GRUNGE

INTRODUCTION
The literal meaning of grunge is dirt.
Before coming into fashion the word "grunge was used
by the writer Paul Ramball in 1978 New Musical Express
article to describe mainstream guitar rock.
The grunge was one of the important phenomenon of
1990s.Grunge was actually revival of 1970s hard rock.
It became successful music genres with the emerge of
band like Nirvana, Alice in chain, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney etc.
The grunge fashion is nothing but the style that is based
around grunge music scene-its comfortable ,dirty, ad
heavily steeped in flannel.
Grunge fashion in a way was subtle protest against the
materialistic culture and the high society lifestyle.
The grunge look has a distinct I DONT GIVE A DAMN!
attitude.

HISTORY
Grunge (sometimes From the beginning of the
90s,Grunge came into existence in the fashion industry
with the emergence of the American rock bandNirvana.
. The success of these bands boosted the popularity of
alternative rock and made grunge the most popular
subculture during the 90s.
Grunge style, developed from the style of grunge
musicians is a working-class look highlighted by the
flannel shirts, combat boots, and ripped jeans favored
by suburban teenagers, was suddenly seen everywhere.
It was then the fashion industry started to adopt the
style statement of the genre called Grunge.
The first mention of grunge in the fashion industry was
in Women's Wear Daily on 17 August 1992 .

The main motive behind original

grunge fashion

Bruce Pavitt
and Jonathan
Poneman
created this
legendary
tshirt in 1991which carried
the main
essence behind
grunge look!

As Jean Paul Gaultier

said, Grunge is
nothing more than

Fashion Characteristics
Layering of clothes, wearing oversized clothes, cheap clothing from thrift
stores and army surplus outlets.

Iconic items for men and women were:

Clothes::
Ripped and faded jeans and
Denim shorts
Tartan prints
Baggy flannel shirts(for warmth and it is one inseparable part of
grunge look) or
Wool Pendletons layered over dirty T-shirts with outdatedlogos
Cargo Pants
Vintage floral-print dresses and baby-doll nightgowns worn with
old and over-sized sweaters
Ripped stockings

Main iconic items

Baby Doll Dress

Flannel Shirt

Kilt or Tartan
skirt

For accessories there were:

Black combat-style boots such as Dr. Martens,
Dirty sneakers,
Converse(high tops),
Beanies for warmth and unkempt hair,
Leather bracelets etc
Grunge make up includes:
Bushy eyebrows
Dark lips like wine stained look
Tattoos and piercing

Beanies

Dirty
Sneakers

Combat
Boots

Leather

Beanies

Modern
runway grunge
make up.
Courtney
Love, in real
grunge
make up.

Iconic personalities influencing

grunge fashion

August

1992

Kurt Cobains style

inspires
Marc Jacobs

Cobains signature style

The grunge look, wasnt really a look; it was actually what

Cobain really wore.

An inspiration to the
designers
Hedi Slimanes fall
2013 collection for
Saint Laurent was
an unabashed ode
to grunge, with
super luxurious
renditions of
tattered mohair
sweaters and fauxRaf
Simons
fur coats
that could
created
an straight
have fallen
entire
seriesback.
of
off Cobains
blossoming
prints for his
menswear
collection last
spring inspired

Cobain inspired bed head

Cobains messy hair style
became so popular that in
2003, a hairstyling
product line called Bed
Head was launched that
sought to create, with a
twenty-five-dollar
shampoo and
accompanying products,
the same look Kurt
achieved with a twentynine-cent bar of soap.
Kurt essentially rolled out
of bed and, moments
later, was a style icon.

Music and culture writer Julianne

Escobedo Shepherd said,
Not only did he make it okay to
be a freak, he made it desirable.

90s Grunge Vs. Modern

Grunge

Modern Grunge
The 90s grunge has been reinvented in
the new millennium as Grunge Luxe.
girls are portraying Grunge by wearing
oversize knits, ripped skinnies, shredded
tops, embellished military boots.
The revival of the 90s grunge can be
seen in the form of loose crop tops
whimsical chiffon dresses, vibrant red
shear ling coats and those rock star
inspired tops.

Grunge on the runway

From where it started?

Pioneer of
runway grunge-

Perry Ellis 1992

2014 Grunge Runway

Indian designers

Boyfriend jackets
in enzyme-washed
denim with leather
collars and
applique feature
prominently in

Grunge
elements like
criss-cross
mesh patterns
and zippers
appear in

Anand
Bhushan is
giving grunge
a glamorous
spin in his
womens

Nikhil
Thampi is
reinterpret
ing grunge
in edgy
saris by

Hollywood &
Grunge

Neon, 1994. Inspired

chic grunge.
My own private
Idaho, 1996.
portrays 90s
original grunge
with leather
jackets, ripped
jeans, high water
pants, and
combat boots;
Many consider
Pump up the
volume, 1990 to

Clueless, 1995.
Original grunge and a
bit glammed up
grunge.

Movies in the 21st

century

Bollywood and grunge

fashion
Unlike Hollywood, Bollywood has never
showcased the grunge fashion much. A
few examples:

Celebrities in Grunge
look

Amy Winehouse
brought the beehive
and thick eyeliner
back; she also
brought bad tattoos
and the grunge look
back!

Recent designer
collections

Tom Ford 2014

collection
Fall 2014 Collection
for London Fashion
Week Ford played with opposites, combining
contrary, polar opposite muses for a
collection that defied stereotype.
The result is a collection that is as much
rugged and athletic as it is darkly glamorous
and refined. One of Fords most enticing
ensembles resulted from combining the
loungewear-staple jersey with eveningappropriate sequins. Hundreds of sequins
adorned the sporty dress.

Yves Saint Laurent

Autumn/Winter 2013-14
The Yves Saint Laurent show in
Paris for their Autumn/Winter
2013 collection caused a bit of
fashion industrycontroversy. One
fashion editor actually saidI feel
like hes playing a huge joke on
the entire fashion industry,.
While another, much more
positively noted that Its haute

Conclusion
Grunge opened the door to recycled clothes for everyone as a
fashionable, and even a chic, choice. Grunge defined a new approach to
dressing that included layering and juxtapositions of patterns and
textures. The DIY(Do it yourself) approach to dress has become the
norm, giving the consumer the freedom to choose, to not be a slave to
one look or designer, and the confidence to create personal ensembles
with the goal of self-expression through style.
To conclude, Grunge is one of those trends that experiences frequent
resurgences, and every time it comes back around we like to give it a
new twist to make it fresh and exciting. The core elements of the
grunge trend, however, will always remain the same. Exploring through
the history of grunge and getting to the heart of the trend it is safe to
state that this whole grunge fashion revolution comes down to one
single thing- Attitude.
Its about being your own self and not being a slave of any trend or rule.
To quote Nirvana, its to Come As You Are.

Bibliography