If you’re not familiar with 80s grunge fashion, buckle up because we’re going to take a trip down memory lane! Grunge is a fashion style and a music style at the same time. That is to say grunge is a mix between rock, metal, and punk music.
To match the vibe of this music style, the grunge fashion style is loose, messy, wild, and slightly dirty. Grunge became very popular at the beginning of the 1990s due to iconic bands like Nirvana, but the style was actually invented in the 1980s.
80s Grunge Fashion
So if you want to know what grunge style looked like in the 80s, and what the most prominent fashion trends in that style were, you’ve definitely come to the right place!
Here are the most popular 80s grunge fashion trends:
1. Fingerless Gloves
Let’s start with a fashion trend that screams both the 80s and rock & roll: the iconic fingerless gloves. These gloves are associated with music styles such as rock, metal, and punk, so it goes without saying that there are most definitely associated with grunge as well.
Some people in the 80s bought their fingerless gloves at the store, while other people made them themselves. This was very easy to do since you just had to grab an old pair of gloves and use a pair of scissors to obtain fingerless gloves. This also resulted in a very wild and nonchalant look, and that was precisely the look to go for when it came to 80s grunge.
2. Thrift Store Clothes
The grunge style was different from the other fashion trends in the 80s in the sense that grunge wasn’t about glamour, glitter, luxury, or extravagance. More precisely, the typical grunge outfit looked like it was assembled by combining diverse fashion items from your local thrift store.
Grunge is all about not really caring about how you look, and also wearing loose and faded clothes. Then to achieve the ultimate grunge look, most people used to create extra holes and tears into their clothes. Hence the “thrift shop clothing” look.
3. Doc Martens Boots
As mentioned before, the grunge style was all about punk, rock, metal, and a tough look in general. And that’s exactly why wearing iconic Doc Martens boots were so well-liked in the 80s grunge scene.
These boots were known to be durable and comfortable, exactly what you were looking for when choosing the right pair of shoes for your next grunge concert or hang out.
4. Mom Jeans
The pants of choice for 80s grunge was a decent pair of mom jeans. People that were fond of the grunge style in the 1980s liked to wear a slightly worn out pair of mom jeans, and one that was preferably a size too big.
This was inspired by the work outfits of the working class in Seattle, where the grunge style was thought to be founded. The grunge style was against the luxurious fashion items from the beginning of the 80s, and that’s why people favored these simple pieces of clothing like mom jeans.
5. Band T-Shirts
The great thing about the grunge fashion style in the 80s was that a grunge outfit was remarkably easy to assemble. For instance, if you really wanted to go with the easiest choice of them all, you could just throw on an old band t-shirt and you were good to go. Ideally, the people then would opt for a band t-shirt of a band that actually performed grunge music.
6. Black Leather
Furthermore, another fashion trend that absolutely cannot be missing from this list is black leather, especially black leather jackets. During the 1980s, people with an affinity for the grunge style would invest in a lot of clothes made from black leather. This clearly showed the close link between the grunge style and the punk subculture.
7. Plaid Shirts
Finally the most worn fashion item among people belonging to the grunge subculture in the 80s was a plaid shirt. This shirt could be worn in many different ways, but one popular way in particular was tying it around your waist. The great thing about 80s plaid shirts was that they could be worn both by men and women. It was a very versatile piece of clothing, and a key component of 80s grunge fashion.
The last thing that you should know about the grunge fashion style of the 80s was that it all revolved around layers. For instance, the perfect grunge outfit would be wearing a pair of Doc Martens boots, mom jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and a band t-shirt to go over it. Then, people used to wear a plaid shirt and a black leather jacket over all of this to complete the outfit. All of these layered fashion items didn’t even need to match, and that truly added to the 80s grunge charm!
Is 80s Grunge Fashion Still Popular?
Though not as popular as it once was, grunge is still a very popular movement in America, and grunge fashion is really one of those timeless genres. For the most part grunge fashion hasn’t really changed too much over the years, and anyone that has been to a grunge concert recently can attest to the same.
Regardless if you’re a big grunge music fan or just looking to switch up your style, definitely try out some of the aforementioned fashion trends to mix things up a bit. The 80s grunge fashion trend is here to stay, so don’t be afraid to try this iconic look from the best decade ever.
