A new hipster uniform...

So Observer and Grazia have crowned American Apparel as label of the year and I *thought* I was going to scratch my head in disbelief at such an odd choice when I read everything and duly had to nod to the following...

"Turnover has increased from £7m in 2007 to £14m this year."

"American Apparel is unashamedly concerned with dressing the urban-dwelling sixth former/early-twentysomething. To a degree, its laid-back, sporty, pretend-vintage, flirty sexiness defines that generation. It is sexy (tight, short, low-cut), it is clubby, it is casual; it is the antithesis of respectable office wear."

"American Apparel has also become synonymous with the New York 'hipster' movement. They dress exclusively in vintage, hats, designer one-offs produced by their hipster friends - and American Apparel....they're pretentious and over-attached to irony and they inspire vitriol in everybody. The hipster brand, and the American Apparel brand, are indistinguishable"

So whether you like it or not, AA has infiltrated our wardrobes either as a blessing or like a plague and the 'hipsters' (which Polly Vernon had to hilariously and painfully describe in laymans terms to the Sunday Observer crowd....) are behind AA all the way...

I've always been a bit ambivalent to that H word which inspires hatred, jealousy and a mean spirit from people, all of which I find a bit tiresome because my brain isn't big enough to start pouring insults on a word/a movement/a style/a group of people (however you want to define the word...) that I only have a vague idea about.  It's like me sitting on a fence whistling as said hipster walk by whilst someone else will mutter 'Damn hipsters!' and I'll be scratching my head thinking 'Ohhhh so THAT'S a hipster!'  Ignorance is bliss?

Still, if my vague perceptions are anything to go by, I can hazily deduce that there apparently exists something of a 'hipster' uniform that is supposedly transcends across a lot of Western Civisilisation cities; skinny jeans/AA leggings, AA tee, white/black plimsols (peeps in London get them from Cheshire Street) and kerazy sunnies of some sort...

Ain't nutin' wrong with that... but under my rose tinted glasses for 2009, I've somehow come up with a slightly jazzier version of the formula that IF it indeed became the next gen of hipster uniformity, I'd gladly be labelled one (with a sticky label if you want...)...

Skinny jeans/leggings >> Skinny satin trews... hopefully these will come in all kinds of shades and effects too.

AA tees >> Sheer t-shirts layered up in all kinds of kerazy colours (let's be honest, the crazy with a k has to remain... couldn't get the right pics to illustrate but ya know what I mean!)

Plimsolls >> Clarks desert boots...I'm not giving up on these and with the trews slightly rolled up and no visible socks worn, the 'off/odd' element is thus here.

Kerazy sunnies >> Elaborate headgear...again, a selfish ploy here but taking hats aside, if those AA satin headbands are so popular then surely some oversized adornment is the next step.

P.S. I'm currently feeling rather redundant in ACTUAL useful information or insight hence a silly post like this.  Still, I expect you guys to be LESS silly and put forth your own SERIOUS views on what you feel about AA getting this accolade, hipsterage and all that jazz which I know very little about...

Comments

[Imelda Matt]

If you can't say sumet nice, then zip it!

Btw I would have been left clutching my pearls had you NOT nominated Mr Kirkwood...our mutual love of his talent runs deep!

[WendyB]

I was once at a restaurant that had been described by Zagats as being populated by hipsters. Yet I didn't see any hipsters. Does that mean the hipster was...ME?!?

[roxanne]

ever since i read the adbusters article about hipsterdom heralding the end of western civilization (http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/79/hipster.html), i've been thinking long and hard about the H word.. i'm writing my women's studies final paper on the parallel between the consumer-driven hipster culture and the subsumation of Beat fashion into the mainstream in the 1950s.. i think what it all boils down to is that it's hard to sustain a counterculture for long, and they'll always eventually gain the ire and disdain of someone, somewhere..i think that in our day and age, with the hyperexchange of information, it just happened sooner for the hipsters.

[Alicia/InstantVintage]

Honestly, I can't say that I'm surprised. This was one of the only profitable retail companies this year.

