// Key Look// Grunge

16th May 2011 16:59:39

I imagine having seen grunge at the top of the page you may have rolled your eyes and said, ‘no no, I do not think so, that is not for me... Not one bit!’ But just think about it, have you ever worn a rock’n roll tour T-shirt under a checked shirt? You probably didn’t even know who Tommy, Johnny, Joey or Dee Dee were, but, the Ramones’ Tee looked cooler than your average so it was bought, popped, pressed and worn?

The grunge movement, or ‘Seattle sound’ as it is sometimes referred to became prominent in the late eighties putting the sub-urban angst and disassociation you usually get with punk in a blender with the complexity and shudder of metal pulsing until smooth, well smoothish. The movement is seen to be accidentally nurtured by Sonic Youth and The Pixies, Kurt Cobain saying of the latter, ‘I love that band so much I should be in it.’ With the growing scene becoming a movement, bands like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Naturally Nirvana becoming not only big fish in the genre they were at the forefront of popular culture. It has been said that the scene came out of ‘second city syndrome,’ Seattle being largely ignored by the New York/ L.A.-centric press, growing like a solitary rose in a unkept garden, thorny tracts shooting above the undergrowth. The style and substance coming from the way most things do after becoming insular; Mudhoney singer songwriter Mark Arm described it as ‘...being really inbred and ripping off each other’s ideas...’

The grunge style is just as recognisable as the music, and has grown in recent years becoming a increasingly popular and adaptable look. Just as the Strokes and Libertines evolved the Ramone’s drain-piped rawk, the next generation of noise artists like WAVVES and 2:54 have taken the Seattle dirge up a notch. As the first paragraph quietly touched on the flannel checked shirt, and washed out Tee is a must have. Our own Ettiene Ozeki button down shirt would hit this head on, maybe oversized, take a XL if you’re an L to give it that thrift store look. So we have an unbuttoned and unrefined shirt, the underlying tee needs to be chosen pretty carefully, Diesel has that slice of Pacific Americana, but I think we’ll head for The Elvis Jesus ‘The Clush’ white T Shirt. This design has a little punk heritage so I think a good choice all things considered. Too finish it all off The DSquared Heavy paint jean again adds a bit of authenticity to it all, especially when thoroughly worn in, a little fade and a knee tare or two may not go to far amiss, but then again it is for wearing as a day to day thing so unless you’re hitting the road touring that maybe a step too far! I suppose it goes without saying a pimsole hi-top is the only way to shoe in the final touches too? I thought so.

As with most styles you can take a little influence from here and there so don’t be too intimidated just because of the grunge influence, just go with whatever your natural level is and be happy you’ve woven a little piece of history into your fashion.