinger, Versace, Acne Studios
L’petticoat dress it remains a wardrobe evergreen, perfect to find in vintage shops or second-hand apps. To decline it in a grunge key, ad hoc cuts and prints are needed, like those seen by Prada And Diesel. The combination with a T-shirt that peeks out under the shoulder straps of the dress is timeless, as per DSquared2 And Hill Roadin a mix and match unexpected and fun.
The grunge style remains the reference aesthetic for free spirits who tell their story through what they wear.
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