Decoding Fashion Trends. Indie Sleaze.

Indie style, the cultural phenomenon that arose from the music genre of the same name from the late aughts to the early 2010s, is making a comeback. The look is known as indie sleaze, and it is a muddled mix of '90s grunge and '80s opulence with a slightly erotic undertone, topped off with an almost pretentious take on retro style.

Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Alexa Chung, Sky Ferreira, Alice Dellal, Agyness Deyn, and Irina Lazareanu were all wearing the look at the time, but nothing captures it better than Mary-Kate Olsen walking the walk of shame in an oversized check shirt, ripped tights, vintage cowboy boots, and an elastic headband with feather details.

Indie sleaze is the new hipster, if Barbie pink is the new black. However, whereas Barbie pink is universal and consistent across generations, Indie Sleaze is Gen-interpretation Z's of the subculture that began in the late 1980s/early 1990s and was popularized by millennials around 2008.

Indie sleaze is distinct in that it is chaotic and disorganized; it is mismatched and out of proportion. A cropped rocker tee paired with a long, low-waisted maxi skirt, white tube socks, black loafers, and a white oversized men's button-up as a jacket, complete with chunky headphones that engulf your entire ear is an example of an indie sleaze outfit.

Stylistically, the so-called "rebellious" millennials of the early 2000s — who spent their free time on Tumblr, creating MySpace albums riddled with flash photography, and listening to artists like Grimes and The Veronicas — were still piecing together outfits that, while rejecting trends, looked reasonably put-together. Metallic leggings and tunics, knit beanies, fedoras, and chunky, pastel-colored costume pearls were the everyday hipster looks. Designer skinny jeans, skinny scarves, leather jackets, and layered vintage pieces were worn by the upscale hipsters (think Alexa Chung and the Olsen twins).

Certain creative directors have been fueling the trend for some time. Hedi Slimane's time at Saint Laurent included pieces that could easily fit into the wardrobe of any indie sleaze fan, such as disheveled knit cardigans, oversized plaid shirts worn as dresses, and his signature skin-tight denim. Alessandro Michele's revamp of Gucci includes cross-era vintage-inspired separates that could be considered quite indie, while Chanel, Raf Simons, and Marni have also dabbled in the pool.