The 90s Grunge Fashion Trend is Back in Action

It smells like teen spirit. Okay, so what does that even mean? We grew up hearing the phrase on the radio, singing along to it and getting excited when it came on the radio. But in all honesty, what on earth does teen spirit smell like? I imagine one of two things; either a stick of deodorant marketed to teens or a dirty gym bag. Either way, it’s not all that pleasant. But it certainly does bring back memories of the early 90s when grunge fashion was in style full force. It’s one of those moments in which you look back at your photos and shudder thinking of the dirty, oversized, baggy jeans, the black tees and the overwhelming look of homelessness that we thought made us look very, very cool. Remember Travis from Clueless? Yes, that’s the grunge fashion look. And sadly, I hate to say this with every fiber of my being, it’s coming back into fashion.

Oversized Plaid

While we love a tartan blanket scarf, we can’t say we love the idea of oversized plaid shirts covering baggy jeans and crop tops. However, it’s back. The good news is that fashionistas of today are making this look work in a way that’s just a tad bit more sophisticated than it was in the 90s. Thank goodness is all we have to say.

Baggy Jeans

Again, we don’t love a baggy jean. But we do love a boyfriend jean, and isn’t it the same thing in a more elegant manner? As someone with a few pair of boyfriend jeans of her own, I can’t judge. I can just say that at least this time we’re focusing on something a little more flattering than the look back in the 90s.

Slogan Shirts

The slogan shirt was big in the grunge era. The name of rock bands, the black, heavy metal lettering; it was the rage. Now it’s a little bit more refined. Instead of tees that tout things like Nine Inch Nails, we have tees that are still baggy, still ‘grungy’ but have saying such as “Brunch, because mimosas” and “Jesus Loves Me,” and things like “Wine Not,” (which, I’m not lying, is the shirt I’m wearing right now with leggings and fuzzy socks because our Florida weather has dipped down into the 60s and I have two sick school kids home with me and the twins for the day – getting dressed is not happening). We definitely like today’s grungy slogan tees a lot better.

Photo by Thos Robinson/Getty Images for Grungy Gentleman