[Brigadeiro]

I have yet to succumb to purchasing anything from AA, but have my eye on a Flashdance-reminiscent grey marle raglan...

Don't think I'd call them the H word, just B for Basics...

[Amber CFS]

I like your evolution suggestions, particularly the elaborate headgear! I feel a return to the serious pursuit of crowning adornments is in order for 2009... slowly catching on judging by the amount of fascinators on Etsy.

[PLAY]

Personally, I LOVE those scarves & wide AA V tops, they're part of my daily uniform. They're more than basics,'cause they look cool on their own plus you can combine them in a trillion of ways. And AA really knows how to make ethical fashion sexy. However. From a style hunter's perspective, AA makes things a tad difficult. No matter what city or style blog you visit, it is VERY hard to avoid the AA /vintage hipster army. In fact, last year in Berlin Mitte, AA even opened up their own vintage boutique, called California Vintage. No doubt, a super super clever move - but yeah, I'm really really longing for the time the AA/futurist modernist crowd is gathering momentum. So thanks for your suggestions:-)

[Han]

I'd subscribe to that uniform! :)
Can it include a return to proper shaped backpacks please? But in luxe fabrics/textures! (Anyone seen anything in a flocked/velour wallpapery pattern?!)

[KD]

Oh gosh, lets just get rid of the phrase "hipster" because it is so loaded - it implies that you are unfunny, sarcastic, and annoying, and I know that just because you wear flannel and skinny jeans does not make you an obnoxious person. I have to say though, the thing I was focused on most throughout this post was the SKINNY SATIN TREWS. I adore them, especially your's and Queen Michelle's pairs.

[letslivefast]

hmm this is a really interesting post.
truthfully, everytime i go into AA i see supposed "hipsters", but whatever. i like AA's clothing, and i'm pretty sure i wouldn't be categorized as a 'hipster' :)

btw, great great blog! would you care to link exchange? :D

[Laia]

I hate shopping there but man alive, I am obsessed with their tri-blend tees. OB-SESSED.

[Robot]

I'm having a heck of a time finding clark desert boots for women- I've been looking for 3 years. Apparently Canadian stores don't think they are a big hit!

[selina]

i'm all for the silly posts! a sea of ellaborate headgear would make me very happy. it's also quite funny how AA only have flagship stores in certain places, many people i know haven't heard of them, and they still managed to win label of the year. i'm actually more dreading the opening of a manchester store as i don't want to be clubbing in a sea of identical u-neck dresses!

[ms sashimi]

yes thats pretty weird... maybe the AA people paid someone for this write up? LOL "hipster" is a label that goes both ways depending on who you're talking to. in manhattan, hipsters were referred to the williamsburg kids who ALL seemed to be dressed in uniform... admitedlly, while i lived in brooklyn i never felt like one of them since they ARE really too cool for words... great idea breaking down the formula tho!

[Mademoiselle Robot]

The general definition of "hipster" tends to puzzle me, as it is different in every country. Well maybe not the definition but the uniform. To me a hipster is American, not English, and an American hipster is... erm... I don't know.
I wouldn't really know how to pinpoint a British hipster by uniform either as to me the cool kids tend to dress their own way.

As for AA being a hipster uniform, whenever I read stuff like this in the papers, I scratch my head too as to me they mostly make good quality basics, and are not exactly a fashion statement. But maybe that's where my vision of hipsters is wrong, maybe they are not after making fashion statements at all.

You got me all confuzzled now. hipster or not hipster? aaaaaaah!

xxx

[Janavi]

I live in NY,and work in the Fashion industry, and I am quite surprised to find that AA is considered "hip". I guess I never paid much attention to that brand- just thought it was kind of bland basics. Who knew??

[Emily L]

My personal feelings about AA are not so concerned with whether or not they're "hipster" (I doubt many people in my small town know who they are, which makes it hard for them to become oversaturated here), but more with their business practices and their owner. I'm not the type to tell people where to shop, but I would encourage you to read a little bit about the company and then make your decision.

[topbird]

You know, I really love reading Polly Vernon's articles in Observer Women. She's always so spot on.

