GRUNGE
Grunge is a deliberately careless, 'anti-fashion' style that grew in the early 1990s out of the Seattle rock scene (Nirvana, Pearl Jam) as a rebellion against the glossy glamour of the previous decade. Grunge is checked flannel shirts, stretched sweaters, ripped jeans, heavy boots, layering and a dark, muted palette. The aesthetic of worn, second-hand, deliberately untidy clothing became a manifesto of indifference to status and consumerism. In 1992 Marc Jacobs carried grunge onto the runway in a collection for Perry Ellis, and the 'anti-style' paradoxically became fashion. Grunge still returns in waves, remaining a symbol of youthful rebellion, ease and unadorned authenticity.
Compare “Grunge” with another term
Meaning, origins and distinction — side by side.
Distinction
Two antithetical subcultural codes. Preppy grew from the style of elite American college students: neat polos, trench coats, sweaters draped over shoulders, tartan prints, tidiness and status. Grunge was born in the 1990s Seattle rock scene: flannel shirts, ripped jeans, combat boots, deliberate scruffiness and anti-glamour. Preppy is belonging and polish; grunge is rebellion and studied dishevelment.
