THE GRUNGE REVIVAL

It comes as no surprise that street style is looking more and more towards the 90s for inspiration, with designers such as Hedi Slimane and Dries van Noten spearheading the recent 'grunge revival' on the runway. Plaid shirts, ripped denim and visible roots are making a real comeback, and this post is dedicated to the collection that (in my eyes) best epitomises the trend in its heyday. Designed by Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis, the show featured a slew of high-profile supermodels such as Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and Kristen McMenamy, all decked out in beanies and printed harem trousers.

Kate Moss for Perry Ellis SS1993

The collection almost seemed as if it had been engineered to combat the traditional "stoner" stereotype of the grunge look - in amongst the denim were a series of ultra-feminine looks that embodied the spirit of the trend with their loose, billowing fabrics and irridescent colours. More than anything, it was as though Jacobs had designed the collection with a character in mind, focusing less on the clothes and more on the woman that would wear them.



Kate Moss for Perry Ellis SS1993

Perhaps what was most appealing about the Perry Ellis collection is that the clothes themselves are all comfortable as well as cool - in a decade in which fashion was dominated by Italian glamour in the form of Gucci & Versace, this collection provided an alternative route to looking stylish. Women such as Drew Barrymore and Chloe Sevigny became the poster girls for a generation of teenagers that grew up listening to Nirvana, and the fashion industry became more accepting of the laidback look. This collection in particular spawned an iconic editorial, titled 'Grunge & Glory,' - Nadja Auermann, Kristen McMenamy and Naomi Campbell were all chosen to appear in Vogue and catapult Perry Ellis and the brand's aesthetic into the mainstream.



Naomi Campbell, 'Grunge & Glory'



Kristen McMenamy, 'Grunge & Glory'

Fast-forward twenty years and the trend has been updated on the runway. Red checks now feature just as heavily on silk maxi skirts as they do on traditional lumberjack shirts, providing a more chic streamline silhouette. The new grunge is all about layering light fabrics and clashing prints, and hair colours are no longer restricted to bleach blonde - pastel pink, turquoise and even neon yellow have all been shown on the runway, creating a cool, edgy aesthetic for the modern teenager to replicate.



Nastya Kusakina, Dries van Noten SS13



Kate Moss in Dries van Noten SS13 for i-D magazine