I remember being thrilled that my grandfather gave me two of his old flannel shirts. I wore them with holey Levi’s and Docs. So so bad. Next thing you know, the bob haircut with half of the back of it shaved is going to come back into vogue.

If the models look lousy in these shirts, imagine how the average woman will look!

That first shirt on the left is listed at $225! You could buy that shirt and three shopping carts worth of stuff at the Goodwill for the same price.

I would wear a fresh new take on plaid, probably in a pencil skirt or scarf.

Funny, I now think of plaid as being “young.” As in too young for me. I never liked the ripped jeans look so I won’t wear those. I think they just look sloppy and particularly ridiculous on women older than 35. I kept my docs and would wear them again.

Next thing will be the “Rachel” haircut.

And I wouldn’t be sad if the music came back – me likey some Nirvana.

Shari

While I would be thrilled to be wearing flannel and ripped jeans again, I have a feeling that unless some appear in stores with more of a waist line, I’ll avoid this trend.

I was a teenager in the 90’s so the fashion is close to my hearth. The days of wearing long flowery spaghetti strapped dresses over white t-shirt with Docs!

Having said that, I am curious to see how things will be reinterpreted. I do not like ripped jeans and would never wear them. As for the plaid shirts, while I am not of the fan of the ones shown, I could see myself going for a fitted, feminine one with nicer details, such as this one:

http://www.intermixonline.com/.....arch=basic

I wore the grunge look to death in college in the early 90’s but I’m open to the reinvention. I agree that the 80’s looks were much better this time around so there’s hope. I hold a special place in my heart for flannels and ripped jeans as it also goes along with some of my fondest memories of school. I’ll be watching to see but there’s no way I’ll pay $225 for a new take on the 90’s trends!!

Oh, the poor 90’s- I feel like they get a bad rap sometimes. Sure, most of the looks of the decade were not that fab, but I actually have great memories of the time, fashion-wise. I guess I’m a little young to truly remember the 80’s, so the 90’s were when I fell in love with fashion.

I actually really like grunge, which might surprise some of you! I used to wear my Dad’s old plaid bushwacker jacket with my Converse One Star (SO much cooler than All-Star, at the time) and layered tee’s. I would definitely wear the look again if it was interpreted well.

(OT- For a brief time in highschool my big sis was obsessed with Courtney Love- she dressed just like her, down to the patent mary janes and plastic barettes! This is hilarious if you knew her now, all pastels and pearls and retro frocks.)

About a grunge revival, though: I’ll believe it when I see it. Designers/fashion types have been heralding a return to this look for years, and it’s never materialized, in the mainstream at least. It was on everyone’s lips when I was back in fashion school, but I think we were the only ones who took it seriously! Having said that, some designers have never really left the look behind- Marc by Marc Jacobs, for instance, usually has a grunge element in the collections.

Good point, Laura.

I agree Laurel, the prices if these moth bitten items are ridiculous. But I wanted to show what prêt porter designers are doing. The mind boggles.

I’ll admit I wore oversized grungy flannel shirts with levis and Docs in the early 90’s. The look will have to be greatly improved before I wear it again. Perhaps this is the way it will go:

http://www.bergdorfgoodman.com....._sku=T27ZS

http://www1.bloomingdales.com/.....ageID=5586*1*24*-1*-1*14

Especially as a woman in my mid forties, I would just look messy and lazy in clothes like these. I’ll most certainly be passing on flannel shirts and ripped jeans of any kind.

I was a teenager in the 90s, and I had an oversized flannel shirt in high school. It was a men’s size XL, and I was about 120 pounds. Super voluminous and comfortable, it was my favorite item! I wore it to death.

The casual, button down plaid shirt is not really my style anymore, but I see girls around campus sporting the look and it seems to work for them. They have a laid back style, and I don’t think it looks bad because it suits them.

Plaid is definitely a print that is close to my heart. I’m with Tanya–I could see myself going for a cleaner, more fitted plaid shirt. Theory has had a few lately that are more up my alley.

Tanya, you bring back nice memories of the 90s. “Wearing long flowery spaghetti strapped dresses over white t-shirt with Docs” was my uniform when I lived in Hawaii…. driving down the road in my convertible white Rabbit blasting Pearl Jam… too cool.

EWWWWWWWWWW….another trend I will be staying away from. Unless the flannel shirt is fitted and it was paired with well fitting jeans, but even then I am not sure I would wear it out of the house! I am not even certain this should be considered as fashion.

