The style era defined by flash photography, skinny jeans, and irony is making its return.&nbsp;

As the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/shopping/summer-sneakers-to-shop" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trend</a> cycle blazes forward and Gen Z burns through <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/paris-hilton-favorite-y2k-accessories-hot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Y2K aesthetics</a>, so follows its successor&mdash;cue Indie Sleaze. For many, the late 2000s don&rsquo;t feel long ago enough to become the latest nostalgia-core, but TikTokers and Instagrammers alike insist that the era defined by American Apparel and The Cobrasnake is slated for a premature revival. But how will this <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/coastal-cowgirl-aesthetic-tiktok-trend-western-style-fashion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aesthetic</a> be transformed by designers and tastemakers to meet the social and political expectations of the 2020s?

Even if you haven&rsquo;t heard the term <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/the-return-of-early-2010s-indie-sleaze-aesthetic-tumblr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indie Sleaze</a>, you&rsquo;ll certainly recognize aspects of this Tumblr-centric era of fashion. Sometimes described as &ldquo;Hipster,&rdquo; the aesthetic was considered a reaction to the recession of the late 2000s, and combined thrown-together <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/vintage-outfits-thrift-stores-nyc-model-shopping-guide-bella-hadid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thrift store</a> finds, smudged <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/beauty/julia-fox-best-eye-makeup-looks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eyeliner</a>, and impossibly tight <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/skinny-jeans-style-guide-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">skinny jeans</a>. But in addition to Disco Pants and flash photography, the style was also a reflection of a zeitgeist riddled with cultural appropriation, sexual harassment, and an unhealthy glamorization of excessive thinness.

Enter 2023, and the cultural climate is actively attempting to&mdash;and in some ways succeeding at&mdash;culling these problematic values from the fashion dialogue. If designers and consumers can make a clear distinction between the origin of many of these trends and the ideas behind them, then this decade&rsquo;s version of Indie Sleaze may carry more thoughtful significance than its predecessor. This time around, recent collections featuring fedoras, neon, metallics, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/how-to-style-skinny-scarf-y2k-trend-2000s-fashion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">skinny scarves</a>, and boho <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/shopping/oversized-bags-purses-fashion-accessories-shopping" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bags</a> (as seen at Celine, Gucci, and JW Anderson) might actually pack a more powerful punch.

Is Indie Sleaze Already Back? 

L'OFFICIEL USA December 2024 - Julianne Moore Cover

L'OFFICIEL USA November 2024 - Salma Hayek Pinault Cover

Is Indie Sleaze Already Back?

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