Nevermind Plaid

A perhaps little-known fact about me is that my childhood bedroom resembled a quasi-shrine to Nirvana and, more specifically, Kurt Cobain. Though my teenage angst has paid off well, I still rock Nirvana on my iPod and probably always will. And this is how I found myself driving to work on (yet another) rainy day, listening to "Heart Shaped Box" and thinking about grunge rock.

If your musical tastes don't include Nirvana, I'm not sure we can be friends anymore--but I can at least share a little trivia. The grunge movement was born of punk, heavy metal, and indie rock in the late 80s and generally credited to the Seattle area of Washington. However, grunge rock didn't really see commercial success until the early 90s, marked by the release of Nirvana's Nevermind (hollerrr) and Pearl Jam's Ten (a little shout out to Lizzie) in 1991. It was at this time that Nirvana skyrocketed to success, surprising the music industry, the band, and Kurt--who never intended to be the voice of his generation.

It's been fifteen years since the death of Kurt Cobain, but the music and the movement still live--on my iPod and in my wardrobe, where plaid and destroyed denim are worth their weight in gold. Since we're all friends here (pending taste in music), I'll let you in on a little secret: there's no cure for the rainy day blues like angsty rock and a plaid shirt. Trust me, I would know.

The key to wearing plaid is looking more like a rock star and less like a farmer. This can be accomplished in a number of ways:
1.) Choose a fitted plaid shirt to maintain a more feminine silhouette.
2.) If your plaid shirt is loose, cinch it at the waist with a skinny belt and add a pair of skinny jeans underneath.
3.) If your plaid shirt is loose and/or long, wear it as a dress with leggings underneath.

Of course, no grunge look is complete without destroyed denim. For those faithful blog-reading fashionistas out there, I know you're all pros when it comes to DIY denim destruction. However, if you have yet to take the destructive plunge, know this: you get to channel all of your angst into ripping, bleaching, fading--and the result is the ultimate in grunge fashion.



Somehow I doubt that Kurt Cobain would approve of my grunge a la Bergdorf's, but it was Kurt himself who once said, "I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." So love me or hate me, but give grunge a chance. It's nothing if not totally fierce. You know I'm right.






Images, in order of appearance: (1) Kurt Cobain, photo courtesy of Pretty In Black (www.realprettyinblack.blogspot.com); (2) Joie Gemni Belted Plaid Shirt Dress $244, available at Bergdorf Goodman (www.bergdorfgoodman.com); (3) Kurt Cobain, photo courtesy of www.thehundreds.com; (4) J. Brand 12" Pencil Leg Ripped Tie Dye Skinny Jeans in Thrasher $218, image from Denimology (www.denimology.co.uk); Kurt Cobain, photo courtesy of Pretty In Black.