The Y2K fashion trend is now very familiar to most of us and despite some objections and hesitant minds, the truth is that many of us have decided to cave in
and welcome the iconic velour Juicy Couture tracksuit back into the wardrobe as the ultimate ambassador of the trend (insert meme of Paris Hilton saying ‘That’s hot’ here).
Although shifts are the bread and butter of the fashion industry, the pandemic intensified a sense of boredom of the minimalistic style that reigned supreme for the past two years, mostly led by the likes off Bottega Veneta and The Row. There is a clear eagerness for nostalgia, a sentiment that feeds this throwback economy that moves today’s consumer culture.
The most recent #TBT dives deep into the 2010s and it’s dubbed Indie Sleaze, a micro-trend that has suddenly remerged during the autumn/winter 22/23 fashion month and stands for all things smudged, rebellious, anti-fashion, amateur-style, in-the-moment-heavy-flash photography and now-vintage technology (hence the spike in cases purchases that mimic iconic flip phones plus the heavy usage of wired headphones).
The Indie Sleaze aesthetic aspires to a provocative and grubby maximalism that has been best represented by the back-in-the-day ads from American Apparel and the vivacious party-hard clubbing, once documented all over MySpace and Tumblr. The poster girl of these roaring ‘20s is Julia Fox and her last viral looks parading her DIY looks and neo-noir-batman-like eyeliner viral moments.
What started with now ‘peanuts’ low-rise jeans and once questionable Von Dutch caps has evolved into mesh tops under tank tops, mini skirts, piled-high pearls, belts for days, sparkly butterfly tanks, platform everything, leather biker jackets, transparencies, stockings and metallic bodysuits – but fear not as all is backed up by the likes of Blumarine, Diesel, Saint Laurent, Miu Miu, Balmain, Chanel and Christopher Esber as a testament to this “trashy hipsters” momentum and its relevancy.
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Ready to upgrade your Y2K fashion? Scroll down to shop the best Indie Sleaze pieces.
Reporting by Sara King Moura