Susan D

Last I wore flannel was in the late 80s, in middle school. But it had nothing to do with grunge. I wore it with a high waist long bell skirt and fitted short suit jacket. Even early on, I liked my clothes structured.
I never bought into grunge because it looked dirty and smelly to me. I know, very prissy. I didn’t care much for grunge music either although I liked Soundgarden because Chris Cornell is a cutie.
I did notice some flannel in the NAS catalog, and I thought it looked cute on the model because it was very youthful, but I doubt I will be sporting it unless maybe a scarf or another accessory caches my attention like Joy suggested. I never liked ripped jeans, so I definitely won’t be wearing those.

Some people will look cute in anything because they are just that cute. However, most people wearing grunge just look like slobs.

That said, though, I don’t think grunge when I see plaid shirts, and vice versa. To me, that’s more country casual or redneck at worst — not grunge. But then, I grew up in the rural SE and that’s sort of standard here, whereas grunge is more of an imported fashion from other areas of the U.S. Personally, I think plaid shirts can look cute and casual with an emphasis on cute in the “don’t take me serious as a grownup right now” way (which isn’t always a bad thing). But they definitely have to be the right cut, color, and pattern size for the person.

I will always love (and continue to wear) my doc martens–but I’ve evolved the way that I style them.

I feel like ‘bringing back’ the faded flannels and ripped levis is kind of contrived, for me. I wore those clothes as a teenager in the early 90s because I was crazy about Pearl Jam and Nirvana, and that’s what those guys were wearing so that’s what I wanted to wear. Doing it again now, where the the subcultural moment has passed (at least for me!) would be silly. And personally, I find it discomforting when I see young people today who have never heard of Kurt Cobain sporting this look! It just makes me a little sad.

I think if you took a flannel shirt and paired it with nice-fitting skinnies OR the ripped jeans with a tailored top and fitted jacket…it may work. Putting grunge on ALL parts of your body is too costumey for me…even on young people.

This is VERY interesting. I regard tartan/check/plaid as an 80’s thing.

Tanya and Laurel, I too wore strappy dresses with T-shirts under them, but my dresses were short. Again, this look will have to be improved before I wear it again. As for torn jeans, have never done it and never will.

For the most part, I did not like 90’s fashion at all. But it did bring back the soft shoulder, form fitting jackets, bootcuts, and a waistline.

For me, the best part about the 90s was the music. Eddie Vedder could do no wrong! And for years I preferred Pearl Jam to Sound Garden. But now that I’ve seen Chris Cornel in concert, I prefer Sound Garden. The fact that he’s a devilishly handsome chap helps too.

In college, I used to wear men’s XL flannel shirts (I had half a dozen in various colors and plaids) with my brother’s hand-me-down ripped jeans that were way too big for me.

I wouldn’t do the look again the same way, but I would incorporate elements of it. Maybe a flanned shirt with skinny jeans or a flannel dress with leggings. I’ve been coveting some doc martens for a while.

I’ve been eyeing some buffalo check items in the Delia’s catalog, thinking they might be a good indulgence for casual wear this fall. They’re definitely in the affordable range.

http://store.delias.com/item.d.....andFilter=

http://store.delias.com/item.d.....andFilter=

A friend of mine recently pulled off a similar look. The difference being that her flannel was very fitted and tucked into her jeans with a cute belt.

With a few modifications to the 90’s look, I think this trend might be ok the next time around. Time will tell.

Yuk! The only tartan or plaid I’m wearing is in my clan’s colors. Didn’t like ripped up jeans then, won’t wear ‘em now. Have seen a bit of the T-shirts under strappy dresses, can be done cute and a little modest. I’m with Angie, didn’t like the 90’s fashions so much – but will take the music!

Oh no- I abused the grunge trend horribly. My kids were young at that time and it was so easy to put on an oversized flannel shirt, jeans and be done. The thought of that look again makes me cringe a little. (But weren’t those big flannel shirts cozy?)

I’m not a fan of most of the grunge trend. I do, however, have a fondness for plaid shirts. I find that if you’re careful about the colours and the scale of the plaid, as well as conscious of fit, a plaid shirt can be an interesting – though fairly casual – addition to a wardrobe.

I’d certainly wear a plaid shirt again. Not in XL and not with torn jeans, but I do love it for a relaxed weekend look.

I was in high school & college in the 90’s so I remember grunge very well. It didn’t suit my personality much so I never adopted it. However, some smart designer might re-interpret it in a different way this time around, so I will keep an open mind about it. I did wear the spaghetti strap dress/fitted T shirt combo that Tanya mentioned–a lot. With chunky heeled sandals or shoes. It would be interesting to see if that comes back.

