Fashion and Music: The State of the Decade Address

February 2000.  I turned 25.  I immediately thought of “Disco 2000” by Pulp and the lyrics, “let’s all meet up in the year 2000, won’t it be strange when we’re all fully grown?”  I looked toward a new decade with new trends with so much enthusiasm and excitement.  At the time, I was very much engulfed with two very different music scenes…  One genre was electronica (particularly jungle/drum ‘n bass, downtempo/lounge, as well as deep house), the other was Britpop.  I’d become extremely disenchanted with the Alt-rock scene in the late ‘90s since it had become so saturated, so commercial, and so contrived.  It lost the innovative edge and creativity it had in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.  I was also extremely tired of the ‘70s fashion revival that I’d been so excited about as a high school sophomore (1991).  Having the sensibility to know how fashion recycles itself.  I knew it wasn’t going to be long before ‘80s trends were back.

 

A year later, my prediction came true.  I was subscribed to Wallpaper* magazine at the time, and I received the launch issue for Wallpaper’s new fashion magazine, Spruce.  I was ecstatic when I received it.  As I flipped through the issue (which was geared for Autumn/Winter 2001), I spotted the first ‘80s trends…pointed toe shoes, and fluorescent colors.  Earthtones were done.  Baggier, shinier tops for women started to appear…  Of course, these looks were borrowed from the late ‘70s/ early ‘80s disco and new wave periods.  Knowing what I know about new wave, I thought I’d start incorporating some recycled looks into my wardrobe.  I bought a fantastic long-sleeved fitted black and white striped boatneck tee from Sisley (I still wear it today).  It was my featured outfit (with a pair of dark denim jeans) when I took a trip to New York over Labor Day 2001 to visit an ex.  I can still remember my ex’s boyfriend asking me why I had two black belts on.  Ugh…  Some people just don’t get it. 

 

Speaking of New York, a new subculture had emerged by the time I took my trip which was centered within the new music genre electro, which overtly mirrored ‘80s synthpop.  Famed DJ/producer Larry Tee was organizing the Electroclash Festival, which showcased the emerging artists of the time...Chicks on Speed, Adult., Peaches, and Fischerspooner.  Though the event was not a huge success, it spawned a tremendously successful night throughout 2002 called Berliniamsburg (named after a rumor that Dior

 Homme’s Hedi Slimane proclaimed Williamsburg as the new Berlin) at Club Luxx in Williamsburg.  The night was started by Larry Tee, Conrad Ventur (the creator of New York’s current wildly successful underground publication, USELESS

 magazine), and Spencer Product.  The night was hosted by It-tranny Sophia Lamar, andfeatured a slew of weekly guests including 2 Many DJs, the first few Scissor Sisters, LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, the foxy girl group WIT, Avenue D, My Robot Friend, etc.  The night made electroclash household name, and it wasn’t long before teens across the country were gobbling it up…  But then…

 Just as quickly as it began, electroclash sank back into underground obscurity.

 

 

Back home in Atlanta, by 2003 the deep house scene (which dominated the larger nightclubs in the late ‘90s, and early ‘00s) was in decline.  Meanwhile, a younger generation popularized the burgeoning indie rock scene, which, in the early part of the decade, incorporated elements of electro and dance-punk (Hot Hot Heat, The Faint, Ladytron, and Le Tigre were popular bands at the time).  All of the sudden, the strained and waning ‘80s Night at Masquerade began to enjoy a resurgence in popularity.  We were on the precipice

 of an indie rock renaissance, and at the helm was local DJ/promoter Preston Craig.  In 2003, Preston started the KISS rock parties at the now extinct Echo Lounge with a 50-person turnout…  He later moved the party to Lenny’s where the crowd grew exponentially, until it was too large to accommodate in the small dive bar.  From there, the party reconvened at Masquerade until mid 2004, when Preston conceived of an entire concept, venue, and name change.  It was at an unlikely and unheard of bar called Azul located in an unlikely part of town (Decatur, a few miles east of Atlanta) where Preston named Friday nights Decatur Social Club.  The new Friday night began with a rocky start, but built quite a bit of momentum in 2005 where the venue now enjoys packed out nights every Friday with indie hipsters from across the city.

