Indie Sleaze Vs. The Messy Girl
The modern day look, coined “messy girl” or “rockstar gf” by swarms of TikTok users is all the rage in fashion these days. But where did this look stem from? A general vibe emerged in the 90s from the effortless grunge looks pulled by baggy jeans, satin camisoles, and dark color palettes. However grunge didn’t create the entire look, rather a resurgence in the late 2000s-mid 2010s, named Indie Sleaze, gave way to the iconic messy girl.
What is Indie Sleaze?
Indie sleaze is an aesthetic popularized in the US and UK from 2006-2014. Popularized by effortless, chic clothing centered around a casual club look with smudged dark makeup. The vision was to look like you just woke up from a night after the club still looking cute. Brands based around this vision were American Apparel, Urban Outfitters, Francescas, and Wet Seal. A makeup look consisting of smudged black eye makeup, usually liner and black eyeshadow, some loose glitter, mostly bare base and eyebrows, and either bare, neutral, or dark toned lip liner and no lipstick. Popular icons using indie sleaze in their work were Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson, Kesha’s look in her first two albums, Kate Moss, Lindsey Lohan, and Zoe Kravitz, among many others. Indie Sleaze is almost a subculture itself; while it combines visual aesthetics, it was also drawn together by music, the first wave of Indie. This includes Lana Del Rey’s first album, the 1975’s first chart topper, the XX, Sky Ferreira, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and MIA.
What is the Messy Girl?
The messy girl aesthetic is an antithesis to the clean girl. The clean girl has her life in order, eats all of her vegetables, works out 5x a week, all while looking put together and neat. The messy girl rivals this—the messy girl has leftover makeup and a messy updo and barely pulls herself together but manages to meet the same end goal as the clean girl. The messy girl is not its own vision but rather a response to an already existing one, so think untucked shirts, baggy jeans, messy hair, chipped nails, and old makeup. While it has some things in common with Indie Sleaze, its color palette matches that of the clean girl: bright neutrals and light earthy tones.
How to make and Indie Sleaze outfit:
Most of your clothing should be from American Apparel (Los Angeles Apparel) or Urban Outfitters.
Start with a basic, slightly oversized graphic tee in a dark color. It doesn’t have to be black—any dark shade will do.
Add tights, preferably black ripped/pre distressed ones but any will do.
Add distressed denim shorts, these should barely cover your butt, nothing below mid-thigh.
Add a black chunky belt, preferably one with a silver buckle but it should be black or a very dark color, you can also sub this for a gold or silver boho belt.
Add black/gray Doc Martens, knee highs, or rain boots.
Add dangle fringe earrings and a gold/silver statement necklace if wanted. Or, layered necklaces with a deep drop one.
Try to go for long hair with a slight tease at the top for a natural bedhead look, or a layered fringe bob.
Optional: beanie that sits partly back on the head.
How to make a Messy Girl Outfit:
Light washed, straight-leg loungewear sweats or baggy jeans.
Untucked button-up that sits off the shoulder or a plain short sleeve that leaves a slight midriff gap between the bottoms and the shirt.
Dirty Converse or Air Forces
Messy Updo (Ponytail or Bun, if ponytail—must be a high ponytail)
Leftover makeup from the night before
Minimal/basic jewelry