The grunge style is comfortable, laid-back, relaxed, and sometimes a little cynical. If you’re working remotely, then it’s the perfect time to rock your grunge aesthetic. You can easily wear grunge during your video calls, but you can also stick with the trend when you return to the office. Get to know the basics of the look, and you can make it work anywhere.
Keep It Classic
Working from home gives you an excellent opportunity to wear grunge fashion! Classic grunge is all about going back to the original roots of a trend. If you’re an old-school soul, then the classic take, which is characterized by its blend of comfort and casual style, is the perfect pick for you.
If you’re a guy who is style-savvy, then your classic grunge ensembles should begin with the right jeans. Distressed denim is good; vintage denim is even better. They should be faded, etched with bleach, sporting rips as well as tears, and frayed around the hems. Fortunately, no one sees your bottom half during all those Zoom meetings, giving you the freedom to wear whatever you like.
Grunge culture believes that it’s uncool to care too much. As a result, the early days of grunge involved plenty of band tees and thrift store sweaters. If you like wearing graphic tees, then go for it! You can always slip a cardigan over your shirt, in the vein of Kurt Cobain, or turn to one of the trend’s ubiquitous flannel button-downs.
Punk Grunge Goes Business Casual
Believe it or not, punk grunge lends itself well to the professional world—or, rather, to any environment that’s business casual. It’s a trend that you can even incorporate in workplaces that are on the dressier side of corporate casual. Because grunge embraces the counterculture in all things, its version of punk can be worn in a classy and handsome way.
Black jeans are on-point for the look. Working from home, it’s fine if your jeans are distressed or ripped. Once you head back to the office, a pair of pristine black skinnies are ideal. Otherwise, feel free to wear your chinos.
It’s easy to give them a grungy spin with the rest of your ensemble. You can continue to wear graphic or plain tee shirts with punk grunge, but a Dickies-style button-down will work, too. Finish off your outfit with combat boots or soft black sneakers. A leather belt or jacket is the final touch.
A Hip Hop Take
An interesting modern mesh combines hip hop and grunge fashion for a fresh take that’s all the rage in menswear. Hip hop and grunge share some important trends, including oversized garb and an affinity for thrift store finds.
Converse and other stylish sneakers play an important role in hip hop grunge, as do large, oversized sweaters and fitted skinny jeans. Feel free to wear shiny jewelry, as well, including understated studs and gold chains.
Perfecting Preppy Grunge
Preppy grunge is a thing, gentlemen. Not only that, but it’s a smart trend that praises individualism, which is the nature of grunge. To give it a preppy skew, you simply have to take elements of the look and make them a bit crisper and more polished.
Instead of chinos or distressed denim this time, cargo pants are the bottoms of choice. Don’t opt for oversized cargo pants, however. While they don’t need to be tight, they should be somewhat fitted. Up top, turn to flannel or, in the interest of comfort, plaid button-downs that resemble flannel. Try buttoning the shirt rather than wearing it over a tee. For the finale, pull on some high-top sneakers.
Kill It With The Accessories
Accessories are as much a part of grunge style as the clothes you wear. They play a significant part in your workday outfits, as well, both as you work from home and as you transition back to the office. Your shoes are important, along with your belts and jewelry. Something as simple as a wallet chain or a money clip can elevate your grunge aesthetic.
You can also incorporate the trend in your of-the-moment accessories, such as your face masks. In addition to looking for face masks that match your ensembles or create a contrast, you can pick out bandanas. They’re part of the original grunge look, but they can also do double-duty as face coverings in a pinch.
Working from home gives you the opportunity to diversify your workday wardrobe, and we don’t anticipate that going away anytime soon. While we’ll hopefully all be going back to the office one of these days, it seems likely that the greater fashion choice of quarantine may be sticking around, at least to an extent. Maybe one cultural impact of social distancing will be an increase in casual attire around the workplace—and that’s not a bad thing!
Do you rock the grunge look in your home office? Tell us what you’re wearing to work these days.