Think this. It’s 2008, American Apparel reigned supreme, your go-to outfit was a Kate Moss-inspired hipster-esque tank top tucked into disco pants, layered with a bottomless vest or skinny scarf and topped with a fedora. was up.
If the look sounds familiar, you’ll recognize it from the aesthetic known as ‘indie sleaze’ – the aesthetic dominated from the late 2000s until its demise in 2012.
While some of us are still keeping pace with the resurgence of Y2K style, allow us to re-introduce you to the latest fashion trends set to dominate social media.
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Those in the know about chokehold “It Girls” during this period including Alexa Chung and the Olsen Twins (Pre the Row Days, obviously).
This was an era that featured Facebook featuring low-resolution point-and-shoot photos, especially in low-resolution point and club bathrooms, excessive smoking, smoky mascara, and of course the indie music scene for which the aesthetic was named. There were albums.
Balenciaga’s slouchy motorcycle bag was the investment accessory and the carefree crap that Chloe Sevigny, Pixie Geldof, and Zoe Kravitz put together was all the rage.
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If you take a look at the hugely popular Instagram account @indiesleaze, the self-appointed documentary of “the fall of mid- to late aughts and the indie sleaze party scene that died in 2012,” you’ll recognize the unrestricted level of fashion. Which has become synonymous with style.
Still, despite our apparent disdain for pairing stockings with shorts, and the over-the-top grunge and punk influences la Vivienne Westwood, it seems that more and more people are looking for their primary and proper ‘Clean Girl. Ready to leave the look. Sleazy indie style.
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In late 2021, trend forecaster Mandy Lee officially heralded the return of the indie sled with her TikTok video, chronicling an “obscene amount of evidence” that the look was coming back.
In the clip, Lee highlights the key features of the indie sled as “amateur style flash photography, gorgeous displays of clubbing, and a rise in vintage technology”.
Given that we’ve already seen the return of wired headphones and grunge-like apparel courtesy of Megan Fox and Kourtney Kardashian, will that mean we’ll all be dressing (and partying) like 2008?
