By now, I’m sure we’re all familiar with the cyclical nature of fashion trends. In the past few years alone, social media has been flooded with classic 70s flared jeans, Y2K mini skirts and tracksuits, and 2000s low rise pants. While many of the current participants in these trend revivals didn’t get to experience these styles the first time they were introduced to the fashion world, there is a new trend on the rise that many of us did live through: Tumblr grunge and indie sleaze.
What are grunge and indie sleaze?
Both of these styles were characterized by dark colors and became incredibly popular across social media platforms, but particularly Tumblr, in the early 2010s. For the grunge aesthetic, think of Effy Stonem from Skins, chokers, and fishnets that all seem reminiscent of styles from the 80s and 90s. For indie sleaze, the most familiar (to me, at least) example would be Kesha at the beginning of her career—messy makeup, faux fur, glitter, and an overall disheveled look that might make people on the street think you partied all day and all night.
Although the “clean girl” aesthetic recently overtook social media sites—with simple makeup, slicked back hairstyles, and minimalist outfits—we’re now seeing a drastic shift back to the trends of the 2010s. Swapping “no-makeup” makeup looks for smudged eyeliner and smokey eyes, simple jeans for ripped tights, and claw clips for three-days-since-the-last-wash messy hair.
How to transition to these styles (without breaking the bank)
For the characteristic makeup of grunge and indie sleaze, there’s a very good chance that you already have the essentials at the bottom of your makeup bag. Black eyeliner and any dark eyeshadows are staples of both of these trends, and the best thing about it is that it takes zero experience in order to perfectly achieve the messy, slept-in look that is characteristic of Tumblr fashion (particularly with indie sleaze).
One of the defining traits of the classic, indie sleaze look was—and seems to still be—ripped tights and/or fishnets (see any old Kesha music video for reference). Basic tights can usually be found in any drugstore, so once you take your apartment keys or some scissors to them, you’ll look like you’re straight out of the 2010s club scene.
Tumblr’s take on the grunge aesthetic was very open to interpretation—everything from black jeans, to skater skirts, to baby tees was accepted, with the only defining criteria across the board being that the entire outfit was dark (primarily black). One of the only details of this style that could be found in nearly every Pinterest inspiration picture was the choker necklace, particularly the iconic black one that I’m sure many of us owned at one point or another. But if you don’t want to fully revert back to your middle school style, any simple chokers can be used to achieve the right look.
Changing up your style should be fun, and without the stress of being scared to check your bank account. Take advantage of the financial ease of these style trends!