Grunge fashion
Definition Fashion trend
Grunge fashion ironically arose from a complete rejection of
fashion. The look created by muted colors and lumberjack
plaid flannel, long hair, goatees, and clunky boots embod-
ied the new no-frills ideal of the grunge rock movement that
contradicted the previously popular all-frills bombast of
hair metal. Grunge appeal influenced not only varied gen-
res of the music scene nationwide but also saturated Ameri-
can culture, the effects of which can still be seen today in the
popular casual wear of a long-sleeve T-shirt beneath a polo
shirt, for example.
Grunge has been hailed by the fashion-forward and
myriad magazines as antistyle since its inception.
Born of the Seattle music scene of the early 1990’s,
which produced bands such as Nirvana and Pearl
Jam, the grunge movement evolved out of a wide-
spread refusal among these bands and their fan
bases to participate in trendy styles of clothing and
hair. Instead, these bands wore onstage that which
they might wear each day, and being the Pacific
Northwest, this included flannel, long-sleeve T-shirts,
jeans, and boots. Much of the look established by
this musical movement originally meant to symbol-
ize the working-class spirit that focused on music
rather than image, but ultimately the image became
inseparable from the music. As with many other pre-
vious music and fashion trends, “grunge” came to
symbolize an entire subculture that would be a defin-
ing element of the 1990’s.
Aesthetically, the minimalist approach reflected
the collective apathy expressed by those at the latter
end of Generation X; the appeal of thrift store fare
paired with expensive Doc Martens footwear popu-
larized by grunge swept the United States, moving
grunge from an alternative movement out of Seattle
to a cross-genre popular fashion trend.
Impact Effects of grunge permeated American cul-
ture in the larger sense, and one does not have to
look far to note the 1990’s emphasis on olive and
slate colors in home and office decor. Fashion de-
signers such as Calvin Klein exploited grunge
themes and incorporated them into clothing lines.
More recently, Marc Jacobs’s 2004 fall line was
touted as “grunge inspired” by many fashion maga-
zines.
Other key influences in this fashion fad include
the rebirth of the coffeehouse culture, also estab-
lished largely in Seattle in the early 1990’s. Before
Starbucks became ubiquitous, the dark coffeehouse
with mismatched chairs and tableware, full of smok-
ing bookworms and hip young professionals, was
a staple of Seattle life. The link between the cof-
feehouse and the grunge music scene culminates in
a film such as Cameron Crowe’sSingles (1992),
which chronicles the lives of a group of twenty-
somethings through the ennui of this cultural mo-
ment.Further Reading
Anderson, Kyle.Accidental Revolution: The Stor y of
Grunge. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007.
Lieberman, Rhonda. “Springtime for Grunge.”
Artforum International31, no. 8 (April, 1993): 8.
Lomas, Clare.The 80’s and 90’s: Power Dressing to
Sportswear. Milwaukee, Wis.: Gareth Stevens, 2000.
Christina C. AngelSee also Alternative rock; Coffeehouses; Fads;
Fashions and clothing; Grunge music; Heroin chic;
Lollapalooza; Nirvana. Grunge music
Definition Alternative rock subgenre inspired by
a combination of sounds from heavy metal and
punk rockGrunge music, which originated in the Seattle area, became
commercially successful in the early 1990’s and quickly be-
came the most popular alternative music of the time. In ad-
dition, grunge became the defining music of Generation X,
who came of age during this decade.The term “grunge” was coined by a British journalist
to describe the style of music played by a group of
bands in the Seattle area in the late 1980’s. At the
time, the most well-known grunge band was a group
called Green River, whose popularity was limited to
the Seattle area. Despite the fact that Green River
was together for only a few short years, the band re-
leased three albums on the record label Sup Pop, a
company that would become famous for signing
some of the most prominent grunge bands. Green
River’s style greatly influenced the grunge move-
ment, and, after the band broke up, four of Green
River’s former members went on to form two otherThe Nineties in America Grunge music 385