An outlook on this year's street style look, and why it's overrated.
As you are strolling down the forever exciting Queen Street West, you’re admiring the cute vintage shops and graffiti art alongside the buildings, all while sipping a freshly made latte from the local coffee shop. You are enjoying the fresh air, relaxing thanks to the chill atmosphere, but then all of a sudden you are faced with it, it being a “Nasty Gal”.
Now, for those of you who aren’t quite familiar with the term “Nasty Gal”, here is a brief introduction. A “Nasty Gal” is a name given to one who dresses themselves in outfits sold on the successful online shop named (you guessed it) Nastygal.com. Although the website offers a great variation of items, from androgynous loafers to preppy chic attire, the website has deemed the culprit for this years latest fashion crisis.
To differentiate between a “Nasty Gal” and let’s say, a homeless person, is quite easy. Although they do carry similarities through their wardrobe pieces, the “Nasty Gal” typically opts for more of a refined look. They start with the iconic Jeffrey Campbell Lita’s, and move up to high-waist denim shorts. From there, they continue with a graphic tank or crop top with an image of either a) a band logo that they’ve never listened to in their life or b) a cross, skull, or some other symbol of religious affiliation, although they probably aren’t religious. The Nasty Gal then does some final touches, such as adorning a pair of John Lennon inspired sunglasses, even though chances are high they don’t know how he died, and lastly, an unnecessarily large amount of bracelets, rings and watches that don’t match.
From putting this image together, you’re probably asking yourself “Am I looking at a circus freak, or a prostitute”, but neither are correct. You are staring at a full fledged Nasty Gal, ready to go out and browse the vintage stores they wont shop in (because they don’t want to get their hands dirty), and wont go past Bathurst because that just seems sketchy. What has come of 2012’s hottest trend is quite sad, because although some individuals are genuinely expressing themselves through their style, there are others who are dressing this way merely because they are hoping people will think of them as “hipster”, “cool”, or “trendy”.
Although trends are meant to have a significant amount of hype, that shouldn’t mean that everyone be dressing the same. Individuals should be putting together outfits that THEY really like, not what their friends like or what others are saying is cute and trendy. Style is about creative expression, showcasing your wardrobe as your personality and not caring what others say or think about it. From this trend, there is an absurdly enormous number of girls, from pre teens to adolescents, trying to fit this molded look in order for them to fit in. The mind set is “If she’s wearing it, I should too. Everybody thinks she’s cool, so I will be too!” Reality check, just because the popular girl at school is wearing 5” Jeffrey Campbell’s to the mall, doesn’t mean she is cool, it means she’s either a) desperate for attention or b) is simply an idiot.
In conclusion, although the website and its followers pride themselves on their iconic slogan “Nasty Gals Do It Better”, really, they don’t. The trend has now become, dare say, too trendy, with such a large abundance of girls dressing the same, its become quite generic. It’s not to say that the trend has lost its hype, but more so that the trend has lots it fascination amongst street style and the fashion industry, that nowadays people are not fazed by the sight of such an outfit. On a final note, girls, ditch the JC’s and Graphic Tanks, its time to show each other your true colors. Like they say, survival of the fittest.
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