I LOVE this! I SO hope we get more tailored flannels in my price point. My main problem with the original flannels was how huge they were… I have been *attempting* to tailor ones I find at thrift stores, but I am not that talented — it would be great to finally be able to buy something that I feel screams “me.”

I should note that I wouldn’t really wear the flannels and the ripped jeans at the same time, though. I love grunge influences to death, but I don’t want to feel like I’m in a costume. I love to do destroyed jeans with a little tank and cute sandals/heels OR a tailored flannel with a nicer bottom and maybe a preppy blazer. Kind of a “prepster gone wrong” look… lol.

Angie, the two pictures you posted in your reply are good interpretations of the look and I could definately see you, and Tanya, sporting those outfits.

I’ve had enough grundge for a lifetime with the hippie look of the 60’s/70’s, then wearing carpenters clothes for 20 years after that. I just say no to anything resembling grundge. A new rule, if you’ve worn it twice already, take a pass?

I hope I don’t see women wearing overalls that are 3 sizes to big. My kids were teenagers in the 90’s and I used to be amused at the huge overalls.

I lived in the center of grunge-dom in the 90’s (Olympia/Seattle) and we actually wore this look long before that (mid-late 80’s wear). I still have a fondness for plaid.

Hope the whole look does not come back simply repeated but some elements are slipping in – the boyfriend jean with distresssing for example.

Doc Martens and Cons never go out of style nor does the music of Pearl Jam and Nirvana (Soundgarden – does anyone remember a Seattle late night TV show where they did the Lame List? Too funny).

I admit I have a soft spot for plaid shirts and I’m enjoying seeing so many of them in stores right now. I like wearing a properly fitted plaid button down (in cotton, not flannel) with dark denim (unripped!) and my Chuck Taylors. It never occured to me that it might look a little grunge-inspired, I just like it for a really casual day because it’s comfy and easy. I’ve noticed a lot of plaid button-down tunics that I guess are meant to be worn with skinnies or leggings… when it’s done right, it can be a really cute look, but I haven’t adopted it for my own wardrobe.

This gets better with each comment. Such passion for grungy looks either way. It’s fun to hear how many of you loved grunge fashion back in the 90’s. Lasses in their 20’s are showing their age.

Actually, Docs are also an 80’s thing for me, even though I wore them in the 90’s too. Converse dates back to the 60’s and 70’s, and Sound Garden is also always in style. Just like Simon le Bon is always in style

Sandy, you hit the nail on the head. I would re-wear 90’s fashion trends as long as there is a certain level of refinement and polish to the look. I’ve earned that fashion right at the age of 39.

Well, I did the flannel and work boots thing, but the look wasn’t very grunge-y on me. In fact, the first clothing purchase I ever made without my mother around was on a ridiculously expensive flannel Gap shirt … it was around $70 probably 20 years ago, right before the grunge thing exploded. It was a heavy flannel in a pretty vibrant blue with green, yellow, and red. Actually I still have it. I wore it back then with loose Guess jeans and big tan workboots.

Well I was a kid during this time, but automatically I thought of DJ from Full House wearing these fashions and I always thought she looked a little odd! Plaid in general seems to be all over mainstream fashion lately, but I think paying top dollar for a simple button down plaid shirt is sort of ridiculous. Reminds me a farmer’s shirt! And ripped jeans just look cheap to me… why would I want to buy something that is already ruined? The look doesn’t look refined to me at all.

I’ll pass…I’m way to prissy:)

I love reading these replies! I was in college during the heyday of the grunge scene. Pearl Jam played at my school right before they broke it wide open and became huge. I missed the show because I didn’t have a ride!! Anyways, during this time I was wearing babydoll dresses and of course my Docs. I also had this cool little pair of Mary Janes with wingtip detailing. I wish I still had those shoes. I also wore overalls often and I had a few colorful flannels and a tie dyed baja, otherwise known as a “drug rug”. My friends and I thought we looked cool while we were at Lollapalooza! Ha!

I guess it all depends on how these styles are reinterpreted to see whether I’d give them another go.

The plaid shirts, I can dig. Especially since they’re more fitted this time around. but the slashed jeans? Pass!

My ipod decided that I should listen to Pearl Jam this morning and it did take me back to my mid teens and a flannel shirt, long floral skirt and dress over a t-shirt were certainly what was required to look cool, even in New Zealand!

