Raise your hand if you’re and old skool alt-head. I feel very old in saying this, but I’ve been deeply immersed in alternative styling and fashion for the majority of my life. I grew up in the Lower East side of Manhattan, New York, and even when I moved away…it was my second home and in many cases my refuge from my home at the time. I spent my formative years exposed to the different subculture scenes in the Village and from the age of 13 I’d take the train to Astor place and spin the heavily tagged and sticker-filled onyx cube, eating breakfast at Odessa’s, followed by afternoons in the then late great K-mart café for chili cheese fries. I’d roam “The Vill”; window shopping, stopping by Tower records and Generation to discover/listen to/buy music. These were the days.
THROW BACK THURSDAY BABY
When I turned fifteen, I was fully submerged in that lifestyle. I never felt more at home ever. I met some of my bestfriends and loves of my life in ”The Vill”. My closet was filled with band-tees, jumbo wide-legs from Jinco, Kikwear, Illegs, and parachute pants (UFOs)from the Army Navy store in every color you could imagine. Stacked necklaces and spiked colors, bright red curly bedhead and a pair of Etnies were a uniform. Nights out I donned corsets, harnesses, and gun holsters over dresses or tops from Triple Five Soul. By the time I was 17 I’d added at few fetish pieces to the arsenal and it wasn’t until I turned 22/23 that my style began to evolve past all of that into more of an eclectic mix of genres, time periods, lifestyles, and overall characters. No matter how old I get or how much more style evolution I will inevitably go through, I will always be that same hardcore drum and bass metal head from “The Vill”. This is why my closet can’t be simplified. I am too many things, to many beings, and I MUST be able to satisfy the girl I need to be on any given day. I am not a minimalist to say the least; as a matter of fact….me being an artist and overall creative just compounds that fact.
I don’t mean to toot my own horn (toot toot) but ya girl was cool AF in the back back days. And I still the fuck am; if we’re gonna keep it all the way funky.
I’ve owned and rocked these hero-pieces and those alike for more years than I can think of; I find it interesting how staple pieces (even “trendy’ pieces) just get recycled throughout time. I remember being categorized as weird when I was in high school and even on some “white-shit” because of the music I listened to and lifestyle I chose (Or rather chose me); as though white folks gatekeep the alternative scene *Afro-Punk Enters The Chat* To watch the shift in the hip-hop community move towards more alternative is interesting AF, it also made me give a slight side-eye. Don’t get me wrong, Hip-Hop is def one of my first loves, but to be criticized for thinking and doing shit outside of the box was hella annoying….all for it to be “Trendy” now. I sometimes wonder what the world would be like if we were more open minded from jump; what would style be like now? What would popular music sound like now?
Even comparing who I was and how I presented in the world versus now, it’s interesting to see how I’ve managed to evolve style-wise while still being very much the angsty teen I “was”. But I digress.
Onto the outfit.
This shirt dress runs a tad small if your arms are as fluffy as mine are. I would size up one to two sizes. The harness fits juuuuuuust right (3X) but I’ve had ones that fit better. If your waist is smaller and you have a smaller ribcage than the rest of your torso, you will quite enjoy this harness (plus it has pockets). The harness would have certainly benefitted from some elastic paneling. The hat is Tre Magnifique and super inexpensive while still maintaining its good quality. The boots are tried and true; from UrbanOG when they did better things. In my opinion they’ve fallen off a bit….but then again I haven’t bought anything from there in years so grain-o-salt my words on that one. The gloves (one of many pairs alike) are from Restyle. Restyle has quickly become a brand I fucks with heavy. They have slightly extended sizes (I say slightly because I’d prefer everything be carried in 1X-6X TBH), but I appreciate the effort and aesthetic.
What styles or staples have you carried with you throughout the many stages of your life?
What I’m Wearing Fit 1:
Sunnies from Witchinghourbaby.com. $20 (OLD) Similar HERE, HERE, & HERE
Necklace from AFAZE. 3 for $10 (Very old) Similar HERE
Dress from Ashleystewart.com. $31 Alternative HERE, HERE, HERE, & HERE
Utility-Harness from Dolls Kil.com. $ Alternative HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE & HERE
Boots from UrbanOG.com. $24.99 (Very Old) Similar HERE, HERE, & HERE