Ahoy, mateys! For those of you UCF fashionistas who couldn’t travel to Tampa’s annual pirate festival and parade Gasparilla this weekend, let me paint a picture for you: Imagine a crazy invasion of flashy floats, thousands of beads being thrown into the crowd, and stylish collegiettes every which way you look! I spotted Orlando-natives and best friends Madison and Brie taking a mini-vacay from their schoolwork to party out on Bayshore Boulevard. Both girls are sporting complementary accessories, like pairs of worn-in combats and ultra-ripped tights. Their grungy outfits synced together perfectly; I had to capture these bandits in action! At first, I had to stop and obsess over Brie’s cross-studded, high-waisted shorts…It’s not hard, ladies! You can stud almost any article of clothing in your closet. Explore Etsy.com, where you can purchase one hundred studs for a few easy dollars. I particularly enjoyed how Madison shredded her tights to the extreme for this outfit (watch a DIY tutorial below), but I have to say her most fabulous asset was her hair. This fiery redhead has layered bright orange streaks and an ombréd blonde bottom, or in other words, the hair of my dreams.
Aside from owning the grunge look, these ladies are dressed head to toe in black and white. This classic trend is making a comeback, though I’m not entirely sure it ever left the fashion world to begin with. As a long-time addict of wearing black (almost every day, all the time!), I was a huge fan of the girls’ hardcore-glam style. Don’t go for the predictable, cutesy color schemes this spring…Go black and bold; it’s much sexier and looks universally good on everyone. This spring, we saw Alexander Wang (my fave!) release a predominantly black and white collection with a grunge-gone-mod theme. At Spring 2013 Paris Fashion Week, Dries van Noten displayed a lot of mixed flannels, long skirts and layered accessories. Since we’re all on tight budgets, I searched the web and compiled a list of DIY grunge accessories. Whether you’re a beginner just starting to craft or a DIY project prodigy, this list has something just for you!
- Fringed scarf. What you need: old T-shirt; Tutorial video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBPbb9G24Jw
- Shredded tights. What you need: pair of tights, seam ripper or small pair of scissors; Tutorial video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8qxWwyYFk
- Glam chain headpiece. What you need: comb headband, thin chains, pliers, jump rings; Tutorial video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGIifB8qhck
- Layered grunge necklace. What you need: assorted chains, clear jewelry cord, pair of scissors, ribbon, assorted beads, pliers, jump rings, crimp beads; Tutorial video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZueWF03savU