 

 

When the KISS rock parties left Lenny’s, a new night was born on Fridays called the Trashed Dance Party.  The new Fridays flourished with a slightly older crowd of more laid-back and music savvy hipsters compared to the younger, flashier, “see and be seen” crowd at Decatur Social Club.  The night has gone through a few different residents over the past two years, and it was this time last year when my friend Lindsey Crowell and I decided that anyone can be a DJ these days and we knew our music collections were superb.  We hit up our friend Bean (manager and booking agent for Lenny’s) and said we wanted to DJ.  He said yes immediately.  We debuted Friday night after Thanksgiving as DJ’s Haute & Couture with only a ten-minute lesson on the CD mixer.  We wanted to be kitchy by being over-the-top-ridiculous in terms of fashion (suggesting that fashion was more important than the music). We wanted to be ironic.  We wanted to be sarcastic.  We wanted our sets to be dang good.  We achieved all of those.  The rest, as they say, is history.  The night packs out as a haven for dancers who love everything from ‘60s mod and Motown, to ‘70s funk, glam, punk, and disco, to ‘80s new wave, to ‘90s Britpop, to current indie dance tracks.  A person from any subculture will hear something they like.

 

As the indie rock scene has built momentum over the past few years, fashion has been most definitely influenced.  Skinny jeans were something we made fun of in the ‘90s as being a “dated” ‘80s look.  However, the first reappearances I noticed were in the early ‘00s by the hardcore EMO kids in the gutters of Little Five Points.  I knew the trend would probably go mainstream in a few years.  Sure enough, you can go to any Old Navy or Express and pick up a pair for roughly $30.  Another fashion trend for guys is the moppy or shaggy hairdo (or…er…for some, hair “don’t”) inspired by ‘60s and ‘70s long, disheveled tresses.  Thanks to American Apparel, we now have the HORRIFIC early ‘80s workout trends…complete with headbands, extremely short running shorts, and extremely long tube socks.  Oh, and let’s not forget the contest to see how trashy you can be by how low the “v” in your deep v-neck can go.  Loves it.

 

Needless to say, both fashion and music have come to a point where they are borrowing the highlights of the past four decades…In fact, indie rock itself is fracturing into different sub-genres:

 

• Baroque Pop – (Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists)
• New Weird America – (Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Animal Collective)
• Dance-punk – (!!!, The Rapture, Out Hud, Liars, DFA1979)
• Garage rock revival – (Eagles of Death Metal, The Von Bondies)
• Nu-gaze – (Sigur Rós, M83)
• Indietronic – (The Notwist, Lali Puna, Kasabian, MSTRKRFT)
• Twee Pop – (Architecture in Helsinki, Camera Obscura)

 

Elements of ‘60s psychedelia, ‘70s glam and punk, ‘80s new wave and synth, and ‘90s garage rock can be found in most indie rock acts at the moment.  An example of such a melding can be found at the pulsating

New York nightclub Don Hill’s where The infamous MisShapes dance party takes place every Saturday night.  MisShapes are a DJ triumvirate whose fashion sensibility, media savviness, good looks, and (oh yeah) music selection have made them the most talked about party in New York for the past two years.  Leigh Lezark even appears on the cover of The Sounds sophomore album with MisShapes regular and New York It-girl, Alexis.  Madonna, Ashlee Simpson, Kelis, and Axl Rose, are just a few celebrities who’ve graced

MisShapes with their presence.  They’ve been courted by designers all over New York to DJ their parties during fashion week.  Dance parties in cities across the country are modeling their night

after MisShapes.  AGGGH!  MisShapes, MisShapes, MisShapes!!  AAAGGGHH, MAKE IT STOP!

 

All in all, as we move into the final third of the decade, and I inch closer to 32…OH, GOOD GOD…I begin to wonder what this decade is even called…  Is it the “two-thousands,” or “The ‘00s”…or how about the “1’s?”  Seriously!  What is this age?  What’s next?  Where are we all going?  What are we all doing??? 

 

The End.