Pop-Punk is Back in Fashion (or did it ever really leave?)
The year is 2006. You slip off your dusty black combat boots after a long and exhausting day. Your eyeliner is probably smudged, but that's what you’re going for anyway. For some reason, Travis Barker is playing on the radio. Except, it's 2021. And there has never been more definitive proof that time is simply a flat circle.
Pop punk and punk fashion was birthed in the early 1970s from an idea of rebellion against an increasingly materialistic mainstream society. Today, as we experience a lifetime's worth of nightmarish shared trauma and an overwhelming need for wide scale social change, its resurgence comes as no real surprise. Fashion is a natural vehicle to protest the increasing limitations on personal autonomy and social expectations. As someone who never really left their middle school emo phase, it's fairly easy to notice some of these early 2000s inspired fashion trends. So sit back, grab a notebook and get ready to learn about how you can incorporate these pop-punk trends into your daily wardrobe:
Plaid/Flannel:
Early pop punk fashion was dominated by multicolored, mismatched panels of checkered plaid as a way to reappropriate items previously viewed as belonging to the elite, and it seems that modern day artists like Olivia Rodrigo have taken a page out of the same playbook. Whether wrapped around your waist or thrown over your shoulders, there's something about flannel that never fails to tie a look together. Ironically, flannel has also made an appearance in designer fashion, with Monse featuring an all plaid ensemble in their Fall/Winter 2020 shows. But in true pop-punk style, ditch the designer and search for inexpensive, secondhand pieces instead! (Tip: Your older brother’s closet is definitely the best place to start) (Photo via: Monse 2020)
Cutouts/Distressing:
The fascination with distressed and cut-up clothes began as a way to scream an angry “F YOU!” to the world and express individuality. Today, cutouts appear to be more intentional, with high-end designers finding ways to integrate them into more structured pieces of clothing such as dresses and tops. In true pop punk fashion, this is one of the easiest trends to DIY. Get out your trusty pair of scissors and go to town! Take out your pent-up rage and frustration on an innocent band tee or pair of tights for an instant wardrobe upgrade!
Layering:
No longer just for sub-zero winter days, layering is the perfect everyday way to personalize a seemingly simple outfit! Start off with your base, for instance, a skirt and a tee shirt. Now try adding some tights, a vest, or another shirt on top of that. Throw on a tie and matching knee-high socks too. And just when you think your outfit is perfect, add one more layer. Fingerless gloves, a corset, legwarmers, or even accessories can instantly spice up even the simplest of pieces. In a more profound way, layering of various textures, colors, and materials perfectly mirrors the intersectionality of individual identity and the layers that make up unique personalities. Punk fashion itself was birthed by a mindset of anti-uniformity, with deconstruction and reconstruction at it’s very core. Layering is the perfect example of this, with the reminder that there are no rules in fashion!
Dyed Hair:
Good news, chunky highlights are back in fashion! Popularized in the early days of quarantine by a wave of TikTok influencers known as “E-boys” and “E-girls,” brightly dyed bangs and chunky streaks (that are usually done using drugstore products) are an easy way to spice up any basic outfit and (subtly) rebel against conformity. In fact, even high-end fashion models such as Bella Hadid have been seen rocking the trend! (Photo via: Bella Hadid)
Hardware:
Silver, metallic accessories are the perfect accompaniment to just about any outfit. From studded belts straight out of your hometown’s Hot Topic, to layered chains and stacked rings, the possibilities with accessories and metal hardware are truly endless, emphasizing the nature of pop punk: authentic and unique self-expression. Hardware is one of the moments when less isn’t more; excessive accessories are the way to go! For an easy and inexpensive DIY fix, try adding safety pins to your previously distressed and cut up pieces!
Dark Eyeliner:
If you ever went through a Yellowcard blasting, MCR loving phase, it's very likely one of your first encounters with makeup was a thick ring of uneven eyeliner adorning your top and bottom lash lines. Smudged, bold, black eyeliner was the defining look of every early 2000s pop-punk icon, with Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz famously professing his love for “guyliner” as an integral part of his personal style. With a new era of covid fashion forcing us to place heavy emphasis on the half of our face not obscured by masks, it makes perfect sense that smoky, bold eyeliner is having its moment again. So embrace your inner Arvil Levigne and put your kohl pencil to work! (Photo via: CHANEL 2020/21)
Built on the principles of individual self-expression and rebellion against an increasingly uniform mainstream society, at its core, pop punk is nonconformist and unapologetic. In fact, pop punk fashion icons would probably give me a mean side eye for even providing an outlined list like this (I’m sorry Ryan Ross!). Now more than ever, the need for rebellion and unique self-expression is greater than ever. So get out there, and get ready to show off your unique style to the world and make your angst ridden, middle school self proud!
Words by Lasya Ramakrishnan