We’ve seen so many styles circulate in the past couple of years, one of them being Y2K. So what is the next trend after Y2K? It certainly isn’t galaxy and Aztec prints that haunt us from the early 2010s. Not to mention chunky statement necklaces and peplum tops. Don’t worry, these will hopefully stay in the 2010s where they belong. Trend forecasters are predicting that the next hot trend will be Indie Sleaze.
Indie Sleaze Revival
Indie sleaze is definitely the next big thing after Y2K. We see it surfacing with the rise of the Tumblr era. Many celebrities, like Gigi Hadid are hopping on the trend by taking photos on their Mac cameras, reminiscent of the early 2010s. We all have that core memory from middle school, when we would pose in front of our computers with our besties. So with the rise of the “Tumblr Era”, comes the rise of “Indie Sleaze”.
What is indie sleaze fashion?
Think of Effy Stonem from the show Skins. She is the epitome of Indie Sleaze. Think ripped tights or fishnets under jean shorts or dresses. Indie Sleaze is almost like a chic disheveled look. It’s reminiscent of the party culture, giving a day-after going out hungover look with a bold smokey eye and messy hair.
Another good example of Indie sleaze is little Jenny from Gossip Girl (during her rock chick era) or even the actress herself, Taylor Momsen. She wears a lot of leathers, furs, oversized band tees with fishnet tights and boots. She has that glam rock, chic disheveled look that we all wanted to achieve back in 2012. Most of us were too young to try the style back then so now we’re all eager to jump on the bandwagon and try the look.
Indie Sleaze is a style that fits in perfectly with the current thrift rage. Read the Best Thrift and Vintage Stores in New York City to find your Indie Sleaze outfit.
Indie Sleaze Aesthetic
Indie sleaze aesthetic is really based on party culture and music. A big musician at that time was Sky Ferreira and she highly impacted the aesthetic at the time. She would often be seen in baby doll dresses with fishnets and fur coats, or American Apparel tennis skirts with black combat boots. Everyone wanted to be her at the time. When I think of the Indie sleaze girl, I always think of her as the girlfriend of the rock musician, the Alexa Chung.
Partying in the 2010s was big. A great representation of the Indie Sleaze aesthetic is the popular show, Skins. The show featured a group of teens that partied hard and abused substances. The characters in the show looked disheveled and somehow made it look cool (minus the substance abuse).
The Indie Sleaze aesthetic was also based on Tumblr. The entire concept of Tumblr was aesthetic. Teens back then would take photos on their digital cameras or mac cameras with aggressive flash and share it on their Tumblr.
Indie Sleaze Makeup
When I think of Indie Sleaze makeup, I immediately think of Kesha. A lot of makeup looks featured a messy eyeliner and there was a big emphasis on the eye. Messy glitter eye makeup was also bog. Basically “messy” was key when it came to Indie sleaze makeup. Your makeup should look like you didn’t put any effort in it. Individuality is big when it comes to Indie sleaze in general, so makeup of that time reflects that as well.
2010 Indie Sleaze
American Apparel was the “it” brand of 2010s and a large part of the culture at the time. Disco pant, knee-high socks with stripes, tennis skirts and stripey tops or turtlenecks truly had us in a chokehold. The brand unfortunately proved to be highly problematic but its influence on 2010s remained.
The Olsen twins were the queens of 2010s, influencing both fashion and culture. The twins rocked the party girl style with loads of fur coats, messy makeup, and the girly with an edge look. The Olsen twins embodies the “I don’t care” attitude and style of the time.
Overall 2010s were influenced by music, pop-culture, shows and bilboards or campaigns at the time. As opposed to the current influence of influencers and TikTok.
Gen Z Indie Sleaze
Gen Z seems to be eager to hop on the Indie Sleaze trend after all the trends that have been circulating. They are sick of all the trends thrown their way, looking for more individuality. Indie sleaze was all about individuality and not caring about what others were wearing or how you were perceived so this perfectly matches the current attitude of Gen Z.
Indie Sleaze is the natural transition for Gen Z, featuring glittery makeup reminiscent of Euphoria popular among the generation. The trend is also a natural transition for Gen Z because they are moving away from wide leg jeans, back to skinny and adopting ballet flats. Gen Z is reminiscing of old technology using wired headphones or old flip phones, much like Indie Sleaze’s obsession with typewriters and record players.
The style that’s been trending with the Gen Z is the Y2K girl. This girl will now become edgy, chaotic and far from cutesy or perfect.
Indie Sleaze Fashion 2022
We are already seeing the trend on the current runways like Gucci and Saint Laurent. But how is the Indie sleaze trend present in 2022? The Italian rock band Måneskin is a great representation of the style in 2022. The band has that “I don’t care” aesthetic, featuring the edgy rock look with eyeliner and gender-free dressing. The band grew largely in popularity among Gen-Z and greatly influences the current fashion. The shift towards rock, emo music is also shifting us away from the Y2K aesthetic towards the messy, chic rock aesthetic. We can see Kortney and Travis rocking this look as well as MGK and Megan Fox.
An honorable mention is Arctic Monkeys, the “it” band of 2010s and of Indie Sleaze. The band is making a big comeback in 2022.
