Holla "if you love hip-hop!"
Hip-hop is a culture, it's a style, and it's roots are derived from the street scenes of American urban communities. I have a very personal connection to hip-hop as it exploded onto the scene when I was entering Junior High School, an extremely hormonal and often rebellious time in one's life. Tupac was my theoretical "homie" with lyrics that pulled on my pre-pubescent heart strings, like "It's just me against the world" and "It's all good from Diego to the Bay." My attitude changed (my vocabulary consisted mainly of profanity), along with my outwardly appearance, and my wardrobe experienced a massive overhaul as I replaced spandex with baggy jeans, turtlenecks with cutoff shirts, and jellies with basketball high-tops. The whitest white girl you have ever laid eyes on was engaging in an Afrocentric culture that helped to define, from a mainstream point of view, my generation. Our parents had The Beatles and The Stones...we had Tupac and Biggie. I never dreamed that 90s fashion would be resurrected from the archives, but here it is, and it's permeating the streets and taking the fashion industry by storm.
How did 90s hip-hop transition from the 'hood' to the runway? It's resurgence within the mainstream fashion community began with the rebirth of snap back hats, by Mitchell & Ness, in early 2011, and has dramatically increased due to the exploding street style scene that is hugely influential in dictating trends on the runway and in the stores. Nike reintroduced Air Force 1s and Air Max's as well as debuted Dunk Sky Highs, a trendy sport wear platform tennis shoe for women. Afrocentric patterned items of clothing have escalated in popularity and so has favoring an aesthetic that is more androgynous over a style that is overtly feminine. Evidence of this is pervasive,as we are seeing women experimenting with gender roles in fashion by sporting baggy pants, baseball caps, sportswear, Coogi sweaters, and over-sized bomber jackets.
I am embracing these current trends and my inner teenager, as it was this subculture that was the backdrop to the most formative years of my life!
This, here, is my interpretation and ode to the "Golden Age" of hip-hop.
How did 90s hip-hop transition from the 'hood' to the runway? It's resurgence within the mainstream fashion community began with the rebirth of snap back hats, by Mitchell & Ness, in early 2011, and has dramatically increased due to the exploding street style scene that is hugely influential in dictating trends on the runway and in the stores. Nike reintroduced Air Force 1s and Air Max's as well as debuted Dunk Sky Highs, a trendy sport wear platform tennis shoe for women. Afrocentric patterned items of clothing have escalated in popularity and so has favoring an aesthetic that is more androgynous over a style that is overtly feminine. Evidence of this is pervasive,as we are seeing women experimenting with gender roles in fashion by sporting baggy pants, baseball caps, sportswear, Coogi sweaters, and over-sized bomber jackets.
I am embracing these current trends and my inner teenager, as it was this subculture that was the backdrop to the most formative years of my life!
This, here, is my interpretation and ode to the "Golden Age" of hip-hop.
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