I have been flicking through my La Redoute catalogue the last few nights and there is quite a bit of tartin popping up, but being french based it is all reasonably refined.

I had the bob with the shaved area at the back of the neck, with heavy blunt bangs and thin wire specs in a Wayfarer shape(shudder). I also wore some of the 90’s fashions others have listed. I will not repeat the same looks, but I’m interested if they show a bit of sophistication (like what Angie posted). It will be a hard find, but I’m open to a new interpretation of grunge if it looks edgy and not sloppy.

I was in high school and college during the grunge era and in the late 1990s. I passed on this look then, and it doesn’t appeal to me now either. I’m interested in seeing how these can be reimagined and refreshed, though.

I became conscious of fashion in the late 1990s, and because I found the store offerings mostly disappointing, I didn’t play around with fashion as much as I would have liked. (I think the style didn’t fit my inner fashion persona, whatever it was)

I bypassed the grunge look because I was into the whole industrial/goth thing at that time

However, this time around I’m considering incorporating plaid into my fall wardrobe. Although not paired with ripped jeans.

I like how the plaid shirt is styled in the August Lucky magazine (with a white tank and short rayon-blend shorts, and with a blazer, cropped trousers, and t-strap pumps.

I also like the flannel tunic in the NAS catalog (p.45). I’m thinking of wearing it with denim leggings, lace-up suede boots, and a pleather jacket. Or wearing it open with a white tank, dark skinnies, and some booties.

Ha! I missed the 90s completely. I was already out of college and working in ugly suits with too-big shoulder pads. And clunky rubber-soled shoes! (Ah, food service life. You had to own rubber-soled shoes or risk wiping out on spilled grease and lettuce.)

I might wear a plaid shirt if it isn’t god-awful ugly. But not to work!

Noooooo.
These outfits remind me of what I wore when mucking out the stalls.
I enjoyed the work,in the minority I know, but I do not want to go back to any piece of ripped clothing thank you!

I’m curious to see how this will develop. I’ve never been a big fan of oversized plaid flannel shirts. I did have a (slightly) ripped pair of jeans, and wore short spaghetti strap dresses over T-shirts.

I’m getting a little nostalgic here! Pearl Jam and Soundgarden were two of my favourite bands, and I’m with you re: Chris Cornell Angie;-) The Screaming Trees had a few good songs too, but I was mainly into them because of Mark Lanegan’s deeeeep voice. I’ve seen him live (solo and with Isobel Campbell) three times over the last two years… and he’s still got it. YUM!

I wouldn’t wear ripped jeans either. I think I could see myself in an updated version with dark wash straight legs, a *tailored* plaid button down and either cons or riding boots. I imagine this to be a good MOTG outfit, assuming it’s age appropriate. I was also a teenager in the 90’s and I don’t feel completely adverse to updating the look.

I used to buy jeans and rip them myself when I was 16 (which was just after the 90’s but it was still a popular look). I cut holes with scissors and then used a knife to fray the holes up a bit. My parents and I got into lots of fights then…

I am a 90’s child and had a grunge phase musically but never got into the flannel/plaid/not showered look. The only grunge-inspired thing I did was buy my first Cons when I saw them on Kurt Cobain. I didn’t exist long enough to see many 80’s trends (or rather remember many 80’s trends), so the 90’s comeback will really be my first nostalgic experience stylewise. I’m curious to see what’s ahead, but I hope it doesn’t replace all the fabulous and fun 80’s trends that I have grown so fond of…

I loved the 90s. But not the brown makeup.

You just can’t make it up…..
If that little number on the left is $225 dollars worth of shirt, well…. better call the insurance rep because there’s about 2 million dollars worth of plaid L.L. Bean in our closet!
Seriously, people who camp and work outdoors LIVE in this look. We have LL Bean plaid work shirts from the 70’s that are still going strong. In our neck of the woods jeans are pressed, so no rips please

I am laughing at the thought that kids in the 90s invented this look – I distinctly recall wearing flannel plaid shirts like this, day after day, in junior high, which was the late 70s. We also wore ripped and faded jeans, but we didn’t buy them that way. I recall being very happy the day I fell off a skateboard and ripped both knees of my old faded Levi’s. It was so perfect. But we didn’t wear Docs – that is a 90s thing – we wore fringed moccasins (and horrible perms).

Anyway, this is not a look I will be trying again anytime soon. It’s best reserved for the campground.

Interesting – everything you’ve pictured here we would call ‘bogan’ fashion in Australia – not something that most aspire to!