Gotta love the old mod favourite, Clarks desert boots. Been meaning to track down a pair for my man on ebay. xx

[Shoes Mend Hearts]

Wearing AA isn't stylish or creative. It's en masse and it's boring. I don't really care if I offend anyone by saying that.

In Melbourne, Australia, it's considered hip only for the reason that it's androgynous. Skinny girls who party and take drugs can wear it layered and swap with their boyfriends. It's not fashionable, it's just easy.

[Janavi]

Emily is right!!

[Jill]

You have to admit, although the items can run too short and too revealing at times, overall they have basic but very versatile items. I've read an article which referred to them as this generation's Gap. I'm totally with you on the skinny satin pants though!

[enc]

Isn't it un-hip if it's a "uniform?"

AA markets 80's clothing back to kids who grew up in the 80's. colorful, body conscious, inexpensive...all that's missing is a side ponytail.

[christie]

gee wilikers, i LOVE clarks desert boots. seems no one else until now loves them! the floral ones are really rad.

[Charlie]

I've always had the same vague impression of what a "hipster" I had somewhat decided I would not even try to really quantify it but your definition does make alot of sense

[Amelia]

I love your new hipster uniform. I would gladly be a hipster if they were wearing those hats/headbands.

[Sister Wolf]

I have been preparing to write about 'hipsters' for a long time. So this is a great post, far as I'm concerned.

One definition of Hipster that i like is, "Someone who's already sick of something you haven't even heard about yet."

Have you noticed that whatever a Hipster is, it certainly isn't one's self? It's ALWAYS someone else. It's the worst insult in pop culture....even worse than Emo!

[bb]

the french 'bobo'

[NiceAndShiny]

Thanks for commenting on my blog! I think it's so great that you still support the "little guys" even with the million other things going on in you life!
Great post! I completely agree with you, I seem to be quite oblivious when it comes to labeling a group of people. That, and also I just don't like it! Is it realy nessecary to pigeon-hole a "type" of person? Does it really your life easier by branding everything and everyone? I don't beleive so.
I love your 2009 predictions, I'd gladly sample every one of those looks! Esp the sheer t-shirt... I need one, badly.
<3<3<3

[elisabeth]

sigh.
i don't fall for AA style really.
but i can say that i would, if judged, fall into what people call the brooklyn hipster crowd.
i have finally stopped calling it "the H word" and accepted the fact that i am not the only cool person in this world. haha.
i think the thing i hate about associating AA with hipsterdome is just the blanket of simple style.
the thing i love about my wardrobe is that there are hundreds of one of a kind (well, i don't anyone else in williamsburg wearing them) vintage pieces. i have dressed this way since i was 13 or 14.
so i stand in front of everyone. a proud (shriek) hipster.
because no specific brand will define or limit my closet.
can i get an amen?

[hrose]

AMEN!

[Jazzy]

Loving the shoes.

[Annie Spandex]

I've got a pair of satin skinnies due to arrive on my porch tomorrow, lol...
I'll have to wear them with my Clark's like you say. :)
I know what you mean about Hipster becoming a bad word. Looking down on hipsters is just as much a fashion as the hipster movement.
Re: AA, I bet a similar article was written about The Gap in the 90's.

[mybeaumonde]

"Thanks for commenting on my blog! I think it's so great that you still support the "little guys" even with the million other things going on in you life!"

totally agree with niceandshiny on that one... i got the shock of my life when i saw your comments on my blog! your time management is AMAZING... i think you could probably even do a motivational speaking tour on it? i am starting to wonder whether you have assistants working for you?? i can hardly keep up with my job let alone anything else!

on the hipster debate...

"Their spiritual home is Williamsburg, a recently revived area of Brooklyn, rammed with organic coffee shops, tiny boutiques, galleries and independent bars. They dress exclusively in vintage, hats, designer one-offs produced by their hipster friends - and American Apparel." ...from the polly vernon article...

well that doesn't sound like such a terrible life to me?
x

[sj]

I'm actually feeling the desert boots, in particular the white ones with the lacey bit on the side.

