I heart the ’90s

It has been more than a decade since grunge fashion first sashayed into our sensibilities. Its first attempt more than 10 years ago was, well, hardly recognized on the catwalk as it was more of an anti-fashion statement loudly spoken by the music scene. The late Kurt Cobain’s wife Courtney Love was the grunge muse – her baby-whore image came complete with baby-doll dresses, combat boots and streaked mascara.

At that time, fashion was strolling down a totally different avenue, taking long walks in the glamorous street with giants Armani and Versace. Of course, it wasn’t long until fashion took notice of the anti-glam market and several designers soon released collections dedicated entirely to this music/fashion movement.

Plaid shirts, tattered and worn-out jeans, and statement tees were seen on the backs of an entirely new generation of models. Reed-thin, messed-up hair and blank eyes – the look was collectively known as "heroin chic," coined after the choice drug at the time. Trash was to be made fabulous, it then seemed, but this is where fashion took a wrong turn.

The essence of grunge was to be anti-"It." Not to be seen basking in the spotlight, but to be noticed quietly in the background. The music was not meant to be heard in chic clubs, but to be played in dimmed bars where kids who would never be caught dead in the fashion of the time hung out. Grunge was a mixture of teenage angst, personal loathing and tons of issues; Grunge was not meant to be made into a dress and picked up by fashion editors and style experts.

Not long after, the trend died out along with the music. Pop prevailed and in came a throng of glittered platform shoes and flat-front, boot-cut pants. Courtney Love, too, has cleaned up her act.

Fast-forward to 2006. Music’s creative influence in fashion is evidently way up again. Rock and roll is the biggest trend this year and it comes in varieties – from The Clash’s Brit-punk look to Ziggy Stardust’s glittery ensembles: leather cuffs, plastic lightning bolts and gold electric guitar brooches. Of course, grunge is not far from the picture.

This year’s incarnation of Grunge sticks close to the original by keeping the essentials, such as layering, details in accessories, and the devil-may-care silhouette – the stark difference comes in the color and mood. Though glamour has found a way to incorporate itself into the trend, the overall feel remains suppressed rock star with a strong noticeable attitude.

Bold, cheerful colors provide a sharp contrast to raw edges and denim. Leggings and stockings with runs give just the right hint of punk, while gold chains give out a different glam-rock vibe.

Yes, this return of Grunge isn’t the same as its first appearance in the early ’90s. Yes, it can be argued that it is far from when the trend first emerged. Well, it should be. Now that it has reemerged fully as a fashion trend, it is now meant to be worn, seen, and be "it."