It’s entertaining to read replies from others who are about the same age as me. I think I missed most of the early 90s culture despite growing up in grunge central. A bit of it definitely trickled into my childhood wardrobe, though – stretch pants with oversized bright colored tee shirts, bright socks, Scrunchies, and Keds slip on shoes when I was young, then bodysuits under stretch pants, and later on oversized jeans or cords, belted, with faux Birkenstocks and too-short baggy knit tops or flannel button down shirts. I’m not really interested in wearing any of these again, but have hopes that maybe they’ll be reinterpreted in a flattering and fashionable way this time around.

Here in the southeast that look is simply called “redneck” …

My 20’s in Seattle were a good, good time. I distinctly remember standing in a coffee line in the freezing Seattle rain in February wearing a flannel shirt, denim shorts, black tights, and Doc Martens while surreptitiously peeking in Mike McCready’s (of Pearl Jam) wallet to see how much cash he carried around. (I had more than he did.) I have very fun, fond memories of the grunge years.

But I will NEVER DRESS LIKE THAT AGAIN. My 20’s shall remain firmly in my past. The return of flannel is wrong on so many levels, I don’t care how you want to tailor the shirt. When I look back on those photos, we looked like boys, no matter how cute we tried to be in those shirts, especially since all the boys then had the same long, wavy hair we did!

Target already has some buffalo-print tanks available. I have to confess, I bought the blue one last night; the color and drape appealed to me, and I think it would be fun to incorporate it in a casual summer outfit. I’m going to give it a try!

http://www.target.com/Juniors-.....amp;page=1

Too mature for grunge. . .Not willing to go straight to “bag lady”. . .

In the 90s I was wearing uncomfortable business suits and (gasp) nude hose, and I’m not looking forward to a revival of that look either (grin!)

The 90’s were all about comfort clothes and big chunky shoes. Loved it back then and I agree with everyone else would only wear it again in a more polished way. The topic does bring back some very fond memories especially of one my favorite movie Mad Love with Drew Barrymore and Chris O’Donnell I loved how Drew dressed to me that was the epitome of 90’s fashion.

Oh, please, not grunge again! Let’s hope they update the style to fit better. I hate plaids anyway. I’ll keep the clunky shows, though. For some unknown reason, I like them.

I loved the plaid we were seeing last fall, but these shirts look like what I wear to ride horses on cool fall days. That said, I don’t remember much of the 90’s grunge look because I was in elementary school, and in our small Christian school with lots of rules, we had our own trends totally different from the rest of the world.

I passed on this this trend the first time, and will pass on it again this time around. Ironically, I graduated from college in the early 90’s and at the time, felt the grunge look was “for the kids”….LOL. I DO remember wearing a lot of icky/clunky black shoes and boxy/shapeless suits as a young adult joining the work force, as well as those gosh-awful unisex khaki pants that were EVERYWHERE. Remember how popular The Gap was at that time??

I was never really too fond of the grunge look for the most part. I didn’t mind the cute sundresses with the boots and leather jacket look, but the flannel look is blah.

[...] I’ll admit that with 90’s trends resurfacing, it might be fun to revisit the trend. As long as there is a new twist. If not, it’s one item of [...]

I’ve been in love with the early 90’s since they happened. I was only 4 when “Nevermind” was released but due to my mother watching excessive amounts of Mtv, I’ve been totally enchanted by the era. After being utterly disgusted in high school with the fashion of that time (low rise pants with thongs?? Muffin top anyone?) I have been grateful that I have settled into a fashion I’m comfortable with. I am terribly sad that Levi’s has stopped producing women’s 501’s and have to violently hunt in the thrift store for a pair that actually fits me. I found a pair of classic original docs on ebay. I just won a babydoll dress on ebay that is almost exact to the one Alicia Silverstone was wearing in Aerosmith’s video “Cryin’”. But, most of my friends are in their late 30’s/early 40’s so they seem to get me. And, you know, vintage Pendleton plaid shirts aren’t a bad thing.

that fashion remains hot this days.

[...] Some typical pairings of black items this season. Wearing black with black is often encouraged, once again confirming my earlier suspicions about a 90’s revival in fashion. [...]

i’m all for it. a man’s v-neck undershirt, a cool pullover sweater, jeans and boots and i’m happy. it was never easier to get dressed than in the mid 80’s to mid 90’s… although i’m over 40 now, so the babydoll dress and docs thing is probably not going to work for me anymore : )

Thats because thats not how they wore them, Oversized with jeans or tight black pants was how they were worn..