[kirsty lee]

i do worry that all this hipster bashing is coming from people who are a little bit jealous of the life these so-called hipsters lead, or have us believe they lead at least.

also - was was really hoping i'd keep scrolling down and come to a photo of you actually wearing all these things. any chance??

[susie_bubble]

Kirsty Lee: just need the desert boots to get me going.... !

[KatGeorge]

I love the looks you've come up with but I think the term 'hipster' kind of encompasses more than an aesthetic now.

It IS a defined cultural movement, and I think it's been deemed the dead end of generation y. It's where aspiration ends and apathy begins. I'm not sure how you diferentiate a hipster from someone who just dresses to that aesthetic, but there is definietly a whole section of our generation whose rebellion is complete ignorance and inaction.

I think because the movement is so introspective, and has only been defined from the outside, 'hipsters' themselves don't really recognise their quiet rebellion. Mostly because they are too self involved or just don't care. It makes me sad for our generation because we are so blessed and so many parents have worked so hard for us and yet so many young people just squander their gifts and become ignorant to anything but their own world.

End rant.

xx

[KatGeorge]

Ps sorry about my little digression.I really do love AA simply, like everyone else that's commented, because of the simplictity. Their basics are fantastic for layering with special pieces in your wardrobe.

Their advertising is just soft core slash kiddy porn though.

[Fiona]

i think you are totally spot on with your formula for 2009. in fact i have been searching HIGH AND BLOODY LOW for some uber skinny satin trousers, pref black, pref with a zip up the back of the calf. and the desert boots - a footwearstaple in my native South Africa (except there we call them 'veld skoene' (literal translation: field/bush boots)for both hipsters and farmers alike!
any tips on finding that perfect pair of satin trews susie???? x

i don't get it because hipsters have been around since what the 60's? its even referenced in an old yardbirds song.

its just "cool kids" within a certain age range who eventually will start having children move into the burbs and scramble desperately to remove their tattoos and piercings. then they'll have to be explained to what a hipster means because they forgot.

my parents were hipsters back in the days....
were yours?

[naboonies]

Well the Russian girls have been embracing the skinny satins since forever ( approx 5 years ago, when I first came to Russia).

[Hannah.]

Urban-dwelling sixth-former. I guess thats me then.

[dapper kid]

I am in love with Clarks desert boots, as soon as I can afford some I'm buying! I was not surprised seeing the article in the Guardian, it seems that all what my mother calls the 'arty' type seem to have a uniform of AA. However, I still like the basics they sell...although admittedly I'm going more to Uniqlo these days. And I still have no idea what a hipster is?!

[katy]

YES!! it pleases me to know you're a lover of clarks desert boots! and i wear mine with rolled up black skinnys and they i think they look amazing. But everyone at work laughs at me saying they look like teddy bears boots. I think they're just jealous, and certainly will be if i get my hands on a pair of those jazzy floral ones!!

[Cas Ruffin]

How do you pick any other labels for the "label of the year" award when AA has visibly (as worn on the backs of the masses) been the only label around?

Are choosing on novelty, popularity, or quality?

the hipster "movement" needs to end. and soon. like really soon before i leave new york. or the country.

[Katlin]

As much as people dog on AA, they really have been doing well lately... their stuff is everywhere and on everyone! They even opened their first store here at Waikiki recently. As for the new trends, the sheer shirts and Clarks desert boots look appealing.. I have GAP boots from the kids section that resemble them, they were only $25!

[kim]

Hahaa! A month ago I was trying to explain to my 30-something male coworkers what a "hipster" was. I tried to define them as: "kids who wear American Apparel etc" - (they still didn't understand -no clue what AA was- so I had them look it up in wikipedia) but then it hit me:I wear AA stuff too, does that make me a ...hipster?

P.S. according to the Brit in our group Hipsters are "Scene kids" in Liverpool.

[Songy]

Don't worry about that Susie. Whether I like it or not you're spot on the trend. What you're showing here is already happening in Australian and I'm 100% certain that it's ACTUAL now.